[rawr]

Pentax needs to be more serious about the K-mount system. Only two current K-mount bodies and no >300mm lenses simply is not enough to maintain a stable user base.

I certainly agree with all that.

to offer a viable FF system to attract more customers and offer a serious upgrade path

This I am not so sure about. A single Pentax K-5 ad at the Superbowl would probably attract more new Pentax customers in a day than something like a 4 camera Pentax FF line-up ever would in 5 years. But there is already a current thread about this .

[Bruce]

Would be very nice if this came to fruition in about 18 months, might have learnt enough to 'step up' to a FF by then and will be able to stay with the brand (save another savage attack of LBA as well).

[RonHendriks1966]

Am I still the only one seeing that now Canon leaves APS-H that this coult be the perfect target for Pentax to show their top-of-the-line K-mount camera in?

- Good and great sensor with 16-18 megapixel.
- Compatible with a larg amount of current DA lenses (except wide-angle <31mm)
- Great performance on hi-iso.
- Smaller body then those FF Canikon's to pack it in.

I want it!

[MRRiley]

Four pages of typical FF junk.

Where is the Pentax Anouncement?

Takes cojones to call a thread started by the forum owner "junk!" Patience grasshopper. Adam will post the response when he can.

Mike

[TOUGEFC]

And I dont think Adam would have started this thread if the statement didnt contain good news

[adrianpglover]

It does contain good news -- that Pentax Ricoh is responsive to their customers.

[Gimbal]

the company plans on expanding its Advanced Amateur and Professional product lines.

Can one not also interpret this as "Advanced Amateur" is the current APS-C line, and the "Professional product" is the 645d. In other words, we will continue in the same tracks.

[kanzlr]

while a bigger sensor K5 would be nice, I have to admit that the points raised in the letter are almost a bit absurd, but that's to be expected from somebody emotionally attached enough to run a forum like this in his spare time
I doubt there are enough forum reading amateurs with enough spare cash to make this a financial success for Ricoh.

And saying that FX is an upgrade path is a bit weird...The whole concept is hobbyist driven.

[Asahiflex]

Can one not also interpret this as "Advanced Amateur" is the current APS-C line, and the "Professional product" is the 645d. In other words, we will continue in the same tracks.

The Canon 7D and 5D Mark II are advanced amateur cameras too. As in: the 5D is deliberately crippled as to not to eat into the 1D series' sales. That's why Pentax could easily take the FF market by storm, as there's no professional camera line to protect. A Pentax FF model will always be better than the entry-level FF from Canon/Nikon. Because it will never eat into the sales of 645D's as they don't share the same lens mount.

[Asahiflex]

And saying that FX is an upgrade path is a bit weird...The whole concept is hobbyist driven.

Our part of the photography market exists solely because of the hobbyists. It's common knowledge that sales of cheap camera models pay for the R&D of higher class models. In case there's no hobbyist user base the corresponding cameras usually cost several ten thousand dollars (look at Phase One and Hasselblad). There is a reason the 645D is sold at its "cheap" pricepoint (relative to other medium format DSLR's), as R&D costs are shared with the lesser models (in fact it shares a lot of hardware with the K-7).

[sbroadbentphoto]

I have been buying the sigma line of lenses mainly because they are full frame compatible and can be used on my film bodies. I now have an 85mm 1.4, 70-200 f2.8, 105mm f2.8 macro and am waiting on a 50mm f1.4. I have a DA* 16-50mm f2.8 but am not a large fan of it and its slow focus.

I have been waiting for a full frame as i like the DOF caused by the FOV. I can imagine it would be amazing with my lens line. I will get a 24-70 f2.8 if they bring out a FF.

Waiting kind of impatiently....... Fingers crossed

[Emacs]

I don't know what will be the ricoh reply, but the K-5 was my the last APS-C solution from pentax. Period.

[kanzlr]

It's common knowledge that sales of cheap camera models pay for the R&D of higher class models.

or common guess work.

[Kikool_CH]

Hi there

When my second daughter was born four month ago, I decided to go digital FF and bought a second hand 5D (film is too expensive).

I still prefer my K-5, absolutely no doubt, except for two things : the 5D f2.8 center point AF accuracy, and the 24x36 format. Since then I (re)discovered the joy to use 50mm and 85mm lenses at their intended field of view. Now I'm lurking on Canon glass (the 135f2 for exemple...) and wondering for a camera update.

Come on Pentax...

[RobA_Oz]

or common guess work.

If you were going to consider a new camera line, the starting point would be estimating the market size at release time and determining the percentage you want to capture and then working out your cost elements (including R&D) to see what price you'd put on it. Some current sales statistics would be helpful in minimising the guesswork here. Does anyone know the sales figures for Canon, Nikon and Sony DSLRs of this type?