[bossa]

Bossa, I saw the 100% crop you posted from the Sigma 50, that looked pretty sharp to me. But yeah, lenses like the FA limiteds are pretty good. Honestly I think I'd be a Nikon FF owner like you if it wasn't for my FA31 and FA77.

There's no way I'm selling my 31, 55 & 77.... I have been working up a spreadsheet of what I can sell before ditching my Pentax stuff and I can handle the camera and a couple of lenses for now that way.

One 'trouble' with the D800E is that when you hit the 100% view in LR it's magnifying the image way more than the K5 images... it kinda shows up the lens limitations very fast and there's no frame of reference for it. Also, any minute camera movements are magnified as well.
The other good thing about the camera is that you get a 'free' APS-C camera in there with the crop modes, so your lenses are more or less two for one. There are 4 crop modes from memory... I'm still trying to absorb all the new features.

[pinholecam]

digital version of the K1000, styled as such
Full frame with a low-ish pixel count.
un-crippled K-mount so you can use your old glass with aperture rings with no stop-down metering needed
shutter speed controlled by a metal dial on top with markings for the all the shutter speeds
metal construction with faux-leather covering

As you should know by now, there is no satisfying everyone here on PF


I'd buy what you described so long as the price is right.
In fact, I'd go as far as to go for a k-mount FF camera that had no bells and whistles that would cost extra (ie. WR, SR; powerful JPG engine; etc)
Anything that comes 'free' (ie. via firmware) is fine.


At the right price (perhaps $1000-$1200), I can see this as a cult camera that no one else offers (other than the M9)

[Boris]

I think that retro is popular with camera/photography enthusiasts... The uncrippled K-mount may very much enthuse me or many others on this forum, but those great many more who bought pink K-x with two kit lenses in matching color won't be even noticing this rather thunderous to others news item, should Pentax build such a camera. I am not marketing guru so I've no clue. Personally, I'd buy a FF frame camera or an uncrippled mount camera, although I don't have any pre-A mount lenses any more. The only one I have is Flektogon 50/4 mounted on tilt adapter so that here the aperture is set to what it is set - no coupling with the mount whatsoever - mechanical or electronic...

May Pentax simply has to produce some truly outstanding lenses (I am sorry, I don't think the Pentax produced really outstanding lenses as of recently) attracting some media attention. Or, alternatively, produce a follow up to K-01/Q that will attract more new buyers... But I digress...

[Na Horuk]

built in HDR
(...)
Cut all the useless crap and get back to basics

What
I agree with you generally, just the HDR part threw me off

[RonHendriks1966]

Well that new camera will be bigger than K-5 is, that I do believe. Partly why (next to the convenience of having some crop and thus not so large lenses needed) APS_H is appealing to me. It will drain battery's faster then K-5 does, so maybe instead of current D-Li90 a new battery, but just carrie a spare and you get along. AF is an important issue, since it does need a new approach to make AF-C workable. Maybe I'm sattisfied with single PRIME III that is just twice the speed that PRIME II delivers (that should be possible with new technoligy, since PRIME II design is from 2008/9).

So here's my crazy idea: MAKE TWO NEW CAMERA'S

So you design that new camerabody, with the big OVF, that new AF-module (also for al the other platforms APS-C and 645D), that new electronic design (faster processing and also for APS-C and 645D) and the new shutter (stil quiet please).

My preference is APS-H, but the idea is still the same for a Full Frame format sensor.

The base for this is an APS-H sensor of about 28-21mm with a surface of 588^2 mm and pixelsize of 6 to 7 microns or 4,75 microns.

1. New Hi-iso performance (sports/action orientated) camera with big pixels and a resolution of between 12-16 megapixel.
2. New Hi-resolution performance (for those big prints) camera with pixels the size of current K-5 and a resolution of 26 megapixel.

Produce this camera in batches or like in car-industrie just as they come along in the productionfase. The only real difference between them fysical would be the sensormodule (and an extension on the name) that needs to be designed based on the same electronic lay-out and fysical size and connections.

They would run on different Firmware that makes one acting as a fast camera and the other slower (but that is also implied by the data read-out from the sensor, that is ofcourse slower with the sensor that carries more pixels.

The sports/action camera with up to 8 fps and the portrait camera maybe only up to 4 or 5 fps. This keeps the amount of datatstream to handle in the camera within reach of the possiblity's of a PRIME III processor.

In wich form to pack this camera:

Well I do realize that a camera that will pack more then a K-5 does needs to be bigger. But I don't believe that it isn't possible to make it small!

Looking at: Pentax K-5 with grip attached.


And making the grip integrated with the camera, just a little smaller then on this picture (wich can be done, since there is no separated connection between them) and don't make room for two battery's or a set of 6 AA's, but make room for one larger and more powerfull battery (more power then D-LI90 has to power up everything) then you still end up with a small camera

When K-5 messures: 131 x 97 x 73 mm (5.16 x 3.82 x 2.87") then you can make a K-1 (futuring a Full Frame of APS-H sensor) messuring 131 x 145 x 73 mm (5.16 x 5.71 x 2,87") futuring two sets of grips for landscape and portrait use. In this way there is for both grips the same space to the mount-housing giving the same workingway. Maybe still under 1 kg?

With only one battery inside, wich coult use a bigger space to carrie more power there is still a lot of extra room in the body to future more electronics and bigger AF-sensor. A second SDHC slot. Maybe even a little bigger screen on the back.

Is it small then?

When I look at Canon's 1D:
Wich messures 156 x 157 x 80 mm (6.14 x 6.18 x 3.15") and weights 1230 g (2.71 lb / 43.39 oz) then this K-1 is still very small.

