Originally posted by rdenney Pentax wouldn’t go mirrorless. That would be following, and despite the whining I’m hearing, and despite the intervals between updates, Pentax has been an absolute leader in this segment. One could argue that neither The X1 nor the GFS-50S would be priced where they are but for the Pentax.
They’ll go bigger. That’s the only way they can maintain a leadership position. And they’ll keep the price under $10K.
Bigger sensor, or bigger mp, or probably both? The under $10K bit is significant, I think. And it may explain why they have not made a move yet---may not yet be possible to do a significant upgrade and keep the price down. And yes, there's no question in my mind that they put pressure on Fuji a bit, and a lot on Hassy.
Quote: Lenses that are truly sharp wide open provide flexibilities and headroom.
And are very, very expensive. I am shooting commercially now as part of my work, and have been able to avail myself of purchases that I can write-off according to U.S. tax law. But that still doesn't mean I can just go run out and snap up all the new lenses available. And I'll remind people that tax laws vary greatly around the world, and of course write offs don't apply to amateurs.
Quote: But first-class professional work was done with the older lenses, and I reckon it can still be done—by first-class professionals.
Um, yes.
Quote: A redesign of the 45-85 lens to add 1.) speed, 2.) stabilization, 3.) quiet focusing, and 4.) weather-resistance would cover a lot of ground for event pros, particularly wedding photographers. Then do it with an improved 80-160.
Would make sense, and a lot of that isn't about resolution...Although I wonder if today's FF cameras can't really do the heavy lifting in that segment. With new 45-85 and 80-160's with those features, I think you'd get a bit more weight, speaking of heavy lifting. And wedding pros as a group are in a very tight market nowadays, and there are a lot of much cheaper system options for them.
Quote: I’m hoping they don’t spend too much time at 100% on their monitors. Only amateurs can afford to play that game very much.
Well...depends on the type of pro shooting you're doing. I watched over the shoulder our in-house pro while she worked on images of one of our sculptures, and was pretty shocked at the micro surgery she was doing. But in general I agree. Certainly for none of the event work we do is there any of that sort of thing---it's much more shoot-it-right-and-get-it-out-the-door.
Quote: Those updates would primarily add convenience and flexibility. Careful photographers can still do first-class work with the older lenses. I would have to—I have rarely in my life been willing to pay what new first-class medium-format lenses cost. I have always built my kits mostly from used stuff.
My kit would be severely attenuated without my careful used purchases.
Quote: SLRs don’t solve every problem, but then neither does any other kind of camera. Right now, Pentax owns the SLR market for medium format, and that is terrain they can continue to own.
Rick “the real advantage to mirrorless is when shooting video” Denney
Yes on all points, although the 5D series shows that good video is absolutely possible with DSLR's. I think Pentax has an opening here, and this could be another reason they are waiting----they initially touted video on the Z, until it became obvious that on the usability side it left too much to be desired. Same with the K1---output is indistinguishable from a 5DmkIV, but not usability. I've used these cameras side by side, and am not a Canon fan, but the Canon is far more usable.