[zapp]

I like the DSLR talks by Pentax and prefer my DSLR by far over mirrorless. On the other hand Pentax has no choice (anymore) but stick to DSLR. They keep improving their lineup with no resources left for a completely new line of cameras. K-mount won’t be enough for mirrorless. K-mount may soon become the only Pentax line.

[noelpolar]

Hopefully, over time, Pentax will spit out a quirky camera or two..... the world needs some colour.... the KP was sorta one of these.

[Lowell Goudge]

For my $0.02 what I see is someone addressing a relatively small market sector, with no hope of survival.

The thought of producing film cameras, which except for a very limited group of fine art shooters, Who wants a medium format Film camera, what is Left out there from film is highly serviceable and will satisfy that market for the rest of time.

35mm film is the same, and can still use modern lenses, just get a PZ1 for example. But I don’t get the feel that the writer is pushing 35mm

If you want to stay in business you need a price vs volume point that makes sense.

Today one of the issues is that the digital camera market is super saturated, just like film was in the early 1980’s with manual bodies, then again in the mid 1990’s with AF

Technology has slowed down a little and I will bet there are a ton of DSLRs just sitting now. The fad is over. Mirrorless is just a marketing hype on smaller quieter but are they really better? People are looking to differentiate one product from another to ride a wave of techno geeks that will buy the latest just because it is the latest. But long term that does not sustain a product. The model is broken already

[snegron1]

That article is what got me thinking about returning to Pentax.

My first camera back in the late 1970's was a K1000. I loved that camera! However, all the "pros" I knew used Nikon, so I ended up going the way of Nikon for many years. I currently still own most of my old gear plus a D750 body for my AiS and AF-D lenses.

I slowly began acquiring Canon gear as well. Started with a T3i, T6, 7dmk2 and 6dmk2. I don't have as many Canon lenses as I do Nikon, but I purchased a few I thought would best for my shooting style.

I feel Canon and Nikon are focusing all their RD into mirrorless and forgetting about us loyal customers who have invested heavily in their systems throughout the years.

I am not a fan of mirrorless (currently own 2 Panasonic cameras, returned a deffective Olympus). I don't like evf. I also don't care for how tiny these new mirrorless camera bodies are. I tried the RP and it felt too small in my hands.

I do plan to purchase a Pentax outfit soon mostly to show support to a company that values its loyal customers. Not planning on "switching over", as I enjoy using different systems (kind of like using different instruments or driving different cars).

I appreciate what Pentax is committed to doing.

[normhead]

That article is what got me thinking about returning to Pentax.

My first camera back in the late 1970's was a K1000. I loved that camera! However, all the "pros" I knew used Nikon, so I ended up going the way of Nikon for many years. I currently still own most of my old gear plus a D750 body for my AiS and AF-D lenses.

I slowly began acquiring Canon gear as well. Started with a T3i, T6, 7dmk2 and 6dmk2. I don't have as many Canon lenses as I do Nikon, but I purchased a few I thought would best for my shooting style.

I feel Canon and Nikon are focusing all their RD into mirrorless and forgetting about us loyal customers who have invested heavily in their systems throughout the years.

I am not a fan of mirrorless (currently own 2 Panasonic cameras, returned a deffective Olympus). I don't like evf. I also don't care for how tiny these new mirrorless camera bodies are. I tried the RP and it felt too small in my hands.

I do plan to purchase a Pentax outfit soon mostly to show support to a company that values its loyal customers. Not planning on "switching over", as I enjoy using different systems (kind of like using different instruments or driving different cars).


I appreciate what Pentax is committed to doing.

I wonder how many will be like you. There are a number on the forum who use Pentax gear in some situations, but not all. It's a foot in the door.

[mikesbike]

I think Pentax did a brilliant thing in designing the KP in part as a DSLR alternative to APS-C size mirrorless models. And it is a brilliantly-designed, brilliant performer!

Then also continuing the more meaty, traditionally-oriented DSLR designs as well, but with the usual Pentax twists.

As to film, as others have said, there are so many used film bodies out there, often of low use and in excellent condition, and very inexpensive.

[snegron1]

I wonder how many will be like you. There are a number on the forum who use Pentax gear in some situations, but not all. It's a foot in the door.

I think there will be quite a few out there like me but not many. The overwhelming majority of the folks I interact with on other forums are either diehard Nikon or Canon fans. They need to own the latest, newest camera/lens produced by the Big Two and are quick to embrace whatever Nikon or Canon throws at them. I keep reading about how absolutely fabulous, amazing and stupendous the new mirrorless cameras are, but I just don't get it.

I believe in going with tried and true equipment when investing in gear. I also appreciate companies that value their customers. Changing lens mounts and discontinuing systems after customers have invested heavily in them (Nikon, Canon and Panasonic) is not what I consider valuing a customer.

Funny how things happen for a reason. I purchased my D750 last December. I have a bunch of primes I have accumulated over the years, but no standard or wide zoom for full frame (only a 17-55mm f2.8DX for my older D200's). I was looking at getting the 24-70mm f2.8 this year, but I am now seriously considering putting that money toward a Pentax system instead.

[clickclick]

I do plan to purchase a Pentax outfit soon mostly to show support to a company that values its loyal customers. Not planning on "switching over", as I enjoy using different systems (kind of like using different instruments or driving different cars).I appreciate what Pentax is committed to doing.

I think you will (yes, I've decided you will buy some Pentax gear ) find shooting Pentax enjoyable. It's something I've posted about, the feel and quality of experience from Pentax. Get your hands on a K-1 variant, and it's hard not to just grin.

