[Lev]

As well, during mushroom season when I lock my mirror up and shoot in live view, my K-1 is essentially a mirrorless camera. Pentax taps into the advantages of mirrorless, without going fully mirrorless. My Pentax's are mirrorless when I want them to be and OVF when I want them to be.

Yes, we actually have a hybrid system, which is in my opinion is just great, having both OVF and kinda EVF in one body. I like to use OVF even when the camera is off, composing.. but watching some reviews folks are starting their talk with how many pixels has been added to one or the other mirrorless body today.

But bottom line, you can't take advantage of features your camera doesn't have. Recommending cheaper gear is as likely to put off the budding photographer as help him/her. They can't experiment with a feature their camera doesn't have. Pointing them to something without a full feature set just teaches them they have to compromise on features for which they don't have to compromise if using another system.

That's why I was trying to get top of the line model so I could play with every aspect this brand was offering.

[Serkevan]

That's why I was trying to get top of the line model so I could play with every aspect this brand was offering.

That's what I did as I mentioned in my previous post the other day - to the point where my default recommendation for "a good camera" is "used older flagship" as it will be the best way to get all (or most) of the photographic tools you need to play around.
If I hadn't found myself in ISO1600+ situations fairly often I would have never upgraded the K-7.

[BigMackCam]

That's what I did as I mentioned in my previous post the other day - to the point where my default recommendation for "a good camera" is "used older flagship" as it will be the best way to get all (or most) of the photographic tools you need to play around.
If I hadn't found myself in ISO1600+ situations fairly often I would have never upgraded the K-7.

I still regret selling my K-7 It was my first Pentax DSLR, but an awesome camera in its own right, limitations acknowledged and accepted. Since then, I've had the K-5, K-3 and K-3II - all fantastic, all still in my posession. I've recommended the K-5 and K-3 to so many folks I've lost count

[heinamj]

In Europe DSLRs still outsell mirrorless, so there's that.
.

And manual transmissions outsell automatics.

Here in US I drive a manual and shoot Pentax DSLRs making me wonder if there is a connection and which is more rare...

[Cerebum]

What lenses were those? I remember the K-1 having a problem with some Sigma lenses, and Sigma offering a solution, but a quick search turns up no results for issues with the K-30.

I think it was the original sigmas. It seems strange that the K30 had such a short production life as the k50 came out just over a year later. And yet, there are still lots of K30s about so it must have sold well. ......... I want my old blue one back now! I loved that camera but I had a KP to pay for

[ThorSanchez]

I think it was the original sigmas. It seems strange that the K30 had such a short production life as the k50 came out just over a year later. And yet, there are still lots of K30s about so it must have sold well. ......... I want my old blue one back now! I loved that camera but I had a KP to pay for

I still have my blue K-30. Works great. I haven't sold it because I like having a backup, and what do used copies go for now? $100? $150? Barely worth the hassle of selling.

[EnglishBob]

And manual transmissions outsell automatics.

Here in US I drive a manual and shoot Pentax DSLRs making me wonder if there is a connection and which is more rare...

Bonus:

Driving a stick shift makes your car 99% safe from carjackers. Carrying a camera that does not have Nikon or Canon plastered all over it makes your gear safer from pilfering baggage handlers or light fingered hotel staff.

[Jonathan Mac]

I wonder why this thread somehow transformed to discussion about smartphone users. They are different category of people who mostly use their phones for different purposes. We are talking about people who mainly, care about picture quality, resolution, technology behind, learning stuff, dedicated to photography. My main question was about what might be interesting for this kind of people to choose Pentax, now, these days. Anyways, lot of great replies including you actually.

Someone suggested that smartphone users are photography beginners and I don't think they are. When their interest is piqued and they buy themselves a proper camera and start learning how to use it, then they're photography beginners.

[que es tu]

simple answer to the question, no

The beginner market is almost eaten up by smartphone, for those who wanna enter a higher level of photography, mirrorless is the first choice.

Ricoh probably noticed that, therefore they cut K-70 line

Cut the K 70 line? Is it discontinued??

