Originally posted by juu Kunzite, you have expressed your points well and they make sense.
However:
a) "Being as good as" depends on how you define "good". "The best camera is the one who you have with you", so portability should be one aspect of "good"
Pentax K-7 not portable enough? Hell, you want portable, grab disposable film cam! They'll kick an EVIL's arse in the lightness stakes.
In fact, I say EVIL cameras aren't lightweight enough! Remove the finders altogether! And the LCDs! Removing memory card slots will save weight! No sensors bigger than 2mm diagonally! Maximum of two elements in the lens, which should be non-interchangeable to save weight on the lens mount! Lens should be stuck at hyperfocus, thus removing the cumbersome, weighty focusing motors and AF circuits!
And no lens coatings, which will save valuable nanograms! Better yet - make it a pinhole! Button cell to power the whole shemozzle!
There you go. I reckon you'd have a camera the size of a matchbox, then.
Seriously, you know how you said that it's not about what camera I want, because what I want is bad, and claim that you speak for the entirety of the consumer demographic when you're dreaming of this EVIL - which, quite coincidentally, I'm sure - is also exactly what you want. Hmmm.
So, on that note, I'd like to add that
not everyone has to deal with kids when they take photos. It's a demographic just as big, if not bigger, than the bored housewives sector.
See, there are a couple of things about the consumer market. One, yes, they follow brands, but unless they're truly tragic (like anyone you see lined up outside an Apple at three AM in winter, waiting for the doors to open so that they may purchase a slightly smaller iPod,) they're not necessarily buy Brand X just because they've bought Brand X before. After all, they're shopping for a new one...chances are the old Brand's left a bad taste in their mouth because it now needs replacing. The consumer is generally swamped by variety of stuff out there, and tends to place brands into two categories. "Good," and "Bad."
They're also just as likely to listen to the salesperson, who will probably be grinning like an idiot because the Canon rep's just given him another free T-shirt. There's actually about a trillion-to-one chance any store clerk, in any camera shop in the world, will recommend a Pentax. Most are surprised they have them on the shelf. Some are surprised the company actually still exists. A few have never even heard of Pentax. This is true. Mostly they'll recommend one based on the consumer's needs, as well as one a vast array of other factors, like which camera they want to clear off the shelves, which one has the biggest commission, and, as mentioned, which vendor gave the best kickbacks. You do know that only one in every twenty-five cameras sold is a Pentax, right? A Pentax EVIL would fair no better.
And another funny thing about the bottom-rung consumer is that they don't do much for accessory - lenses, flashes, grips - sales. These are the people who never take their lens off their DSLR. Hell, these are people who never clear their memory cards. They don't care about the IQ in low light, the pixel pitch, the maximum aperture of the lens, or the burst rate. They use a camera until it breaks, or someone buys them a new one.
If not, then, juu, my dear boy, they then turn into your worst nightmare.
The enthusiast. Like myself, and Wheatfield, the Luddites, although I think he may be even worse - I think he might be a
pro.
These are the guys who do buy crap like extra lenses, and flashes, and body caps, and hotshoe covers. And since they're with a certain brand, chances are the money they spend will go back to the manufacturer of their camera.
And, as an even nastier side effect...
they start caring about the quality of their images. Suddenly, fitting a camera in the nappy bag or wondering if it's talcum powder-proof are secondary concerns. They really don't give a shit if they've got a camera around there neck when they go to the post office. They want what gear gets them the images they want. If it means lugging a tripod and a 300mm lens around, then by gum they'll do it. If they need to shoot in low-light, they'll grab a hotshoe flash.
Enthusiasts are the ones who buy lenses, and keep the camera companies going. A consumer simply buys one camera - whether it be EVIL, DSLR or P&S - and doesn't worry about it until it breaks.
That's why Pentax keeps popping out shithouse point-and-shoots. Because consumers don't care, as long as the image looks good on the rear LCD or facebook.
Quote: b) If they are significantly better in some ways (lighter/smaller, cheaper, more user friendly with DOF/etc preview) than DSLRs while "good enough" in others, it would be enough for them to largely replace DSLRs at least in the low-end market
So, ask yourself, why they still buy DSLRs? Because that's the perception of a good camera. It's what the pros use. It's like free marketing, that. With an EVIL, you'll have to carve a niche. And, generally, when it comes to carving niches, Pentax's chisel tends to be made out of rather low-carbon steel. But they're comfy niches, though.
Quote: c) What about "selling as well as"? Shouldn't Pentax make business decisions based on that, as opposed to "being as good as" - if we want them to be around in the future?
Crystal meth sells well - better than EVILs. Maybe Pentax should merge with a bikie gang. Higher margins, too, and the tech and market's there. And there
will be repeat business.