In this way there is enough space in the camera to cramp all the neede electronics in and choosing a form that gives maximum ease of use for photographers combined with a reasonable small camera.

I already posted this in the "dear Pentax" section. Power it maybe again with the current D-Li90 batterypack and bring also a new range of flashes that also run on that same batterypack. So we only need a nice set of camera's and flashes and a few spare batterypacks.

[D0n]

pentax lx-d with pop off pentaprism/waist level/evf finders......
and a k-01 pro video with xlr audio and 4k video options....

[gofour3]

Caught? ha ha, I know what you told me. So how does your blind siding revelation prove the K-1000 wasn't the best camera for my course?

This is your statement unless you've forgotten...



The simple fact is, I was a department head, had total control over what was purchased for my school, new course, new building all new equipment, and decided that the K-1000 was the best camera for the course. Going for cameras with more features would have been a waste of money. I , as indicated , was talking about my program. And with regards to my and many other programs, you're wrong. What I'm saying is, a KM or KX wouldn't have been a better choice for me even if they had been available. Neither of the features you mention were necessary to my course. The K-1000 had everything I needed and I would have turned them down if offered. Since my course started in 94 long after the KM and KX were out of production, so by then so not even a choice. I'm glad you got some satisfaction "catching" me. But, no it doesn't suck. Your attitude is seriously irritating though. That's what sucks.

So when you make the above statement, you aren't talking about me, or thousands of other photography teachers, you're talking about your preferences. You might want to predicate your statement that way.

Today it’s all BYOC, no basic film photography course that I know of supply the cameras anymore. It’s not worth the hassle and expense for the school. The course prerequisite is just a fully manual SLR, which you have the manual for. (It’s the same for basic digital courses) It makes more sense this way as the student will have the camera after the course ends to continue to practice on.

For advanced courses it’s bring any type of camera film or digital, as long as you know how to use it.

Phil.

[Boris]

RonHendriks1966, I think that if Pentax builds faster processor and physically larger sensor, they will also have to factor in the issue of heat dissipation.

[RonHendriks1966]

RonHendriks1966, I think that if Pentax builds faster processor and physically larger sensor, they will also have to factor in the issue of heat dissipation.

Well, true, but this would still be a relatively slow camera in terms of processing and picture taking (and heat producing) compared to 1Dx and D4. You can't have it all if you only want to pay a part of the cake.

[D0n]

RonHendriks1966, I think that if Pentax builds faster processor and physically larger sensor, they will also have to factor in the issue of heat dissipation.

Pentax seems to like using plastic over metal chassis designs for their cameras... so it seems to me that if Pentax uses the bodies as heat sinks then heat is likely a non issue...

personally I'd love to see a kmount camera that steals some design ideas from Apple... machined from a solid block of aluminium....

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

Actually if Pentax just built one of these (and keep the m mount) I'd be happy

The M9 is not a MILC, it's a rangefinder - the rangefinder mechanism actually involves the use of small mirrors to superimpose the images from its two windows. That design has even more issues than the SLR, which is why it was practically killed by SLRs.

If the M9 would be a modern camera, it would almost be worth its asking price.

[Alizarine]

and a k-01 pro video with xlr audio and 4k video options....

That's kind of tough. There's still the 1080p 60fps barrier... a K-01 doing a Canon 1D-C is pretty hard to build without beefing it up a lot.

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

Even if Leica doesn't actually announce one, this sounds like an interesting idea too:

Mirrorless Rumors | Blog | The Leica B&W M mount camera has 18 megapixels! Announcement tomorrow!

A B&W sensor. I would definitely like to get one.

[keyofnight]

I'd buy what you described so long as the price is right.
In fact, I'd go as far as to go for a k-mount FF camera that had no bells and whistles that would cost extra (ie. WR, SR; powerful JPG engine; etc)
Anything that comes 'free' (ie. via firmware) is fine.

At the right price (perhaps $1000-$1200), I can see this as a cult camera that no one else offers (other than the M9)

Exactly…I would buy something like this in a heartbeat.

The Leica M9 and the Fuji Xpro1 are great success stories, and they're capitalizing off of the "retro" or "vintage" look that attracts so many people to cameras. I think that the K1000 (or the MX, and others) are similarly iconic. No one, however, seems to have made an SLR that appeals to that market. We seem to think retro-styled, digital rangefinders are marketable…but retro-styled, digital SLRs aren't? (;

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

The Leica M9 and the Fuji Xpro1 are great success stories, and they're capitalizing off of the "retro" or "vintage" look that attracts so many people to cameras.

I'm not sure how much of a success the M9 can be called, but Leica lenses sure do get purchased these days by MILC users. And the XPro1 still needs some time before it can be declared a success.

No one, however, seems to have made an SLR that appeals to that market. We seem to think retro-styled, digital rangefinders are marketable…but retro-styled, digital SLRs aren't? (;

No one makes a digital rangefinder but Leica. And they almost went bankrupt following their nostalgic strategy. I can see them making money off their lenses, but I don't see them selling a lot of cameras with what they are providing in them.

As for retro styling - I am not sure what is retro in my E-PL2 camera - it doesn't look like any of the rangefinders or old SLRs that I have. It has a very simple, modern look. The E-PL3 looks even more modern - disturbingly so, I would say. The NEX cameras are modern too. Together, the MFT and NEX cameras are larger successes than the M9/XPro1 combo. The "retro" aspect is not that important, but Fuji missed that memo and is taking it a bit too far. As for DSLRs, they simply cannot make a retro styled DSLR, because the electronics take too much space - you'll always have a boxy body. If you want a retro styled camera that looks like a thin old SLR, the E-M5 provides exactly that.