[indyphil]

manual controls

more frame rate options - not just the 24p, but 1080 and 720 @ 60

720@120 would be awesome not sure if the processor could handle it but the new gopro has it.

even higher frame rates at reduced resolutions (like XVGA @ 240fps or higher)

[userage]

I will email him back tomorrow probably, all the suggestions are great. I'll include the stuff about the WR Flash as well, I don't think he'd mind hearing about that.

[FullertonImages]

The most important things to stress are:

-manual controls for both exposure and audio (plus a way to monitor audio, otherwise you're just guessing)

-24p and 30p at 1920x1080. No camera will ever be considered by 95% of video professionals if it doesn't have these, regardless of what else it has.

Everything else would be great, but without those things, the camera will forever be overlooked. I think they should go all out on the next generation, but at the very least, these things should be added to the previous and current K-5's.

I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with people, telling them about how great the K-5 is for adventure filmmaking, and they sounds really interested, until I get to the part about not 24p and no manual controls, at which point they are 100% not interested.

[userage]

Emailed him back, everything I mentioned;

Firmware updates to K-5/K-5 II;
Full video manual control, much like in the K-01. This would also be great if we could get manual control even with the old Pentax M lenses but I understand that can cause issues because the current K mount no longer uses a mechanical link to read the aperture settings on those lenses. Another thing is to be able to change ISO while recording, no other camera has this and it would be an excellent feature.
Video capture at 24/25/30fps, No one would take the camera seriously (video-wise) without these frame rates, due to Europe having 25fps as a standard and USA having 30fps.
Video recording button. Something like using the Fx or RAW button to start video recording or enter video mode.
Crop marks in video mode, which is basically an overlay of lines to show different aspect ratios, a bit like this: http://images.inosak.org/magiclantern.jpg
Allow an area to be always zoomed in to allow for better MF, much like this: http://cs6237.userapi.com/u16007354/docs/9254b673a63a/magic_lantern_design1_display1_2.jpg
User select-able bit rates for the MJPEG codec, it currently averages about 70-110mbs which is great for high quality videos! It would be nice if we could go to its max though for the absolute best quality we can get.
HDMI Out to monitor the footage not just playback

Future Video updates;
Hot Pixel removal for stills and video
More frame rates for lower res, such as 120fps+ in VGA mode
Pixel Binning technique to improve video quality (This would also improve iso noise in video mode, the only DSLR I know of that does this is the Canon 5D Mark III)
44.1 or 48khz audio recording
Headphone jack for actually monitoring the audio (The K-01 allows your control Audio gain but there is no way to actually monitor it)
Focus peaking during recording
A few users has shown that they do not like the digital SR in the K-01, and they prefer it without stabilization because of that.
Clean HDMI Out (So we can record footage externally)
Recording to ProRes or RAW(this is a far stretch, it would be an great thing to Cinematographers but we would not be upset or surprised if we did not get this as MJPEG is pretty good)
Waveform monitor
To be honest, everything you could possibly want in terms of control is in the Canon firmware add-on Magic Lantern, so if they were to look at everything that offers they would have a great idea of excellent video control and monitoring.

I did also talk about the WR Flash and a few other things but those are the main points. I did just add that Magic Lantern has everything there in the end

I guess we just wait for a response from the factory now, if we get one

[FullertonImages]

That's great, Userage!

I'm very curious to see how he responds. And maybe with you and I both driving this point home pretty hard, it will get some attention. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

I think the important thing for them to realize (that I honestly think they just might not realize at this moment), is that the entire top list that you gave is merely a list of things to catch up with what their competition has already been doing for the last 2 years, and has already started moving well beyond.

My suspicion is that Pentax, being a company with such traditional photography roots, just really does have anyone who has their finger on the pulse of what's going on in video. I don't think they're dumb, and I don't think that they don't care. But I honestly think no one thought it was that big of a deal to only have 25p; which couldn't be more wrong. When I first got a K-5 and was super new to video, I felt the same way. It's only 1fps different, what's the big deal between 24 and 25 fps? Well I quickly learned that mixing framerate is a PITA, and video, unlike photography is very collaborative. You are very often working with multiple shooters, and you have to all be shooting the same format. On multiple occasions, I've begrudgingly borrowed a 5DmkII, because I was shooting a project with a group, and everyone else was shooting 24p, and I need to be able to do the same.

[Anvh]

That's (almost) true but nobody else does this either, so I didn't think of it. Anyhow, it's awfully hard to add a headphone jack with a firmware update!

The OP was about a "future camera" so not just the current ones.

Anyway an audio recorder is not that expensive to add to your gear, and those have all the audio functions you need.
Actually to be honest, i would like to have the video recorder also seperate, that way you can get a device that serve your needs.

[DSims]

Anyway an audio recorder is not that expensive to add to your gear, and those have all the audio functions you need.

That's why I'm not so concerned about a perfect implementation. I have an external audio recorder. But a proper manual gain control could significantly reduce background noise/hiss with any directly attached mic or audio input.

[Anvh]

Mhmm indeed the hiss is terrible.