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12-13-2014, 12:55 AM   #46
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sandy Hancock Quote
Moon Silver was not available through the Australian stores and it was the only colour I would have accepted. It looks bloody great with either silver or black lenses. Yes, I have turned off the LED's.
There's no doubt about that image IQ but while I don't hate it, I'm not comfortable with the proportions or the mix of old and new design elements.

12-13-2014, 01:32 AM   #47
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QuoteOriginally posted by THoog Quote
That's the part that rankles me - I turned the LEDs off two months ago, and am pretty much unaware of their existence - but all I hear about is that people don't like the LEDs. If the camera came with a neon green neck strap and a plain black strap, and I used the black strap from day one, would I hear "oh, that's the camera with the green strap. I don't like that." in every conversation? (Ans: Yes, probably so.)
I think people make too much a fuss over the grip too. Not everybody on earth has ogre sized paws. I find the grip on my K10D probably at the limit to what is comfortable. I'm interested in a K-3 but the grip may be too large for my hands. And I'm used to manual focus cameras which didn't have grips until the mid 80s. And the so called grips were mere bumps compared to what is common today.

Besides, if the K-S1 is intended for the selfie crowd then they won't be using the grip much anyway.
12-14-2014, 07:59 PM   #48
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I have to admit, the picture quality is excellent!
12-14-2014, 11:02 PM   #49
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QuoteOriginally posted by Not a Number Quote
I think people make too much a fuss over the grip too. Not everybody on earth has ogre sized paws. I find the grip on my K10D probably at the limit to what is comfortable. I'm interested in a K-3 but the grip may be too large for my hands. And I'm used to manual focus cameras which didn't have grips until the mid 80s. And the so called grips were mere bumps compared to what is common today.
In my meanderings with the K-S1 this weekend, I ended up at the Smithsonian Institute in DC. Along with burning photons, I performed some observations to support my theory that the K-S1 design was primarily intended for Japanese women, or east-Asian women in general:

1) There are a heck of a lot of Asian women in Washington, DC. I saw, oh, a couple hundred in about six hours at the Air and Space Museum(s) and National Gallery of Art. English was usually not the language being spoken (did hear a mix of Korean, Japanese, and either Mandarin or Cantonese), so I think I had a decent sample for the world in general.
2) I'd say average height was about five feet / 150cm, maybe less. Even the taller ones tend to be slender, with small hands. In general, they had smaller hands than Caucasian women of similar height. Conclusion: Asian women tend to be small, and have small hands.
3) They tend to dress "up" for going to museums. Where the American "white girl" winter uniform is jeans, boots, and a sweatshirt (or a sweater if they were with a date), Asian women were more likely to be in skirts, with more layers and accessories like scarves and hats. They looked like they were going to church, or possibly a job interview. If they had been guys, think sport coat and slacks. If they were with a date, increase one more notch. From this, I'm going to conclude that Asian women, even of different nationalities, are generally more "style conscious".
4) Not a lot of them had cameras (other than phones) - for those that did, it was compacts and superzooms. I think I saw two with DSLRs, and they both spoke to their friends in English with an American accent. In both cases, it was a smaller body and lens. (Side note: If I saw a DSLR with an f/2.8 zoom and a flash attached, it was a Caucasian male.) From this, I'm going to conclude that Asian women prefer smaller cameras, when they use cameras.
5) As a middle-aged white guy with no fashion sense, I am completely invisible. This is useful when you are staring at women's hands and outfits, but it pretty much killed any chance of saying, "excuse me, could you hold this camera and tell me if the grip fits your hands?". That, and not wanting to get pummeled by security.

So, I didn't see anything to DISprove my theory. For my next test, I'm going to need a 'sweets collection' Strawberry Pie K-S1 and a silver DA 21 HD...

12-14-2014, 11:51 PM   #50
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QuoteOriginally posted by THoog Quote
but it pretty much killed any chance of saying, "excuse me, could you hold this camera and tell me if the grip fits your hands?". That, and not wanting to get pummeled by security.
No but you could do the "Excuse me, could you take my picture" in front of some exhibit bit and go from there... a demo of the face recognition lights.... bwahahaha!
12-15-2014, 01:00 AM   #51
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You all know I'm not a fan of the K-S1. That being said I'm admitting it's mostly because of it's looks and I'm not trashing the camera's innards just because I don't like the design. I think the K-S1 for many people it's just a love it or hate it camera situation and it has little if anything to do with how well it performs. They should be honest and admit it though. Not trash the camera as a whole just because it looks odd. Pentax has a history of making odd looking cameras though that goes back to the 1980's. This is nothing new really. Take a look back at their plastic fantastic models. You'll soon start getting what I mean. I honestly don't like any of them but it has nothing to do with how the cameras work. Pentax makes great cameras, always has, always will, even when they're making cameras that look like they come from Santa's Toyland they're still great cameras.

I had a P3 for a while. It came with a lens I wanted and it was a perfectly good camera. It worked well and was easy to use. But I never did like it's design and I never used it because I just couldn't get into it. My niece on the other hand loves it and would not give it up even when I finally gave her a K1000. She happily shoots with both. I feel the same way about my Canon AE-1 and my Nikon EM too. Neither one of them particularly does it for me even though they are both perfectly good cameras. More often than not I let the kids I am teaching use them because I really don't care if one gets broken. That's awful to say but it's true, laugh. Better they trash a camera I won't miss if they do, you know?

