[bikehead90]

Personally, I love how small and compact my K1000 is, and if they could fit all the electricals inside that, it really seems like a winner. Forget just mirrorless at this point. One of the reasons the K1000 is so revered is because people learned on them. They were so simplistic and stripped back, to remove all the extraneous nonsense. It just took photographs. The tools were there in their most basic form to allow you to take nice photographs.

Like ChristianRock brought up, the camera market is shrinking as a whole, but if Ricoh/Pentax were able to offer something to turn heads toward its brand and almost towards its excellent DSLR’s... I don’t know. I am in no way an expert in these matters, I just think it’d be cool to see a K3000 or something like that.

[MarkJerling]

One could argue enthusiast level cameras are becoming a niche in general.

Anyways, if I want to use a retro camera I'll use my retro cameras. Film isn't quite dead you know.

While I like film, the cost is simply prohibitive over here. But coffee and orange juice is not that expensive so who knows...

[ZombieArmy]

While I like film, the cost is simply prohibitive over here. But coffee and orange juice is not that expensive so who knows...

I've wanted to try Caffenol. While I'm certainly not disappointed with D76, I've been wanting something a bit easier to dispose of.

[MarkJerling]

I've wanted to try Caffenol. While I'm certainly not disappointed with D76, I've been wanting something a bit easier to dispose of.

How do you dispose of D76?

[ZombieArmy]

How do you dispose of D76?

While people say you can disposed of it into the sink/toilet I bring all relevant development chemicals to the local hazardous waste disposal facility.

[MarkJerling]

While people say you can disposed of it into the sink/toilet I bring all relevant development chemicals to the local hazardous waste disposal facility.

Aha. That makes sense.

[luftfluss]

Retro cameras are a bit of a niche product though. While I thought the Nikon Df is gorgeous, not many are buying. Not a mirrorless, but you get my drift. Retro cameras are a niche - DSLR or mirrorless won't matter.

One of the big complaints with the Df was no video. When it was announced, on another forum I posted that I thought the Df looked great, but quite a few people disagreed with me; one person even said it looked "Steampunk"

[luftfluss]

didn't that already happen with the K-01?

Except people were distracted by its unusual appearance and the fact that it was released basically with Beta firmware.

I don't know if you were around PF when the K-01 was released, but there were some members here who were DPR-level mean about the K-01. I think about that when PF'ers complain that DPR doesn't "get" Pentax; some people here didn't even try to "get" the K-01, which taken on its own merits is a delightful camera.

[tokyoscape]

With the new APS-C “flagship” or whatever this new camera turns out to be, it seems a lot of people are kind of disappointed (even though there’s minimal technical information on it). I was fidgeting with a K1000 I’m getting ready to sell, and I started looking it over. It’d be a tight fit, but why can’t Ricoh develop a K-mount mirrorless camera with the form of getting people interested in Pentax again? Think about it: mirrorless is all the rage right now. You build a quality but cheap (price point) mirrorless body that does one thing and one thing only: take pictures. This is where my manufacturing and technical ignorance comes in, but the only thing that would need to be built from scratch would be the sensor. They could keep costs down by raiding the old parts bin. Just a thought.
.

On the reaction of the new APSC news,
I don't recall seeing a disappointment here. People might have different ideas and expectation but as far as I can remember, people pretty much happy for the news.

As for why no mirror-le$$ body now,
I wonder the same every time I see a KP. KP doesn't look thick at all. Keep that body design, remove the mirror, put whatever need for a mirrorless to function in there. It doesn't need to have a million focus point, just something decent. Anyway, I am sure there are many more technical issues I don't know.
Or .... it is simply; Pentax is gonna Pentax! (I see this from a news title a few days ago which I find it funny, so I am copying their joke.) Yeah, If Pentax is doing something everyone is doing, it must be a fake Pentax. Needless to say, I didn't understand why they developed the K01 (and maybe Q too) when it was not much demand for mirrorless body and abandoned the call for ff DSLR back then. And I still don't understand many of their market's decision now (abandon the mirrorless market when the money is there.).

