Originally posted by Marc Sabatella What makes you say it uses the AF system of the K200D rather than the improved one of the K-m? I don't think the released info gives enough information to conclude that, and all logic would suggest that it is more likely the K-m's AF system (but with additional focus points and the ability to select them , if somewhat awkwardly).
And a step up in some pretty significant ways, too, though. Live view, movie mode, much faster frame rate, smaller & lighter, other UI improvements from K-m and K-7, what is probably a better sensor, presumably improved AF, etc.
Which is exactly what you could say about *any* entry level camera - pretty good all-around, but missing something that someone somewhere considers important. After all, if it wasn't missing *anything*, it wouldn't be an entry level camera any more - it would be the K-7.
I agree that no focus point indicator in the viewfinder is going to earn Pentax some serious dings in reviews, but in a world run on logic, it would pale in comparison to, say, lack of in-body SR in competing models. This camera should absolutely smoke anything Canon or Nikon has ever offered.
Your logic implies that to go forward with new features at a price point, one should remove features critical to use.
So, theK200D at this same price point has
This makes zero marketing sense. A very useful feature was removed (AF selection and superimposition) which every other competitor's model has, and which as missing from the K-M in such a way that the ratings for the K-M tanked compared to the K200D.
if you've got a successful feature from one generation, don't mess with it. This is a classic shoot yourself in the foot market dumbness. Even more because every single previous review of the same missing quality panned the camera. This Imaging Resource Preview said that explicitly. It's like watching a colourful balloon float up, and then sink with an audible hiss.
Why cripple the AF when no other competitor does so? Find the logic.
This is why Canon is so successful. The market-driven machine they are would never accept such a crippling for fear of utility function comparison. Canon designs camera reviews love, which then subsequently sell well, engineering be darned (I detest their plasticiness).
Pentax seems to find a way to make one thing stick out so much that it colours the marketing possibilities and price options of the entire product line. This single omission will earn it a rating below Canon and Nikon comparative models. People will shop elsewhere (including some current Pentaxians). It does not have to be this way. It's not about what is not there; it's about a feature already there that was taken out.
This the perfect storm of the two things most people accuse Pentax of getting wrong:
1) Substandard AF options
2) Poor marketing