I could see these cameras actually being very popular with young Japanese teens and since likely that's the market they're aiming for over in Japan that's fine. Here, definitely not so much. I won't be buying one. I don't want one, wouldn't even if it was free but whatever. To each his or her own. There are a lot of people out there who did not like the K-30. Hence we got the more traditional K-50. So far the K-30 is my favorite of all the Pentax DSLR's to date. I don't particularly think the K-3 is a thing of beauty but people sure seem to love them too. Whatever works, get it done, go out and take some pics. If you like the K-S1 buy it. Make Ricoh's accountants happy....
12-15-2014, 07:09 AM   #52
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I think the major issue with this camera is the price entry point... it will probably sell like hot cakes once the price drops below half of what it goes now.

12-15-2014, 07:25 AM   #53
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The only part of the looks that mattered to me was the size. I just like smaller DSLRs (the P30T was my first SLR, after learning on my father's ME Super; that might have something to do with it). The K-S1 with a normal prime can fit in a neoprene pouch and safely ride around in my work bag. The K-x and K-01 fit it, too, but the K-30 or K-5 are heavier and a size bigger - they are danger or ripping out the snaps, and the stretching compromises the cushioning. I went with a blue K-S1 for a practical reason - to avoid security guys telling me my "pro" camera isn't allowed, and people interrupting me to ask who I work for just when my "eye" is finally warming up.

When it comes to reviews of entry- or consumer- level gear, I really get peeved at internet "experts" saying "it isn't for me, so it's trash and isn't for anybody". That's not being honest or helpful, that's being lazy and a snob. Figure out who it IS for, then say "it's not for me because <blank>, but it might be for <blank> because <blank>". In this case, even I can see that the camera is targetted at a particular group. Perhaps Pentax should have just made it a special-order item outside of Asia.
12-15-2014, 07:39 AM   #54
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QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
I think the major issue with this camera is the price entry point... it will probably sell like hot cakes once the price drops below half of what it goes now.
Black, body only is down to $432 at Amazon.
I'm still waiting for lower.
12-15-2014, 07:41 AM   #55
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QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
I think the major issue with this camera is the price entry point... it will probably sell like hot cakes once the price drops below half of what it goes now.
That puzzles me - $750 was bit high, but $650 with a FluCard thrown in seemed very fair to me. I paid about $650 for my K-x new five years ago, and it was considered a great value then. Where it counts, the K-S1 is a much more capable camera than the K-x. Yes, electronics tend to get cheaper, and Canon and Nikon have been driving prices down with excess production, but we're kind of banging against the bottom here.

I also suspect when the K-S1 goes to closeout, we'll see a repeat of the K-01 Black Friday, with people scrambling for remaining stock and complaining that they didn't get one. I will have paid more, but I'll get to use the camera in the meantime for what, a couple dollars per day?
12-15-2014, 07:50 AM   #56
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QuoteOriginally posted by robtcorl Quote
Black, body only is down to $432 at Amazon.
I'm still waiting for lower.
Like I was saying

QuoteOriginally posted by THoog Quote
That puzzles me - $750 was bit high, but $650 with a FluCard thrown in seemed very fair to me. I paid about $650 for my K-x new five years ago, and it was considered a great value then. Where it counts, the K-S1 is a much more capable camera than the K-x. Yes, electronics tend to get cheaper, and Canon and Nikon have been driving prices down with excess production, but we're kind of banging against the bottom here.

I also suspect when the K-S1 goes to closeout, we'll see a repeat of the K-01 Black Friday, with people scrambling for remaining stock and complaining that they didn't get one. I will have paid more, but I'll get to use the camera in the meantime for what, a couple dollars per day?
Considering that you can buy better cameras for lower than that (one example that comes to mind is Sony A6000), the price for the camera is still quite high.
Bottom line, a lot of people will not buy product X when product Y for same quality (or even better) is on the market for a better price.
Not trying to say you decision was wrong or not, please don't misunderstand me...

An ideal price for this camera, in my opinion, will be around the sweet spot of $350.

Last edited by mrNewt; 12-15-2014 at 10:05 AM.
12-15-2014, 09:00 AM   #57
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QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
An ideal price for this camera, in my opinion, will be around the sweet spot of $350.
I could see myself snagging a K-S1 for around that price point. Maybe Black Friday time next year. Till then I've got my K-01s and Q7 if I want to mess with something smaller than the K-3.
12-15-2014, 10:15 AM   #58
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QuoteOriginally posted by mrNewt Quote
An ideal price for this camera, in my opinion, will be around the sweet spot of $350.
Based on a comment from one of our members in Japan, a launch price that low would have hurt sales there, because it would suggest low quality. It's just a completely different mindset. Like I said, the K-S1 probably should not have been available in North America, except as a special order.
12-15-2014, 10:33 AM   #59
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QuoteOriginally posted by THoog Quote
Based on a comment from one of our members in Japan, a launch price that low would have hurt sales there, because it would suggest low quality. It's just a completely different mindset. Like I said, the K-S1 probably should not have been available in North America, except as a special order.
Understandable.
12-15-2014, 10:42 AM   #60
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QuoteOriginally posted by THoog Quote
Like I said, the K-S1 probably should not have been available in North America, except as a special order.
I dunno. I could see it taking off with the young gadget crazy crowd: the ones that will stand in line for hours to get the latest iPhone and are willing to pay top dollar for it.
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