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01-26-2012, 07:53 AM   #16
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Pentax is obsessed with small because :

- japenese like small objects
- women tend to like smaller body (wether P&S or DSLR).
- Pentax is not a "big researcher" in sensor (like canon)
- Pentax is not a "big advertiser" (like Nikon)
- Pentax hadn't lots of money (like Sony)
- weight mean cost.

For all those reason, Pentax tries to become a leader in a domain where there is almost nobody (Small DSLR, small Lenses). He also survived thanks to the former Pentax film shooter that converted to digital and kept there lenses. So he need to follow a way that is close to what it did.

Now, when i see the new Pentax SV20, i can see some Ricoh's design touch. I guess Pentax will stick to a big strength he developped : ergonomics.

If Pentax can re-do what it did with the K-5 sensors performance, if he stick to good ergonomics, and do a little more ads, Pentax could conquer lots of women (and that's good for us )

01-26-2012, 08:01 AM   #17
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Personally, I also don't follow the smaller-is-better-logic. A few years ago there was this hype with mobile phones. The smaller they were, the better. Well, I'm 6'5" and my hands fit that length, so I had lots of trouble finding a suitable mobile phone back then. And I'm very glad that fad is now over. Now they tend to getter bigger again. (Just look at the Samsung note, for example.)

On the other hand, I don't like waisted space either. I got the (3rd party cheapo-) battery grip for my K5, it feels much better in my hands now. But there's a lot of space waisted in that grip! My K5 feels very compact and solid, but the grip is very hollow. There is space for two batteries in there. Or a battery and some other extra features. Like GPS or bluetooth, wifi, a solid state harddrive bay, a extra bigger better AF focussing aid lamp, etc...

Brings me to another question... Why does the connection between body and grip have so many contact pins?? What are they (intended) for?
01-26-2012, 08:27 AM   #18
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The reason I bought my K7 was its size and ergonomics.......I then moved to K5...............so the KEY reason in coming to Pentax was the "smaller" size...
01-26-2012, 09:12 AM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by TaoMaas Quote
I don't think Pentax is obsessed with "small"...I think all the other manufacturers are obsessed with "large".
Probably more true than you think. Most people associate big honkin' cameras with lenses the size of a Howitzer with elevated status, wealth, photographic ability, and possibly even sexual prowess. And they make people go "Whoa... Look at THAT guy!!!" A lot of people want that sort of thing, so you can't blame Canikon for giving it to them.

But few of us know that's it's not the size of the pencil, it's how you write your name.

01-26-2012, 09:16 AM   #20
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I feel pity for you great lugs with giant ham hands.

We, The Rest Of The World, enjoy using our smaller cameras.

;-)
01-26-2012, 09:25 AM   #21
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I wish K-x was a little bigger, or at least to have grip option. I don't find SR to be very effective on K-x due to small size, when pressing the shutter. In short, bigger (or a little at least) means more stable for me.
01-26-2012, 09:37 AM   #22
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I like density. The k-x feels dense in my hands. The t3i does not. The k-x is smaller than the t3i, while being of equal weight.

The k-5 and 7D comparison though, they have about equal density - so then it comes down to who's holding it.

01-26-2012, 09:51 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by GibbyTheMole Quote
Probably more true than you think. Most people associate big honkin' cameras with lenses the size of a Howitzer with elevated status, wealth, photographic ability, and possibly even sexual prowess. And they make people go "Whoa... Look at THAT guy!!!" A lot of people want that sort of thing, so you can't blame Canikon for giving it to them.

But few of us know that's it's not the size of the pencil, it's how you write your name.
Yeah, I never get any special comments from random strangers when using the DA 70mm Ltd but as soon as I put on the Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 people comment.
"Wow, that's a big lens!"
"Isn't that expensive?"
"Nice lens you got there."

The fact that I payed the same amount of money for the 70mm as for the zoom simple sounds weird in people's ears. To be honest I would trade the "status" of the big lens away for a lighter and smaller package (same spec) any day of the week, but sadly physics apply.
01-26-2012, 10:09 AM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by GibbyTheMole Quote
Probably more true than you think. Most people associate big honkin' cameras with lenses the size of a Howitzer with elevated status, wealth, photographic ability, and possibly even sexual prowess. And they make people go "Whoa... Look at THAT guy!!!" A lot of people want that sort of thing, so you can't blame Canikon for giving it to them.