[bobmaxja]

I think there will be quite a few out there like me but not many. The overwhelming majority of the folks I interact with on other forums are either diehard Nikon or Canon fans. They need to own the latest, newest camera/lens produced by the Big Two and are quick to embrace whatever Nikon or Canon throws at them. I keep reading about how absolutely fabulous, amazing and stupendous the new mirrorless cameras are, but I just don't get it.

I believe in going with tried and true equipment when investing in gear. I also appreciate companies that value their customers. Changing lens mounts and discontinuing systems after customers have invested heavily in them (Nikon, Canon and Panasonic) is not what I consider valuing a customer.

Funny how things happen for a reason. I purchased my D750 last December. I have a bunch of primes I have accumulated over the years, but no standard or wide zoom for full frame (only a 17-55mm f2.8DX for my older D200's). I was looking at getting the 24-70mm f2.8 this year, but I am now seriously considering putting that money toward a Pentax system instead.

Welcome aboard, Pentax is committed to history and future system with K-Mount.

[Wasp]

Sony went mirrorless and it worked out well for them. Olympus went mirrorless and that ended in tears, although big prices and small sensors may have had something to do with it. Canon and Nikon are still playing both sides of the street but they are saying that the future is mirrorless. Panasonic and Sigma are playing the mirrorless video market. Leica does mirrorless as well as rangefinders. Pentax are sticking with mirrors. They are already a niche player. If DSLRs dwindles to being a niche, Pentax could corner the market. There might be some method in their madness, even if I don't agree with it. I happen to like EVFs. Classic manual focus lenses and modern focus peaking FTW. That's how I roll anyway.

[clackers]

Sony went mirrorless and it worked out well for them. Olympus went mirrorless and that ended in tears, although big prices and small sensors may have had something to do with it. Canon and Nikon are still playing both sides of the street but they are saying that the future is mirrorless. Panasonic and Sigma are playing the mirrorless video market. Leica does mirrorless as well as rangefinders. Pentax are sticking with mirrors. They are already a niche player. If DSLRs dwindles to being a niche, Pentax could corner the market. There might be some method in their madness, even if I don't agree with it. I happen to like EVFs. Classic manual focus lenses and modern focus peaking FTW. That's how I roll anyway.

There's an EVF in every DSLR, Wasp. That thing on the back. Put a Hoodman loupe or similar on it, if you like.

[fs999]

I feel Canon and Nikon are focusing all their RD into mirrorless and forgetting about us loyal customers who have invested heavily in their systems throughout the years.

It's the second time Canon do that to their customers : first time when they switched from FD to EOS, without a possibility to use the FD lenses on the new system...

[Rondec]

I think it makes sense. Ricoh/Pentax is looking at sustainability. They don't need to sell millions of cameras, they need to sell thousands and each one for a profit. And yes, at this point it will probably be easier to stand out in the SLR world than the MILC world. They will continue to release cameras in the GR line that address niches in the MILC world that they think they can fill, but the idea of them turning out a 8K capable MILC with 15 fps and no lag EVF seems unlikely and the investment it would take would bankrupt the imaging part of Ricoh.

I really do think the MILC players are going to have an increasingly tough time going. They are coming up with improvements, but who really needs them? Who is really wanting 8K or 12K video? Who thinks that they need 80 megapixels because 40 just wasn't enough? For that matter, who needs more than 20 fps? I know there are answers to each of these questions, like high end movie makers and sports photographers (are there sports photographers in these days of COVID?) but they seem even smaller and more niche than those interested in OVF over EVF.

[Lowell Goudge]

It's the second time Canon do that to their customers : first time when they switched from FD to EOS, without a possibility to use the FD lenses on the new system...

I somewhere, in a photo magazine, I read that there was a mount between FD and the current EOS that canon had offered an adaptor for, exclusively to pros so they didn’t have to scrap their current lenses. That makes cannon changing their mounts 3 times in slr game, not counting the cropped sensor smaller lenses and mount that left no full frame upgrade path.

What made canon different than Pentax, and Nikon, is that cannon offered no back compatibility but it seems they don’t care, or they are big enough to adapt a take it or leave it position

They deserve to be left, IMO

[Lord Lucan]

I really do think the MILC players are going to have an increasingly tough time going. They are coming up with improvements, but who really needs them? Who is really wanting 8K or 12K video? Who thinks that they need 80 megapixels because 40 just wasn't enough? For that matter, who needs more than 20 fps?

This nails it. The situation is that the constant flow of P&S customers has dried up (gone to phones) and the remaining buyers are more discerning. The latter generally realise that the tech has topped out - they know that raising resolutions above about 40Mp, or even 24Mp, is pointless - having reached the limits of the human eye with normal viewing media. Moreover, no-one really needs more than 6 fps for stills, or more than 4k or even 1080 for video.

But mirrorless comes as a God-send to the marketing people. It puts the tech onto a different track, so the salesmen have the scope to get people to throw away their DSLR kit and buy new mirrorless, at the same time getting the buyers onto a new technical escalator. Soon (we will be told) it will be impossible to take a good photo at less than 100 fps or if your camera body is more than 3mm deep. The sponsored YouTubers are at it already. Today's Sony A7R iv and Nikon Z6 will soon be as shameful to be seen with as a DSLR, we will be told - they look too much like a DSLR for a start.

Of course, the change from DSLR to mirrorless is not really very fundamental at all, they are just different ways of seeing the subject before the shot. The resulting shot will be the same. Both methods pre-view TTL, use basically the same lenses lenses, and identical sensors. The change is nothing like film to digital, or even rangefinder to SLR, but it gives the salesmen something to work on, and I do think they will have a tough time.