Originally posted by Clavius So, it's ok to be complex if it's down your street? An EVF is also many MANY times more complex then OVF. If you want simple, proven and robust we would stick with SLR. Which would be fine with me.
Moreover, it's not THAT complex. Mirror lockup is already there. Moving sensor, is already there. (SR, only need to add another axis.) Lens recognition is already there.
Do you have any idea what would be required of a mechanism like this?
Moving the whole steel frame with SR-mechanism would require lots of space inside the camera, so the camera would probably end up the size of 645D. The precision needed for backward/forward movement has to be be very high, and would be difficult to calibrate. The market for this type of camera is very small so the price would probably end up close to 645D too.
You might be willing to pay 645D price for a 645D sized camera with APS-C sensor and K-mount, but I doubt many other would. Most would choose a higher specified camera with a big set of high quality AF lenses for that price.
What you need to understand is that mechanical parts might not be complex by themselves, but when they need to be calibrated with other parts in the camera, the manufacturing of the camera will be complex and these parts add alot to the price of the camera.
In a DSLR the OVF need to be calibrated with the image sensor so what you see is what you get, and the AF-sensor in the DSLR need to be calibrated with the image sensor and focusing screen in the OVF. To calibrate these parts withing a few hundreds of a millimeter is difficult, and by adding a forth calibrating parameter in the AF system would make it a nightmare.
Adding a EVF to the OVF in a DSLR is probably not an easy task either, and would be another thing that would need calibration and would probably need some extra space in the camera and would need a more complex design of the OVF prism. And the OVF will be darker too.
IMO it's the simplified design and manufacturing of mirrorless that will be the major advantage in the future, and it will probably be the biggest selling large sensor cameras. Anyone wanting to get higher image quality than the smartphone they use will probably choose some type of mirrorless camera, and in within 5-10 years they will probably be much lower in price than cheapest DSLR today.
Pentax just can't live on users they already have, so they need products that attract new users too. I really doubt that DSLR alone will be the best startegy for Pentax in the future.
Trying to mix DSLR with mirrorless just makes a mess and it will end up a camera that has most disadvantages from both, but lack most advantages from both.