|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-26-2017, 04:33 AM
|
| |
There must come a point where a single frame from a video stream is a perfectly decent still image, which will revolutionise portraiture and action photography.
Maybe we're there already? Naturally a lot hangs on what "perfectly decent" means for you.
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-22-2017, 08:26 PM
|
| |
The quote that started this thread off read:
This doesn't say that these new customers are former Canikon shooters, contrary to the title of the thread. These new customers might never have bought an SLR before. We just don't know, in the absence of more details.
My guess? There are probably a significant number of people out there that really want a full frame SLR, but haven't been able to stomach the cost of FF Canikon offerings. Along comes the Pentax K-1, in a blaze of positive reviews and an attractive sticker price. At last the price seems bearable, so the potential buyer flashes the plastic and takes delivery of a great new camera.
People seem to be really happy with their K-1s, so that's good news for them, and a win for Pentax. This satisfaction is likely to turn into repeat business from the same people, and recommendations to their friends. It bodes well for the long term growth of the brand.
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-25-2013, 06:18 AM
|
| |
I thought that this part of the interview was particularly interesting. I'm a long-time Apple fan, and the hand-wringing that I see in this forum is very reminiscent of the anxiety that I used to see in Apple forums during Apple's lean years. We (forum members) thought that we understood Apple's needs better than Apple did -- and we were wrong. I thought that Steve Jobs' first few moves were ludicrous, but we all know how his reign panned out.
So the insider's view at Ricoh/Pentax is that current trends in imaging are repeating movements that we've seen in audio a decade or so ago. And perhaps they're right. I certainly appreciate the ongoing prioritising of "color depth and tenderness of image quality". When I shoot alongside other people with other brands of cameras, it seems to me that the images I get have a rich, full-blooded character that other brands seem to have trouble matching.
Consumer audio has been marked by an obvious decline in massive stereo systems that dominate lounge rooms. Contemporary systems are expected to be much sleeker, and to integrate well with video systems. So perhaps FF cameras are bit like these big old hi-fi systems. They do the job well, but they're big, clunky, and expensive. Consumers will gravitate towards less intrusive and demanding alternatives, so long as the quality is there. We've already seen a boom in cell phone imaging, despite the obvious IQ differential.
Having said that, it still seems to me that larger-format systems will always retain an edge in quality. Larger-format systems produce images that have a look that many people (myself included) find desirable. This just seems to come down to physics.
But this IQ difference is already relatively small, and likely to become less important over time. It probably is a safe bet that the future of enthusiast photography is in systems that are more compact, flexible and inexpensive than current FF systems.
Similar reasoning would seem to apply to the MF market. I've thought for some time that the way for Ricoh/Pentax to make a splash in high-end amateur/low-end pro market would be to develop something akin to a Leica S2 at an affordable price, with 645 compatibility via an adaptor. I haven't held much hope that such a product would manifest any time soon, if ever, but I'm starting to wonder if it's such an unrealistic thing to hope for after all. It would seem to fit well with Ricoh/Pentax's vision of the future, being substantially more compact and flexible than existing MF systems. But the possibility of delivering such a system at a reasonable price is by no means clear.
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-04-2013, 05:34 AM
|
| |
Let me get this straight. Ricoh meant what they unambiguously said a few months ago when they bought Pentax?
Yeah, right. Why should I believe that instead of the baseless fears of some dudes on an internet forum?
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-16-2012, 04:07 AM
|
| |
An API for firmware hacks, and active support for developers.
|
|
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-23-2012, 05:58 AM
|
| |
Doesn't this bland styling just scream "me too"? Even if you don't count yourself as a fan of the K-01, aren't you glad that Pentax actually had a crack at doing something innovative in both its conception and design?
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-20-2012, 07:53 PM
|
| |
As for the broader issue of Pentax's full range of bodies, we all know that a lot of technology is shared between different systems. So I don't think it's outlandish to suggest that Pentax's K-mount offerings might eventually have the following structure:
- K-mount GXR module
- entry level APS-C mirrorless
- entry level APS-C SLR
- advanced APS-C mirrorless
- advanced APS-C SLR
- mirrorless FF
- FF SLR
That sounds like a lot to support, but as I said, with all the technology sharing going on behind the scenes it shouldn't be too much of a burden. Moreover, I really think that a mirrorless FF could be delivered at a size and price point comparable to a high-end Canikon APS-C SLR, which would cause a bit of a stir in the market.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-01
03-18-2012, 02:34 AM
|
| |
I used to read lots of forum posts complaining that the K-5 is too small, now people are complaining that the K-01 is too big. I'd like to think that it's not the same people making these complaints, but I have a strong suspicion that some people have made both complaints at different times.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-01
03-08-2012, 07:22 AM
|
| |
Crikey! Steve's not wrong about the Leica comparison. Here's another Leica cue: check the typeface used for M9 and Pentax:
 |
|
Forum: Pentax K-01
02-12-2012, 04:59 AM
|
| |
- After some hesitation, I gave it a 5. That doesn't mean it's perfect, it means it's easily in the top 20% of industrial designs. I think it is already making the cameras from other brands look old hat.
- I think the 40mm is OK, but I suspect that the real reason for creating it is to offset the expected criticism of the size of the K-01.
- I'm seriously considering replacing my K20D with this, but I'll wait for the reviews and will of course need to test it in person.
- Looks are undoubtedly important. I know a lot of people who are very interested in new cameras, but none of these people would consider a GXR because of its looks.
- I think it will attract people who don't have too many pre-conceived ideas about what a camera should look like. In other words, this is precisely the market that Pentax should chase: new blood.
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-29-2012, 12:29 PM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-18-2011, 06:18 AM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-07-2011, 06:09 AM
|
| |
P.S. I've also noticed that there's no giraffe in this image. Which is a shame, because there's plenty of white space, and giraffes are beautiful animals, don't you think?
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-03-2011, 03:23 AM
|
| |
I'm starting to wonder if that registration distance is such a big deal after all. I mean, it certainly is a big deal if the camera body is shaped like a box, but it's not obvious to me that MILC camera bodies have the same design constraints as SLRs. Perhaps a MILC body could be designed that is relatively deep, but nonetheless much smaller than current SLRs.
I'd encourage designers to start with the proverbial blank sheet of paper and a list of the minimum set of requirements that a MILC body must satisfy. The body would have to accommodate the lens and provide an EVF and the usual controls. Why should this combination of functions take the form of a box? A camera body that wraps around the lens would be more compact, and may well be ergonomically superior as well.
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
06-03-2011, 10:06 PM
|
| |
Much as most people on this forum would wish for K-mount compatibility, and leaving aside any technical considerations, my guess is that Pentax have no plans to encourage lenses to be swapped between different segments.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-16-2010, 04:42 AM
|
| |
For some reason, photographers whine and moan online more than any other subculture that I've encountered. I sometimes wonder about why this is so, but I'm yet to arrive at a satisfactory theory.
Whatever.
Steelski, you've been on these forums for long enough to see all manner of neurotic online spleen venting. This is just more of the same. Don't let it bother you.
Next week the K-5 will be announced, and many of the people that are currently fretting about the D7000 will be ecstatic about Pentax's new flagship. People will be born, others will die, some will make love. The Earth will continue to spin on its axis. Life goes on.
|
