[ghelary]

Ok, let's start a new thread. A lot of comments have been made about Pentax being a "niche" player. Being a "niche player" would means that Pentax is making cameras with unique features that meets a very specific need.

So lets play a game. Describe the specs of "niche" cameras, but please remember that a "niche" camera is not a better and cheaper camera than the leading competition (Canon and Nikon), it's a camera build to address the specific needs of a category of photographer with some unique feature or a unique combinaison of features.

The rules :

• It has to be a K-mount (no 645 or 67III digital)
• You need to describe for which purpose is made the camera.
• You need to make some spec sheet.
• You need to tell the advantage and the drawback of such a camera.

My inputs :

K-mount video camera : can be a full range
- Specs :

• Dedicated 16/9 4K "APSC" class sensor
• From 24 frame per second to 60 (depending on the price class)
• Electronic viewfinder
• Predictive autofocus optimized for Video.
• Input for sound
• Ergonomics of a video camera
• Hard drives as record format ?

- Drawbacks :

• Low resolution photos (for a DSLR)
• Electronic view finder.
• Very big and bulky

Remark : I don't feel Pentax going this way. But it would be great for Samsung to enter the market and build a real reputation.

Why : because there is space between Red Cameras and the likes, and the average consumer camcorder.

Through the Lens rangefinder
- Specs :

• PSC sensor.
• Interchangeable viewfinder.

The principle of such a rangefinder camera would to use the lens as one of the 2 entries for the range finder (via a mirror), focusing of the lens would be via distance measured (electronic coupling) Thus the focused planed distance of the lens would be fed into the camera, the camera tuning the lens according to distance of rangefinder.

Advantages :

• Short distance focusing fast and accurate for autofocus and manual, almost regardless of light condition.
• Good for street photo.

Drawbacks :

• Forget about full manual lenses (K, M, M42),
• Long distance (tele) difficult to use.
• Still a movable mirror on the contrary of a real rangefinder (Leica)
• Would likely require careful callibration of lenses used on the camera

Why : perfect for street shooting. Because Leica is about to disapear and is so expensive, there is some space for some digital rangefinder, but maybe not a full system.

Ultra Comptact DSLR
- Specs :

• APSC sensor,
• No shake reduction (to save space)
• No build in flash (same reason)
• Cell phone sized screen for composition and histogram cheking, on the side of the back, to same save width.

Advantages :

• The smallest DSLR possible without changing registration distance (and of lens system)
• Perfect with DA ltd primes

Drawbacks :

• Striped down camera, would lack a lot of feature for its price.

Why : smaller than a Pentax k-m, such a camera would be to address the needs of pros who buy and are not happy with high end compacts a la Canon G10, Panasonic Lumix LX3, Sigma DP1 etc...


Lets see you "niche" concepts :-)

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Ultra Comptact DSLR
- Specs :

• APSC sensor,
• No shake reduction (to save space)
• No build in flash (same reason)
• Cell phone sized screen for composition and histogram cheking, on the side of the back, to same save width.

Advantages :

• The smallest DSLR possible without changing registration distance (and of lens system)
• Perfect with DA ltd primes

Drawbacks :

• Striped down camera, would lack a lot of feature for its price.

Why : smaller than a Pentax k-m, such a camera would be to address the needs of pros who buy and are not happy with high end compacts a la Canon G10, Panasonic Lumix LX3, Sigma DP1 etc...


Lets see you "niche" concepts :-)

This is close to what we came up with in this thread: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-film-slr-discussion/45970-why-my-d...-pocket-4.html

Except that I suggested dropping the back-LCD and make the top LCD as large as possible to let it replace all functions of the back LCD.

[ghelary]

Well,

Here it is not a thread to talk about a thinner camera but more about a "different" camera. Your example certainly fits in this category but it's not the only option by far.

The first example would certainly not fit in a pocket

[shutterpuppy]

Give me a Pentax digcam that has the look and feel of my old Spotmatic/ME or Olympus OM series, it would be compact and lightweight. The LCD would be placed where the old film flap end used to be. Interchangable viewfinders don't interest me. I'm used to not having a EVF now, so I could do without that too.

Barry