But Good thing is, I don't care now. Pentax can Pentax things the way they want...Just don't die. I Will and I CAN always find an excuse to stick with them, that's all I am telling myself right now. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[MarkJerling]

One of the big complaints with the Df was no video. When it was announced, on another forum I posted that I thought the Df looked great, but quite a few people disagreed with me; one person even said it looked "Steampunk"

Friend of mine bought one. Nice, solid camera - like a K-1. Of course, neither of us would have noticed that it does not have video.

[Madaboutpix]

Hm. Personally, I wouldn't want Ricoh to waste limited R & D resources on a digital resurrection of the K1000 or anything similar. I bet Nikon is regretting that they have sunk all that money into the Df, which didn't happen to be one of their hotter sellers, did it? Don't Ricoh's engineers have enough fishes to fry already? (APS-C, FF, MF, GR, Q, lenses, ...)

Besides, I don't see the appeal of a totally stripped-down - or shall we say deliberately crippled? - camera, when I could have something that is not just super-versatile but also ergonomically sound. Nothing wrong with designers occasionally harkening back to Pentax's rich heritage, but for me, photographic usability trumps nostalgia every single time.

[Zooland]

With the new APS-C “flagship” or whatever this new camera turns out to be, it seems a lot of people are kind of disappointed (even though there’s minimal technical information on it). I was fidgeting with a K1000 I’m getting ready to sell, and I started looking it over. It’d be a tight fit, but why can’t Ricoh develop a K-mount mirrorless camera with the form of getting people interested in Pentax again? Think about it: mirrorless is all the rage right now. You build a quality but cheap (price point) mirrorless body that does one thing and one thing only: take pictures. This is where my manufacturing and technical ignorance comes in, but the only thing that would need to be built from scratch would be the sensor. They could keep costs down by raiding the old parts bin. Just a thought.

For clarification, I’m not one of those people who’re chomping at the bit for mirrorless. I just think a new K1000-esque camera could bring people back to the system, and bring people for the first time.

I think Ricoh execs believe that those that have left Pentax to return to Pentax.

[ChristianRock]

I use my cameras in a basic way quite a lot. The key is to not use all the extra features!

Try this:

1. Put it in M setting and don't touch that dial again
2. Put on a manual focus lens, preferably a prime
3. Set your ISO to 100 or 400 depending on the time of the day and if you're indoors or outdoors. Or ISO 800 if I'm using a newer camera indoors (I don't d that with the K10D usually... I'll just use a fast lens)
4. Click the green button to get a basic exposure value - not necessary, I'm usually good at starting with Sunny 16, starting on a sunny day with f8 and shutter speed of 250 to 400 depending on how strong the sun is (this isn't film so I gotta protect the highlights), and working down from there
5. From then on, use the aperture ring (or one of the dials if you have an A setting). Use another dial to vary the shutter speed if you see that the light has changed.
6. Not mandatory but I do it - verify the exposure by chimping every once in a while (my preview is usually set to off, I have to press the preview button if I want to see the pictures on the screen)
7. And most important - ignore every other setting and button and dial.

On the more top of the line Pentax products, such as my K10D, if I put on an "A" lens it will always tell me if it thinks I'm underexposing or underexposing, so I can adjust the aperture or shutter speed if needed - making it even more like the "K1000 experience".

[bikehead90]

Ok, so maybe not here, but definitely on DPR. I was joyously reading the comments on “Pentax is dead” “they should just develop lenses for other manufacturers”. That sort of stuff.

Also, is the Nikon DF really that bad?

[Madaboutpix]

Also, is the Nikon DF really that bad?

Less than stellar sales in its day and bucketloads of online hate don't make it a bad camera. Particularly at its current price point.

You Tube

You Tube

Still, I'm not a great fan of retro ergonomics. The reviewer seems to like the controls though. Full disclosure: I have never handled a Nikon Df.