Originally posted by Big G Best post I've ever read on these forums.
I too am sick of reading the sheer negativity and obvious envy of a product that is really pushing camera design in an innovative way. Instead, it's being rubbished across camera forums by idiots who say things like "MY THIRTY YEAR OLD NON-SONY LENSES THAT WERE NEVER DESIGNED FOR THIS WON'T WORK!", or by people who will never, ever purchase a Sony camera and make sweeping judgments and decisions on a product they know nothing about.
I'm bored of it. For me, I stay off camera forums mostly because I end up hating photography because of the obsession and fanboyism that ruins the art.
Thanks for your support (and that from others), which I only now read since, like you, I stay away from the forums except for rare occasions. I used to be a constant contributor (over 8000 posts!) but the tone has changed a lot. I now find it quite poisonous.
I have little time for fanaticism of any stripe. I sang the praises of Pentax, bought several of their cameras, plus a fortune of lenses. Converted many people to Pentax since, for an inexpensive SLR, they were a bargain. Some might well have taken me for a fanboy, since I was certainly enthusiastic! The difference is that I was not blind to Pentax faults, few of which ever seemed to get fixed. (Crippled mount, ahem.)
I even posted about how a camera without a mirror might be a darned good idea.
After using a mirrorless camera (Olympus E-P1) there was no looking back. It was obvious this was the way forward, though I waited until the viewfinders sealed the deal. The experience is so much nicer: all the information in the EVF, ability to zoom for focus, etc. These are not glossy marketing features; they help me take better photos and enjoy myself more in the process. The main advantage of Pentax (size, weight, lens quality, SR) are doubled in Olympus MFT.
Plus I could continue to use my excellent Pentax lenses. Though now the large ecosystem of glass has removed the need.
In the intervening years Pentax have largely sat still, with only incremental improvements and quite a few price increases. The latest Limited lens releases show that Ricoh is happy to continue this trend. The brand has little to offer over the competition at this point. Those pushing forward into new territory (Sony included) illustrate this by contrast.