[Lowell Goudge]

I feel as if Pentax abandoned all of us K200D adopters. No firmware updates and a teeny product lifetime. You haven't been able to buy the K200D new for months now. I feel like I bought a product expecting support and updates and instead Pentax just dumped us.

what support and updates are you expecting? Is there something that the camera does not do, that was advertised? Are there any real defficiencies that have not been addressed, and by this I mean things that just don't work as documented?

I am currently selling, what I feel is my outdated K200D in favor of another system from another manufacturer who may give us the support we deserve.

what do you mean by the support we deserve? As customers, what we deserve is that the company we purchase from produces the functions we purchase, and fixes things that don't work as they should. By saying you are moving to a different system, which offers the support you deserve, are you implying they are still after the end of life of the product, still fixing things that don't work. That is not the same thing as good support, in fact, that is really bad support because they are still fixing bugs long after the product is out of production.

What ever happened to get it right the first time?

Anyone else feel this way about their K200D?

Are there things I would like my camera to do that it presently does not, sure, but none of them are features that were advertised, they are a wish list of things I would like. There are a ton of others out there who ask similar questions. Have similar wishes etc. But that is not the same as lack of support. The fact that pentax has implemented them in newer models in many cases means they listen, at least a little.

In terms of obselescence, your camera was in fact obsolete the day pentax froze the design, because otherwise they would never ship anything. Obsolescence in a technical product is a fact of life. get over it

You know, I feel neglected because Pentax has not come out with FF yet. What's up with that? It is a far more serious violation of whatever (whatever it is I am not sure) to not come out with FF than to ditch K200D.

[séamuis]

have fun switching systems instead of taking photographs.

[yeatzee]

The feelings are not mutual on my end..... Personally the only thing im upset about is no K200d replacement. The Kx would have been at home in the K200d's body, and they would have sold many more IMO than they are now.

[MoiVous]

I doubt that Pentax has abandonned the K200D users - the K200D is a well thought out, bug free camera as everyone has already said. My K200D is great - and at the time was the best bang for buck around IMHO.

Learn the K200D's little features, like the cable shutter release you can program to give you an intervalometer (using a TI calculator), or the extra battery grip to give you extra long shooting ability (the DBG3 is very good), the infrared remote is great, and the range of custom functions let you alter the Ok button, the Green button etc to your needs. Its an adaptable camera.

Sure, we'd all like additional features (an extra dial would be nice, perhaps the ability to reprogram the RAW button), but the consumer society we live in means that new models pop up to fill that need.

If you want to play with tweaking, have a fiddle with the debug mode. It has some features that can be altered.

My daughter has a Kx and its a great camera as everyone will atest - its the evolution of the previous K series cameras. If the K200D was rubbish compared to that, I'd dump it and get a Kx. But the K200D still takes great images - its just the mug behind it that stuffs up.

From what I understand, the various Rebel/Ti Canons we are seeing are just tweaked versions of the previous unit - with the firmware updates along the way. Similarly, the Nikon D40/D40X/D60 were just incarnations of the same beast with a few tweaks here and there.

Its called gadget envy - and is expressed in may ways. Some have smart phones with lots of apps that are largely useless if all you want to do is telephone people or send a few text messages. Others have the latest and greatest laptop, but all they do is type a few emails and surf the web. Then there are the people who need to dump their TV or radio whenever a new model appears. Why? Its the same rubbish being broadcast!

If thats what you want, please get on that bandwagon - update regularly or wait for the firmware fix for the bugs that got left in.

Then again, just take pictures and enjoy your K200D - it really is a very good camera.

Alternatively, enjoy whatever new camera you get.....

[johnmflores]

I think this thread is filled with people trying to win a new camera LOL!

Seriously, Pentax and others should consider creating an SDK ( Software Development Kit) and foster the creation of third-party programs/updates to both current and older cameras.

Want an intervalometer that will take 10,000 photos?
There's an app for that.

Want full manual control of video?
There's an app for that.

etc. etc...


Worked pretty well for the iPhone.

[MRRiley]

Expecting ANY other manufacturer to offer updates to any similarly "aged" model is just plain pointless.

Just like Microsoft stops releasing patches to earlier Windows versions at certain points. Windows 95 still works fine, but Microsoft doesn't support it any more because it costs more and more as time passes to make it work as slow as Vista...

[Lowell Goudge]

You know, I feel neglected because Pentax has not come out with FF yet. What's up with that? It is a far more serious violation of whatever (whatever it is I am not sure) to not come out with FF than to ditch K200D.

For the life om me, I can't understand why people continually bitch about lack of a FF sensor.

