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04-06-2014, 09:07 PM   #1
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Nice sensor for potential Pentax FF?

Just seen this:

Full-frame Sony A7S bucks trend with fewer, larger pixels for great low-light shooting, native 4K video

This sounds like a sensor that would suit a Pentax FF to me?

04-06-2014, 09:47 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Dieseler Quote
Just seen this:

Full-frame Sony A7S bucks trend with fewer, larger pixels for great low-light shooting, native 4K video

This sounds like a sensor that would suit a Pentax FF to me?
12Mp is too niche I think. I think most enthusiasts expect around 24 as it gives you a good balance of resolution and low-light performance.

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04-06-2014, 09:48 PM   #3
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i think if it will be Pentax FF sensor will be 24mp
but we will see...
04-07-2014, 02:08 AM   #4
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A sensor optimized for 4k video is not what I want to see in a Pentax FF DSLR.
I would much prefer higher IQ at lower ISO:s (24+ MP), than lower noise in extreme high ISO.

04-07-2014, 02:14 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
12Mp is too niche I think.
Yep, I agree.
They can't have one FF model (I don't think we can realistically expect more than one, in the beginning) which would be destroyed low-ISO detail wise by every APS-C crop on the market. They have to choose a more balanced feature set, maybe the 24MP sensor, maybe the 36MP one (which would be fine with me).

I don't care about 4K video, but who knows, maybe Pentax will put it in one of their future cameras
04-07-2014, 03:01 AM   #6
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An FF from Pentax will have more MPs than their crop sensor cameras.
And less than their MF cameras. That is the idea.
But do not expect too much from Ricoh Imaging in that regard: the FF will not come out this year. But we may see a few lenses though.
04-07-2014, 04:54 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
12Mp is too niche I think. I think most enthusiasts expect around 24 as it gives you a good balance of resolution and low-light performance.
True, I guess Sony has the A7/A7r to cover the more general usage scenarios. Perhaps I should have said "This sounds like a sensor that would suit a Pentax FF for me?"

I do feel it is a breath of fresh air in the megapixel wars though, albeit perhaps a bit extreme?

04-07-2014, 05:15 AM   #8
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Finally some sense!! Less MegaPixels and better pixel quality. I for one would welcome it. I've no interest in 24MP, even 16MP is overkill. I was quite happy with the 3872 x 2592 (10MP) output of my old PentaxK10D.

Interesting to hear the suggestion that 12MP is being too niche when only a few years ago that was the most you could have. Give it 10 years and 36MP will be "too niche"
04-07-2014, 09:43 AM   #9
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Only few years ago, 6MP was the most you could have. Few years before that, it was 2MP.
04-07-2014, 11:29 AM   #10
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While I don't care about video or very high ISO, I agree the potential of better quality with 12MP may be worthwhile. I do appreciate the 18MP of my Leica M9 when mated with a good lens, as I can crop in greatly and keep quality, so I often travel with just the tiny 35mm lens and "digital zoom" when I would otherwise have swapped to a 50 or 90mm.
04-07-2014, 12:16 PM   #11
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I think I'd pay more attention to this if it were 16MP, since I tend to do a lot of cropping. Nevertheless, I'm glad to see a return of sensibility with regard to resolution.
04-07-2014, 01:56 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fogel70 Quote
A sensor optimized for 4k video is not what I want to see in a Pentax FF DSLR.
I would much prefer higher IQ at lower ISO:s (24+ MP), than lower noise in extreme high ISO.
I'm just the opposite. Although I love my landscape shots, I think the IQ is just about maxed out, with lenses being the limiter. I don't want to have to buy 2500 lenses to replace my current landscape kit. However, I would love Pentax to find a nice balance in their FF to make Pentax a viable option for action photography. Being able to compete side by side with a Nikon in sports and wildlife at iso 2500 would be all the incentive I'd need to go full frame.

essentially what you are describing is already in place in the medium format market.
04-07-2014, 05:05 PM - 1 Like   #13
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A 12 MP FF sensor camera, optimised for low-light, with good AF and high FPS, would fill a very useful niche as a Pentax sports shooting camera, even as an indoor event/ photojournalism/ wedding camera. A new generation D700, but in K-mount.

D4s style 16MP would be nice, but low-noise 12MP for sports and events is still very useable. Low-noise preserves resolution, so you may trade-off very little by using a 'mere' 12MP. A noisy 24MP image probably delivers less resolution than a sharp, noise-free 12MP one.
04-07-2014, 06:54 PM   #14
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I'd buy it, but I agree the Pentax offering will at least match K-3 MP. Maybe the next FF iteration would come with "options" like this. In which case I'll take a 12 MP Foveon please.
04-07-2014, 06:56 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by rawr Quote
A 12 MP FF sensor camera, optimised for low-light, with good AF and high FPS, would fill a very useful niche as a Pentax sports shooting camera, even as an indoor event/ photojournalism/ wedding camera. A new generation D700, but in K-mount.

D4s style 16MP would be nice, but low-noise 12MP for sports and events is still very useable. Low-noise preserves resolution, so you may trade-off very little by using a 'mere' 12MP. A noisy 24MP image probably delivers less resolution than a sharp, noise-free 12MP one.
For it to be worthwhile it would have to be able to beat a 24MP (or 36MP) image downsampled to 12MP. Generally higher-MP sensors are only 'noisier' at 100%, or when they're used to display things larger than lower-MP sensors. more resolution compensates for noise.

This sensor may be only 12MP to allow for faster readouts to support the 4K video, and may not really have any noise or DR advantage... We'll have to wait & see what Bill Claff and places like DxOMark say.
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