But few of us know that's it's not the size of the pencil, it's how you write your name.
The new age of male Jewelry lol
01-26-2012, 10:19 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by slip Quote
Just wondering what people think about Pentax's destination to be the smallest in most of the DSLR category.
Is it just because they think that is what people want? has it just been a tradition?
I picked up a K5 not long ago and thought it was a bit small for my hands (which are not that big) and preferred the bigger size of my k10 body

thought?
right direction?

any opinions welcomed

cheers
In some respects I refer to it as the "M disease" which began in the late 1970's and early 1980's with the introduction of the M series cameras. There was feirce competition between pentax specifically and Olympus with the OM10 as to who could claim rights to the smallest SLR

WHile my assessment is perhaps unfair, as obsessing with small can lead to innovarion, and whenm you compare the size of lenses especially from canikon today, relitive to the limiteds, there is some good that comes from it, but at some point things can go a little too far. for me, the *istD was just a little too small for my hands, I liked the size of the K10D better. While smaller than the K10D, I find the ergonomics of the K5/7 much better than the origonal *istD, and therefore size does not bother me.

WHere small does get me a little, is in the limits it imposes on maximum aperture. in the transition from K-M series lenses, we lost some significant lenses.

specifically,

- the 500/4.5 disappeared totally
- the fastest 50mm went from 1.2 to 1.4
- the 85mm went from 1.8 to 2
- the 135F2.5 disappeared
- the 200 F2.5 disappeared
- oddly enough the 150 went from F4 to F3.5

what was good however was the size reduction of the 300F4 and 400F5.6 both of which in the M series are better than the K series.

If you look at today's line up, you will see that many of the fast lenses made in the K and A series simply don't exist, and much of the line up has been shiftred to be equivelents of longer film lenses (i.e. reduced focal length to consider the crop factor)

Newer lenses are slow, perhaps in fairness they are all that is needed for most shooters, until, that is you want narrow DOF. then you are stuck purchasing either legacy lenses, or AF sigma or MF samyang or zeiss lenses.
01-26-2012, 10:34 AM   #26
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When I was shopping for an upgrade from my Olympus e-510, one of the cameras I was considering was the Nikon D90. My interest in the camera ended as soon as I handled one at Best Buy. I couldn't imagine lugging that brick-of-a-camera everywhere. Please Pentax, keep making small(ish) cameras!
01-26-2012, 11:06 AM   #27
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Average height of people in Japan circa 2006, according to Wiki.

Male 1.715 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) Female 1.580 m (5 ft 2 in)

Now that's not to say there are not taller or shorter people in Japan. Of course there are, but this is the national average the last time they did a big study. The Japanese are not a really big people overall and Pentax builds cameras for the Japanese before the rest of the world. Small stature often means smaller hands, and that means they have to design smaller cameras.

Being short and petite myself I get it. The fact that they make them smaller is one of the major reasons I prefer Pentax cameras. It just works better for me, a smaller camera. My hands can barely hold a larger model actually. My Pentax cameras are perfectly sized for me. I've used Canon and Nikon and some of the models I've played with seem huge to me and were very difficult for me to operate as a result.

I have a Canon AE1 and it's a decent camera but using that thing is a bit like using a full sized grand piano when your hands aren't suited to anything bigger than a small electronic keyboard. I can't hardly stretch my hand to advance the film. It's awkward for me and can get very tiring after a while. I don't have that problem with most of my Pentax SLR's. I would imagine that for someone with bigger hands it would be just the opposite that maybe they might not prefer a Pentax because it's too small for them.

Last edited by magkelly; 01-26-2012 at 11:13 AM.
01-26-2012, 11:26 AM   #28
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I'm about 173-174cm so I like the Japanese "sizing", I'm almost average.
01-26-2012, 11:29 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by westmill Quote
The new age of male Jewelry lol
Have you seen wristwatches lately?

(And don't ask what a wristwatch is.)
01-26-2012, 11:42 AM   #30
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building cameras foucusing just on japanese market would be a rather funny business plan considering market size
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