Pentax has NEVER - EVER indicated they were going to build a FF DSLR, they have steadfastly supported only 1 format , the ASP-C format. They have repeatidly made this clear.

How can you feel abandoned when they have made their position regarding this issue crystal clear to everyone.

[Lowell Goudge]

I think this thread is filled with people trying to win a new camera LOL!

Seriously, Pentax and others should consider creating an SDK ( Software Development Kit) and foster the creation of third-party programs/updates to both current and older cameras.

Want an intervalometer that will take 10,000 photos?
There's an app for that.

Want full manual control of video?
There's an app for that.

etc. etc...


Worked pretty well for the iPhone.

It would be nice, but the camera is not designed that way.

Lets face it, while the Iphone - Ipod touch are nice toys, they are essentually a pc.

The Ipod touch does nothing more in reality than my Dell axim 50 did 5 years ago, and in fact, in many ways is less capable. what it does have going for it is it is smaller, and lighter, and easier to type into, but the real productivity apps are lacking compared to my Axim 50. Maybe its different for mac uses, but I digress.

the issue is that the Ipod/Iphone is a computer, with an application software layer above the firmware. A camera is all about performance, it does not have a processor sitting there running general tasks, it has very high speed processors running defdicated tasks all aimed at managing huge amounts of data very quickly.

If you want the "Applications like an I phone" then it will, out of necessity get bigger heavier and more expensive.

[Pablom]

Pentax has NEVER - EVER indicated they were going to build a FF DSLR,

that's not entirely true...

PENTAX MZ-D

[Lowell Goudge]

that's not entirely true...

PENTAX MZ-D

Ok, Within the context of Ever, you are correct, but within the context of anything they have actually brought to market since the introduction of the *istD, they have had only one view. ASP-C

[johnmflores]

It would be nice, but the camera is not designed that way.

No they are not, but who says they can't be? CHDK is a bit of an underground hit for Canon cameras. The first manufacture that officially endorses and supports such experimentation will reap some benefits.

Lets face it, while the Iphone - Ipod touch are nice toys, they are essentually a pc.

Agreed.

The Ipod touch does nothing more in reality than my Dell axim 50 did 5 years ago, and in fact, in many ways is less capable. what it does have going for it is it is smaller, and lighter, and easier to type into, but the real productivity apps are lacking compared to my Axim 50. Maybe its different for mac uses, but I digress.

I've used PDAs and smartphones since the first US Robotics PalmPilot, and the iPhone is by far the most productive device of the lot, particularly if you are using the cloud to help access and manage it all. Check out Evernote, Google Docs, iDisk, Groundwork, etc... I can literally run my business from the iPhone.

the issue is that the Ipod/Iphone is a computer, with an application software layer above the firmware. A camera is all about performance, it does not have a processor sitting there running general tasks, it has very high speed processors running defdicated tasks all aimed at managing huge amounts of data very quickly.

If you want the "Applications like an I phone" then it will, out of necessity get bigger heavier and more expensive.

Take an iPod Touch and gut it, removing the screen and battery since cameras already have them. Now remove the headphone jack, the dock, the volume control, and other things that aren't needed. What are you left with? A really small circuit board with a handful of chips on it. That can be integrated quite easily with the form factor of current cameras, particularly the larger bodies from Canikon.

[séamuis]

Ok, Within the context of Ever, you are correct, but within the context of anything they have actually brought to market since the introduction of the *istD, they have had only one view. ASP-C

I think, possibly this is because pentax foolishly assumed that 'FF' was not going to be something too important once they saw how quickly APS-C took over the market. I think they didnt look far enough into the future and are now suffering due to their over-investment in the format. I think that pentax wants to put out a FF body, but realizes that they arent in a position to do so. they know that FF could make them profits and bring in more revenue through an expanded customer base, they just realize that they have gotten themselves deep into aps-c (in a way the others didnt) and so they must continue to push the format. of course, one could argue that investing in FF could have killed pentax the way it killed contax, they knew this and thus invested in the smaller format knowing exactly what they were doing.

Ok, Within the context of Ever, you are correct, but within the context of anything they have actually brought to market since the introduction of the *istD, they have had only one view. ASP-C

In fact, I read an article featured in Japanese photography magazine, and in it, one of the engineers have said that they are indeed looking at it. In their own words, "How can we not?"

By the way, I don't feel abandoned. I feel neglected. That's all!

[wildlifephotog]

OK OP,
Since you didn't expand on your complaint.
Just what are you missing as to support and updates?
I have the K200D, it does everything it was advertised to do.

Remote Assistant? Forget it, hardware doesn't support it. ( as per Pentax tech. )
Firmware updates? No bugs to fix that I've found.
Support? I can get any part I want, or have any repair done.