Originally posted by rparmar So, you really think this camera is a good high-end P&S? Honestly? It's a poor clone of the Olympus XZ-2.
I honestly haven't made the comparison with Olympus. (Haven't seen that one, actually, since I'm not actually shopping there. ) If I got to that point, I don't know which I would choose. I sure wouldn't cry if I *had* one, mind you. As I mentioned, there's a certain advantage for me in a P&S that operates similarly to my DSLR, just because if I'm using one in the first place, there's a good possibility that fatigue is a factor, I pull one of those out, I don't want to have to remember how it works when I want to do something with it. Frankly, I'm kind of in love with the Fuji offerings. But the simple fact it's Pentax might outweigh several vices for me. I get set in my ways. Not always as mentally agile as I used to be that way, so as for RML's Rule #1: Get The Shot, ...that counts.
Quote: On the other hand, if it's trying to appeal to the enthusiast retro crowd, then it needs to actually look the part. Which it doesn't. Or more precisely does in only half its aspect -- which is worse than having a consistent design (whatever that might be). It also needs to offer quality features that will appeal to those people who are fixated on range-finders. But instead it is rather dumbed down. (No hot-shoe, no control wheel, small sensor.) It would have made more sense to price it higher and fill out the feature set properly.
I suppose my sunnier attitude on this isn't that it's a 'dumbed down Fuji' but that it's something they could build up from in a similar direction. Maybe it won't be an optical VF, but I think EVFs are non-laggy enough these days that that's not a huge issue. It's a *big* sensor for a compact, and it *has* two dontrol wheels, (Though I'd rather they just had a front dial than the exposure comp one: I've usually got my K20D set up just like that, Seems to be the fastest way to tell him what to do, put him in Av and use the front dial for corrections.) But I just like more controls, and ones I can touch. Still analog that way.
Quote: So, no, I am not trying to compare this to something it isn't trying to be. But since Pentax themselves apparently have no idea what this camera is trying to be, it makes the process more complicated. ;-)
I call this a fail, like I called the K-01. Because buyers in a market flooded with competitors are simply not this stupid.
The way I see it, I think they're trying to appeal to a broader base for this sort of thing. It's not 'just right' in terms of what I'd prioritize, but it's nice. I wouldn't have gone for the articulated screen, myself: my little old bridge camera's LCD is still quite visible even at arm's length over my head, so I don't see the need for the bulk and complexity: as for the 'retro' of it, to be honest, the first thing I said 'To Pentax' when I unpacked my K20D was "Perfect. Now put this in met-al.'
(And that's pretty much what they did next, part of why I like this company.
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Frankly, what's liable to happen, like with the K-01, will be people in love with the things will buy them, then the price will plummet and maybe this MX-1 will cost a couple hundred bucks or less in a year or two. Maybe I'll have that money at the time. Put that thing in my pocket. For who knows how long.
I don't think anyone was really psyched about the K-01 apart from 'At least this shows they aren't mad enough to ditch the K-mount.
Anyway, this is the pattern for Pentax stuff. Early adopters pay a good deal more, the rest of us know we've got an upgrade path we can reach.
Anyway, I'm not calling this a 'fail,' I'm calling it a decent start at this segment. I'm not saying that if I had that kind of money for that kind of thing as a priority, that I'd choose this one among all the possibilities. Also not saying I mightn't end up doing that, all other things considered. Familiarity's a big feature for me personally. If I suddenly hit the lottery, it could even be a deciding factor, since I'd otherwise be so busy. I'd have other things to do than try to get a whole new UI into my head. (I'd still be lookin for a viewfinder, though.
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I do think it'd just make sense to make one without that plastic LCD hanging off it, then you got a metal pocket camera.