[magkelly]

This probably sounds nutty but I'd really like Pentax to take some of the really iconic manual cameras in their line, like the SP2 and the K1000 and digitize them while keeping the original look. I really like the new retro looks cars,like the new Beetle and the PT cruiser, cars that look similar to the way they did, but that have more updated mechanics, and I'd love to see some classic cameras used as the basis for a "fun" line of digital 35MM's.

I don't mind basic black and I think the new colored DSLR's are cute, but I'm really tired of looking at a DSLR from practically any company and seeing cameras that I can't hardly even tell apart except for the name on the lens. DSLR's in some ways are like modern mid sized cars. If it wasn't for the logo on the rear sometimes you almost wouldn't know which car was which. They're so generic in shape unless you want to step up to a major luxury brand or something.

Some of those old Pentaxes had some really sweet exteriors and though I think they got copied a lot they were pretty original I think compared to cameras today. I like the metal. I like the leatherette. I'm kind of tired of looking at molded mostly black plastic cameras that all look the same. The bright colors idea works for me on some level, but it's still just the same plastic camera body. It would be nice to see some Pentax cameras back out there with some real details, and a lot less generic look to them.

The innards I have almost no quarrel with. They make excellent cameras from what I can tell, period, but the design is ultimately just so much of the same old same old. I haven't seen a truly interesting design in any camera in a decade. The specs change and they get more power, but the chassis hardly ever seems to go anywhere fun in terms of design.

[zelovoc]

This probably sounds nutty but I'd really like Pentax to take some of the really iconic manual cameras in their line, like the SP2 and the K1000 and digitize them while keeping the original look. I really like the new retro looks cars,like the new Beetle and the PT cruiser, cars that look similar to the way they did, but that have more updated mechanics, and I'd love to see some classic cameras used as the basis for a "fun" line of digital 35MM's.

I don't mind basic black and I think the new colored DSLR's are cute, but I'm really tired of looking at a DSLR from practically any company and seeing cameras that I can't hardly even tell apart except for the name on the lens. DSLR's in some ways are like modern mid sized cars. If it wasn't for the logo on the rear sometimes you almost wouldn't know which car was which. They're so generic in shape unless you want to step up to a major luxury brand or something.

Some of those old Pentaxes had some really sweet exteriors and though I think they got copied a lot they were pretty original I think compared to cameras today. I like the metal. I like the leatherette. I'm kind of tired of looking at molded mostly black plastic cameras that all look the same. The bright colors idea works for me on some level, but it's still just the same plastic camera body. It would be nice to see some Pentax cameras back out there with some real details, and a lot less generic look to them.

The innards I have almost no quarrel with. They make excellent cameras from what I can tell, period, but the design is ultimately just so much of the same old same old. I haven't seen a truly interesting design in any camera in a decade. The specs change and they get more power, but the chassis hardly ever seems to go anywhere fun in terms of design.

pretty good idea. i was just thinking about fully manual dslr in a K1000 style. just imagine how simple this camera could be with all those old MF lens that would work just fine.
and to be honest. since my purchase of old K1000 i haven`t touched my K200d.

[roliver]

pretty good idea. i was just thinking about fully manual dslr in a K1000 style. just imagine how simple this camera could be with all those old MF lens that would work just fine.
and to be honest. since my purchase of old K1000 i haven`t touched my K200d.

Haha, just imagining what my ME Super would be like digitised. It would be great though if Pentax would stop crippling the mounts in there new DSLRs because at the moment you have more automation with the older type of M42 lenses than you do with 'M' series lenses. I'd even go so far as to say that this kind of camera would be acceptable without a colour LCD to preview the photos taken. All it would need is a monochrome status LCD on the back!

[zelovoc]

Haha, just imagining what my ME Super would be like digitised. It would be great though if Pentax would stop crippling the mounts in there new DSLRs because at the moment you have more automation with the older type of M42 lenses than you do with 'M' series lenses. I'd even go so far as to say that this kind of camera would be acceptable without a colour LCD to preview the photos taken. All it would need is a monochrome status LCD on the back!

if you could set up everything needed on the body, even a small lcd would be unnecessary. just a raw camera. beautiful in its simplicity. just like k1000.

