[john5100]

This is not another thread bashing Pentax but I've been watching a lot of videos where pros are switching from FF CaNikon to Sony and Fuji mirrorless cameras. In all case, the pros all say that the AF won't keep up with DSLRs but the lightweight more than makes up for it. Pentax DSLRs are just about as compact with decent AF.

Search You Tube and you'll see everyone from Zack Arias to Kevin Mullins giving testimonials on how great Fuji is for fashion, street, and wedding photography. Jason Lanier has his 10 reasons I switched from Nikon to Sony. In all cases, the pluses described by these pros for Sony and Fuji, Pentax has in spades. They talk about the light good quality prime lenses. Pentax Limited and FA primes are terrific! They are as good as anyone's lenses. I would put a K3II or K3 against anything from Fuji or Sony. Yeah the A7RII should crush a K3II and it had better for $3500. Is the XPro2 or the A6300 any better than the K3II? I doubt it.

Pentax, you are watching, please take advantage of this...

[Oldbayrunner]

Hmmmm...guess your forgetting about the 645z or yet to arrive K1. I could give a rats patootie about who else uses what, pro or otherwise.

[Adam]

Plenty of users from various backgrounds have recently been switching to mirrorless systems, but a lot of what you hear online is just hype, because people love to talk about new gear

Based on the mirrorless trend alone, it would make sense for Pentax to enter that market eventually. However, this would require a new mount and camera system, so it's probably more of a long-term goal.

Meanwhile, DSLRs have certain advantages that mirrorless doesn't, and with FF or ultra fast lenses, mirrorless isn't more compact, either. Ultimately, there's a market for everything.

Pentax has a very compact APS-C DSLR system, which is one of its strengths. It also has an extremely competitive medium format offering, and a full-frame camera with innovative features that also happens to be an amazing value. For a small company (relatively speaking), it's important to have these kinds of clear distinctions, as Pentax makes up for the gaps in others' systems, rather than directly competing for the same customers.

[UncleVanya]

I think most people are misreading the OP. I think what he is saying is that the drivers for those FF users to switch to mirrorless aren't different from what Pentax offers. Light (check), small great IQ primes (check), lower cost than the big FF jobs (check), etc. I think the complaint by the OP is that they aren't in the right advertising budgets to get these benefits out there and well understood so that switching to mirrorless would be less appealing than switching to Pentax.

I'm not sure that is entirely correct - there are other things mirrorless offers like the ability to make manually focusing legacy glass rational without the downside of a focusing screen change and the pain that can cause for metering and other such.

[Zygonyx]

Well put Adam
And happy passover everybody

[officiousbystander]

Also in some cases it's easy to be enthusiastic about a product if you're being sponsored by them. Beware of YouTube advertorials.

[grahame]

I saw quite a lot photographers added mirrorless system in their gear list, but most just added as a 2nd or an alternative system. Very few really switched to mirrorless and got rid off their SLR gear completely.

It is not surprising. Many used to carry DSLR and a compact DC with them, just in case. Now mirror-less is much better than DC and not much bigger.

[Ontarian50]

Well, Pentax has launched two mirrorless systems in recent years. I have one of each: the K-01, and the Q.
The K-01 was an obvious attempt to give mirrorless a try, without developing yet another line of lenses. Getting Mark Newson involved may not have been a good idea.
The Q is a completely different animal, bringing high-grade lens interchangeability to a compact camera sensor. Nifty, but more in tune with young urban photographers in Tokyo, perhaps.

So is Pentax ready to go head to head with Fuji or Olympus? Again, it will require a new line of lenses - and they're already juggling 645, DFA, DA, and Q.

But is the time right yet? The EVF is still pretty dismal, compared to a good DSLR finder. And despite all the talk about mirrorless, DSLR users still outnumber mirrorless users by a wide margin. Of course, camera phone users outnumber both by an order of magnitude!

[john5100]

You guys are all correct in what you are saying.

I'm not suggesting that Pentax needs a new product. I'm suggesting that they have the products already in the shape of their small DSLRs and small primes lenses. I'm certain the "pro" testimonials are paid in some fashion. Okay give a few 645Zs as payment to a couple of pros who speak positively about the K3II with the FA 31mm f1.8 or FA 77mm combo. People look at those guys and they could make a buying decision based on what they see on You Tube.

Look at Kevin Mullins and his wedding photography. He's all over the web where folks are saying how great he is and he is that good. I love his work but he's not doing anything differently than someone with a K3II and some primes could do.

I don't think it would take much to get some positive "real world" videos from well know photographers out there that get some attention for the brand.

[Tony Belding]

Uhh... Yeah, I think the original point was that Pentax don't need to go mirrorless because they're already offering relatively compact DSLR + lens solutions. They just don't seem to be getting the world out, or making the point with reviewers and shoppers.

Of course, that assumes the only advantage of mirrorless systems, or their only reason for existence, is compactness. I don't think it's quite that simple.

[Artlerios]

Do I invest in more glass or change the camera, that becomes the tricky question for me :/

[robgski]

o I invest in more glass or change the camera

If you like the camera, invest in more glass

[audiobomber]

But is the time right yet? The EVF is still pretty dismal, compared to a good DSLR finder.

Interestingly, that was the reason Ricoh Pentax execs said they were not pursuing MILC at this time; the EVF is not good enough yet.

And despite all the talk about mirrorless, DSLR users still outnumber mirrorless users by a wide margin.

Correct, and Sony has 40% of the Mirroless market, leaving Olympus, Panasonic and Fuji to fight for a corner of a corner of the ILC market. Ask Samsung how much fun that is.

[Tony Belding]

Interestingly, that was the reason Ricoh Pentax execs said they were not pursuing MILC at this time; the EVF is not good enough yet.

From where I sit, that line was crossed about the time Fuji came out with the X-T1. We've reached the point where an EVF has significant advantages. (Also, it doesn't help that OVFs aren't as good as they used to be. If I could get a DSLR with a viewfinder like my old Ricoh XR7, it would be no contest.)

[FantasticMrFox]

Jason Lanier has his 10 reasons I switched from Nikon to Sony.

Jason Lanier is a mediocre photographer who begged until Sony agreed to sponsor him. The video you are mentioning is horrible and full of misconceptions

At the same time, both in photography forums and on Youtube I notice a growing number of people switching back to DSLRs from mirrorless. Matt Granger, for example, left Sony for Nikon because of the horrible support.

In all cases, the pluses described by these pros for Sony and Fuji, Pentax has in spades.

No, Pentax cameras are small for DSLRs, but they are significantly larger and heavier than all the mirrorless out there.

Is the XPro2 or the A6300 any better than the K3II? I doubt it.

The X-Pro2 is not better, just different due to its XTrans sensor. The A6300 has an AF system that is generations ahead of the K3 II.