This is my wild translation. Enjoy it.
If you find a mistake, please let me know.
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2009 Winter: DC Watch Interviewing PENTAX
PENTAX will release the medium format DSLR next year?
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As you know, HOYA merged PENTAX. PENTAX have been developing business in the ordeal of world wide recession and they could survive and find out their own way. K-7 emerged as a supreme middle class DSLR in the light-weight and compact body, K-x was small and very easy to handle, we know it has 100 color variation in Japan.
The vice president of HOYA PENTAX Imaging division and the developing section manager, Toshiyuki Kitazawa mentioned 2009 PENTAX products and the flag ship camera which could be upcoming next year or later.
(interviewer; Masakazu Honda, DC Watch)
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*unique Technology made 100% coverage finder
——As you noticed in the interview, February 2009, you released K-7 which was different from your past developing policy. As middle class DSLRs, the style of K10D and K20D was popular, so you must have made a big decision to release the K-7 style?
We had a aspiration of making a compact middle class DSLRs like K-7.
Previously, there were high performance middle class DSLRs in the market. But they became heavier and bigger when they got the performance and toughness like weather resistance. However, I like to have a small DSLR for traveling. We decided to make a compact DSLR which is very adequate for landscape photography and had appropriate performance for a middle class camera.
PENTAX has a DNA or a corporate identity to develop the compact and light-weight products such as past PENTAX auto 110. k-7 has good portability and high performance such as the 100% coverage view finder.
——Some people think 100% coverage view finder is not necessary because they have the live view feature. 100% coverage view finder seems to cause high cost. Why do you provide 100% coverage view finder in K-7?
100% coverage view finder technology seems to sound old school, it is low tech thing, not high tech. And it costs so much, so we had not provided it in middle class DSLR. However, we have SR technology. SR can make the sensor keep moving in the unit by electromagnetic coil, even can rotate the sensor.
K-7's view finder system use this SR technology by memorize the accurate position for 100% coverage. If there is no SR technology, we can not provide precise 100% coverage view finder so far only by mechanical method.
And we can provide composition adjustment feature and automatic leveling feature by using SR. They are very useful for landscape photographers.
——What efforts did you make such a small size and light weight camera?
Simulation for setting of all small parts in sub-millimeter order, There were kinds of Trials and errors. A weather resistant structure requires some margin in the body, we can clear the demand.
——The appearance of K-7 is similar with pre digital SLR of PENTAX. Do you do it on purpose?
After round design era, the square design is fresh in our eyes. So we gave k-7 square design scheme for the big concept change. It seems to be like an old days design, actually our designer said the design scheme of K-7 includes good old day's camera. The shape of Pentaprism symbolizes PENTAX.
——When DC Watch wrote the story that PENTAX had change the concept about the middle class DSLR, many readers anticipated it would be more classical taste appearance. After release of K-7, have you had the real voices from the users?
They use K-7 as a field camera for landscape photography, it is what we expected. The evaluation by professional photographers is pretty good because of 100% coverage view finder. A certain magazine tested K-7, It has 99.9% coverage view finder. K-7 was top in some cameras in the test. Many users say 100% coverage view finder is easier to use than under 100% coverage ones. They accept K-7 as a compact but middle class DSLR, which has 100% coverage view finder with the about 120000 yen price tag.
We use magnesium alloy and improve body rigidity of K-7. For recent models, we used engineering plastics which performs as well as metal materials. However, there is a difference in the quality of the bodies when you handle them. Some customers seem to feel satisfaction with
the quality of K-7 bodies.
——I'm afraid you are not successful to promote the advantages of K-7, despite that K-7 has 100% coverage view finder, and as k-7 original features, composition adjustment, automatic leveling.
We have a much bigger advantage in 100% coverage view finder than mechanical methods only, The test result proves it. However, we are not successful to promote
the advantage. We should make a challenge for future.
On the other hand, we give K-7 special imaging feature. We extend RGB range and improve auto white balance, especially in green of the woods and blue of the sky. In exposure control, K-7 adds lighting source sensor to the 77-segments Pattern Metering. The lighting source sensor
can determine sun light or indoor light.
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*The popularity of White K-x body is huge
——Your entry-class K-x surprised us with huge variation of colors. (in Japan).
The marketing concept of k-x is that anyone want to get a compact, easy-to-use and high image quality DSLR. There is no segmentation in users. Not only performance, but also huge color variation, which fits anyone's favorite, contribute to the k-x success.
I said "anyone," it includes high-amateurs category. It also includes camera fans who want to use small DSLRs, so we provide middle class features in K-x, such as 4.7 fps, ISO 12800, HD video and so on. I think a contemporary entry-class DSLR should have these features
surely.