[roliver]

if you could set up everything needed on the body, even a small lcd would be unnecessary. just a raw camera. beautiful in its simplicity. just like k1000.

But imagine how cheap and simple it could be made, full frame sensor, spot and centre weighed light meter controls, no evaluative. Only a central focus point with a piece of ground glass for focusing and maybe a focus confirm as well in the viewfinder. You could lose a lot of the features of, say, the K7 but still have a wonderful camera!

[zelovoc]

But imagine how cheap and simple it could be made, full frame sensor, spot and centre weighed light meter controls, no evaluative. Only a central focus point with a piece of ground glass for focusing and maybe a focus confirm as well in the viewfinder. You could lose a lot of the features of, say, the K7 but still have a wonderful camera!

indeed. my dreams.

[thibs]

But imagine how cheap and simple it could be made,

and how hard it would be to get it sold (unfortunately IMO).

[roliver]

and how hard it would be to get it sold (unfortunately IMO).

Well, that really depends on the price. Removing the playback LCD and some more of the advanced features should bring down the price quite considerably and at the end of the day a cheap full-frame camera with such a huge variety of cheap quality lenses available, i.e. 'M' lenses, M42, etc. should sell like hot cakes! The question is, how cheap could you make such a camera?

[jharris9]

I'd like to see a 10 or 12 mm fast prime lense for my K200D.

[Cinghiale]

Pentax...pls speak! cover all this rumors, bad & good, with a new customer politicy, speak with all pentaxian all over the world, open a ticket thread and reply all the answers. This FF camera we expect is years later than Canon or Nikon, so why all these secrets? We are in 2010, not in 1970!

[TaoMaas]

Dear Pentax,
Give me a DSLR that will provide open-aperture metering with all my K-mount lenses. Btw, if you want to make it FF, that's fine with me because all my primes already cover that area.

Love,
TaoMaas

[wolfier]

Dear Pentax,
Give me a DSLR that will provide open-aperture metering with all my K-mount lenses. Btw, if you want to make it FF, that's fine with me because all my primes already cover that area.

Love,
TaoMaas

I highly doubt it will be done and I think it's the decision made by bean counters, not engineers. We need a non-crippled KAF2 mount!

[iCrop]

I've searched this thread and am surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but I'd like to see Depth of Field Bracketing implemented. Seems like it could be easily done. It would be like the current exposure bracketing, except the exposure stays constant, the depth of field changes. Put the Mode Dial is in TAv mode (or GREEN mode or whatever), the user sets the shutter and aperture and turns on DOF bracketing, and the camera shoots 3 or more shots, changing the aperture in the process to capture images with different F values while adjusting the shutter speed to provide correct exposure. Depending on the situation, ISO could be adjusted too. This would be my favorite mode. Come on Pentax, work some magic!

This is another useless thread by me (what else is new).

I hear that he does tune in with us now and then. I am not sure if he ever posted here, but obviously not on regular basis.

What I would like to do is to entice him to join us on this forum for lively discussions. Sure, we can all log onto his blog and post, but it just is not the same. Because I do a stupid blog myself, I know how difficult to keep up sometimes. For example, he hasn't renewed his blog since he went off to Hawaii for vacation.

If we post very intelligent and penetrating questions and opinions, and promise not to ask him when FF is coming out, I wonder he just would join us. Personally, I doubt it, but it just may be easier for him to, you know, interact with us. That would be unheard of, really.

So, Mr. Bunnell. How about it???

Would you like to join us for fun?? I really doubt it, and it would be totally understandable if you cannot. But I just wanted to try.

Come join us, Ned!!


P.S. Will you loan me a copy of 645D, for about 3 years???

[Votesh]

Dear pentax,

Please make a 20mm 2.8 lens that is fully weathersealed, is full frame compatible(for film), and has an actual aperture ring. I would love a lens like this to use on my LX and would pay a premium. You already have the optical designs, just engineer the rest from scratch.
Thanks