[Lev]

Someone suggested that smartphone users are photography beginners and I don't think they are. When their interest is piqued and they buy themselves a proper camera and start learning how to use it, then they're photography beginners.

SmartCAMERA is their next choice :d

[Hayashi]

Cut the K 70 line? Is it discontinued??

I mean, Pentax is not doing entry/beginner class SLR anymore.

[Breakfastographer]

I think it was the original sigmas. It seems strange that the K30 had such a short production life as the k50 came out just over a year later. And yet, there are still lots of K30s about so it must have sold well. ......... I want my old blue one back now! I loved that camera but I had a KP to pay for

I think the number of cameras out there is partly attributable to demand for DSLRs in general being highest in those years - if memory serves, it was two or three years before the decline started, so pretty much on top of the plateau. I would agree that the blue one looked nice.

What I noticed about the K-30 and K-50 is that they seem to appeal to different genders, and you can really see it in the design. Whether the intention was, after producing a fairly masculine camera, to make a more feminine one, is hard to say - the K-50 does resemble many earlier Pentax cameras. If the reason for it being superseded is, as you suggest, the mount incompatibility, then it makes sense that they quickly returned to an earlier, known working mold.

---------- Post added 12-11-20 at 10:39 AM ----------

Cut the K 70 line? Is it discontinued??

I think that was some people's interpretation when they saw it priced at $350 - that sellers were stock dumping. However, contrary to some claims, I see the K-70 in stock in various places - only amazon seems to be very low on stock right now (at least 18 pieces if I'm interpreting correctly), and Adorama has it "temporarily on back-order".

There is a fairly well supported rumour that Pentax has already begun work on the next APS-C camera, and that it's going to be a lower-tier one. The KP looks like a bit of a one-off, and isn't actually "due" for a refresh, so I think most observers expect the next APS-C camera to be a K-70 replacement. Might be announced at the end of 2021, or early 2022 if delayed, would be my guess.

[totsmuyco]

I'm not sure if there are a lot of beginners who will stay in photography. As some have said, smartphones have stolen a huge part of the photography market. As I have posted in the other threads those who jumped into DSLR thought that they would have great pictures using DSLRs without properly learning photography skills. Later their cameras are sitting on the shelves gathering dusts as their smartphones have taken their cameras place.

I believe there will only be a few who will grab a DSLR or MILC in the coming years. As for choosing Pentax, I think people have to understand Pentax to go into Pentax. When I chose the system in 2014, people were asking me why Pentax and I did a lot of explanation. In the end I just gave my snobbish answer, "Because I like it".

[Cerebum]

I still have my blue K-30. Works great. I haven't sold it because I like having a backup, and what do used copies go for now? $100? $150? Barely worth the hassle of selling.

Well, actually, I looked on eBay and they are currently going for what I paid three years ago. I would still have mine but I saw a deal on my silver KP and had to raise the cash, fast! So I lost my K30 and mint Olympus Stylus 1s both of which I am sad about but I love my KP so much, and I have a K3 so I am pretty well covered. I have to say, had there been one for $100, it would now be heading here! The K30 is so light, small and cool

[Alex645]

I'm not sure if there are a lot of beginners who will stay in photography. As some have said, smartphones have stolen a huge part of the photography market. As I have posted in the other threads those who jumped into DSLR thought that they would have great pictures using DSLRs without properly learning photography skills. Later their cameras are sitting on the shelves gathering dusts as their smartphones have taken their cameras place.

I believe there will only be a few who will grab a DSLR or MILC in the coming years. As for choosing Pentax, I think people have to understand Pentax to go into Pentax. When I chose the system in 2014, people were asking me why Pentax and I did a lot of explanation. In the end I just gave my snobbish answer, "Because I like it".

Although much of this is absolutely true, I believe it has always been this way. From Kodak Brownies to Instamatics to Canon SureShots and Sony Cybershots to smart phones, SLRs have been the consumer's entry into the pro world that reveals it's only a tool and the difference between the two are not the tools but the user.

Pentax is the least obvious choice for a beginner because most of the features that make them special are not the kinds of features a beginner would understand as valuable.