——Which is accepted very well by real users, the good performance or huge color variation, or both?
Immediately after the release, it was color variation. It is limited in Japan, we get the 4th in the share of DSLRs, thanks for our costumers. It seems new users accept K-x besides core PENTAX fan.
New users surprise us because their purchase minds are beyond our anticipation. I saw a couple took a colored mock-up K-x with hands in the shop, the woman said to the man which color could fit to her outfit. The other elder couple took K-x in front of a mirror, they were talking which color was good for them.
They, who seem not to know what is K-mount, who is PENTAX, are interested in K-x with the color variation. I think these features are expanding the number of PENTAX fans. It may be huge.
On the other hand, the core camera fans, who are writing their opinion on the Internet, seems to be satisfied with the less noise in high ISO, the big fps performance for entry-class.
——You provide 100 colors in Japan, all the combo of body color and grip is ordered? What combo is most popular?
Any combo of 100 colors has been ordered already, but I can't mention the detail of popular combos because of our confidential.
Some electronics makes including camera makes seems to want our data of the color combo, however, we think the data is very important and confidential for our marketing strategy.
Only thing I can say is the most popular body color is "White" absolutely.
——Ordering color seems to be trendy in the near future, it is a kind of personalization of products. Will PENTAX expand personalization of the products?
We did not decide anything now.
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*PENTAX will provide the affordable priced medium format DSLR
——This year, we have not seen the medium format DSLR of PENTAX. Next year, we can see the real product?
Now, we are developing it. I can't mention the accurate timeline when it will hit the market, but it will be next year. AS I said previously, the medium format DSLR is prior to 135 full frame DSLR for PENTAX.
Other makes provide 135 full frame DSLRs. in this situation, I don't think PENTAX could be a top-notch player in the full frame market. Instead, we should make the medium format DSLR. Of course, we need provide 645 digital lenses. We don't have 135 full frame digital lenses.
We don't like to be a follower of 135 full frame DSLR makes, instead of it, we will be a challenger for the medium format DSLR market by providing supreme image quality.
——In Photokina 2010, we can see the real medium format product? And developing medium format stop the developing the successors of K-7 and K-x ?
In Photokina, you will see the real medium format DSLR. Now, we are developing medium format and other two product lines simultaneously. The successors of K-7 and K-x will emerge as scheduled.
——You said you will be a medium format challenger by providing supreme image quality. However current medium format digital cameras in the market have problems of the sensors performance, noise and so on.
Before and after you suspended the developing medium format, the trend of technology has changed. You resumed the development, or you are renewing the development?
We select a new sensor and new body design. we remake the most parts of the camera. In the appearance, it seems to resemble the previous model, but we refine the design for precision sense, for example, we select the parts materials that make the camera precise.
——What kind of the market position does the camera have?
The new camera will be for amateur photographers. We'll provide studio photography performance in the field camera. I don't know professional studio photographer could like to use the camera, but I think field photographer will want to use it. The new camera has the same concept as K-7, for field photographers.
——The price will be affordable for amateur photographers?
Amateur photographers could accept our price offer. We are developing new digital lenses, which also have affordable prices even if you bought a new camera with some lenses.
——Will you offer 100% coverage view finder and composition adjustment feature like K-7 in the new camera? If a field medium format DSLR does not need a tripod, It should be so unique product.
I can't mention the features of the new camera. Only thing I can say is the image quality of new camera is superior to 135 full frame DSLR. As you say, big sensor camera had some problems in image quality. However, big sensor has broad dynamic range that the smaller format sensor can not have. The sensor of the new camera will provide a supreme image quality.
——Will PENTAX have three product lines after releasing the new medium format DSLR?
Yes, next year, we will provide different products for three user category after releasing new medium format DSLR as the upper class camera. We'll keep the three product lines for a while.
——This is the last question, how do you think about the EVF camera with interchangeable lens system?
In my company I seems to have a reputation of He-doesn't-like EVF man, but actually I'm not a anti-EVF person. However, I have not seen the attractive camera with EVF. I don't think we should develop the camera with EVF in the current market. If the new EVF product could be worth to use, we need to evaluate it.
Now, the company studies the EVF camera with interchangeable lens system, It is different from my personal opinion. In fact, the action in PENTAX is very small, like just as a discussion topic thing. If we release the EVF camera with interchangeable lens system, the EVF finder should be superior to reflex finder. We don't want to make a half-finished products. EVF has a huge potential in the future, but we have not had a any decision to start developing EVF camera with interchangeable lens system.