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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-30-2012, 04:19 PM
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Don't kid yourself, the Nikon is less expensive, has an aspherical element, has a metal mount, and also includes the five year warranty.
The number of lens elements do make a difference. Especially when one element is ashperical.
The Nikon 50mm 1.8G has already been tested to be a very sharp lens:
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G AF-S Review
I can vouch for the 1.8 G's performance, too.
Pentax needs to do better than a plastic mounted rehash of the SMC-M 50mm 1.7. There is still some dispute on the new DA 50mm 1.8 if it truly is Full Frame. Until someone tries it out on a Film camera, it won't be known.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-30-2012, 03:48 PM
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This statement is untrue. The Full Frame Nikon 50mm 1.8G is a brand new, seven element design, (in six groupings) with one aspherical element. The Nikon also comes with a five year warranty in the US. All for $219 USD. The Nikon 50mm 1.8G is not the same optical formula as the previous Nikon 50mm 1.8D which in one form or another dates back to the late 1970's. The 50mm 1.8D was only a six element design with no aspherical elements.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens | Nikon Wide-Angle Lenses
I own this lens and it's sharp with a decent bokeh. The build quality is not cheap but it's not the same as the Nikkor 50mm 1.4G.
The new DA Pentax 50mm 1.8 appears to be a carryover of the old 50mm SMC-M 50mm 1.7 from the 70's, a six element design in five groupings, but now with rounded aperture blades.
Ricoh Pentax is going to have to do better. Rehashing a 35 year old optical design and selling it a price higher than the competition makes no sense. This new DA 50mm shouldn't sell for more than $125 - $150 USD tops. I would never buy a lens with a plastic mount.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
05-12-2012, 03:47 PM
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-03-2011, 03:08 AM
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The Pentax K5 with a Full Frame sensor would have been a very competent camera.
Pentax needs to fix many things: Autofocus, Flash, SDM, etc. These components are shared across many platforms. Even the $10,000 645D shares components with the K5. Full Frame would not be a stretch.
Pentax as a whole needs a lot of help. I hope Pentax gets real support from Ricoh.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-02-2011, 09:54 PM
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Your opinion is fine, I'm glad you're not running Pentax though.
Let Ricoh-Pentax sort this out. People are interested in Full Frame cameras. 1.5% market share is not helping Pentax. New products have to be offered. Advertising would help too.
Sadly, people ask for Full Frame only to get shouted down by a lot of the same people on this forum. It's an OPEN forum. Respect other people's opinions and quit stating your opinion as fact.
Full Frame has a future, Nikon, Canon and Sony are getting ready to rock the format in the next 12 months. Third party lens developers must see a future in the Full Frame format or else they wouldn't develop lenses for it.
Realistically, if Pentax were to release a Full Frame camera I don't see it anytime soon (I hope Ricoh proves me wrong). Hoya pushed out products that were already in the pipeline. It doesn't look like Hoya put much into the Pentax camera division.
:(
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-02-2011, 09:05 PM
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-02-2011, 08:48 PM
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Would it have to be a professional grade DSLR? Some argue the Nikon D700 is not professional grade compared to the D3X. I doubt many pros are going to suddenly dump their Nikon and Canon gear to buy a Pentax Full Frame, but an enthusiast grade Full Frame similar to the K5 would do well.
Why does a Full Frame camera have to be a DSLR? A Full Frame could be a Mirrorless camera like the Fuji X100, but with interchangeable lenses and a hybrid viewfinder. Pentax already filed patents for such a viewfinder.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-02-2011, 08:43 PM
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The APS-C mount is the Pentax K mount, a FULL FRAME mount. Many of the DA lenses already work on Full Frame.
There will be some consolidation between the Ricoh and Pentax product lines.
You forgot the kitchen sink in your list.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-02-2011, 08:40 PM
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Many of the current Pentax APS-C lenses are Full Frame ready. It really wouldn't be a stretch to go progress to Full Frame.
You bring up Sony, there are many reasons why Sony wasn't that successful with the A850/A900, but that's for a different post.
sonyalpharumors | Blog | (SR3) 36 Megapixel sensor for one of the fullframe prototypes
Is Sony really getting out of the race? Are Nikon and Canon, also?
You may want to expand your reading past Thom Hogan. :)
I read something by Zeiss that stated a good lens takes two years to develop. The lenses are coming, but quality takes time.
Besides, third party companies like Tamron, Zeiss, Voigtlander, Samyang, Sigma and Tokina are all producing Full Frame lenses and more Full Frame lenses are coming. That's more than can be said for APS-C.
You may want to run spell check on your future posts. :)
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-02-2011, 08:31 PM
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What a sad reply. The reason FullFrame (Not Front Focus) went no where is that Hoya put almost nothing back into Pentax. Hoya simply shook out the drawers, raised prices and lessened quality. Pentax did file a patent for a FullFrame Shake Reduction system.
As long as I have the resources I'm going to keep asking for FullFrame. It's a better format than APS-C.
If you have a problem with it, then:
"Move on, as they say."
:rolleyes:
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Forum: Photographic Technique
07-02-2011, 06:42 PM
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I'd purchase a Pentax Full Frame camera, it's also long overdue.
Development costs for Auto-Focus, Flash, Video and Image Processing systems can be spread over both the APS-C and Full Frame camera models, maybe even Medium Formta. Hopefully Ricoh will get things moving. Ricoh does have some high quality products and does advertise (The Green Marquee in Times Square). These are really good marks in Ricoh's favor.
The patent for a Full Frame SR module was leaked awhile back. The link to the patent is no longer working.
The K5 is a competent camera, it would have been cool to see a Full Frame sensor in it.
Ricoh stated they are interested in expanding Pentax DSLR's and lenses. Let's hope Ricoh does a better job of operating Pentax than Hoya.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-01-2011, 06:02 AM
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Speaking from personal experience. My dad worked until he was almost 80. His friends that retired at 55-60 to play golf and lay about all day soon started wearing their underwear on the outside of their pants. Most of those guys died before the age of 70. My dad is still around. Some men enjoy work; keep your body and mind active and you'll be OK in your old age.
BTW, my dad is 90 and sharp as a tack. My uncle was a judge and he worked until he was about 80. My uncle lived to be almost 100.
"Men define themselves by their labors."
I digress, let's keep the focus on Ricoh-Pentax.
:)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-01-2011, 05:49 AM
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The K Mount is a FULLFRAME mount!
The Pentax LTD's can more than handle a Fullframe sensor.
Larger Sensors = Better IQ
Pentax is in the DSLR market, Ricoh even states this is one of the reasons for purchasing Pentax.
There are four DSLR makers in Japan left. Nikon, Sony, Canon and Pentax. As long as Pentax makes DSLR's and cameras they will be compared to (and in competition with) the other three companies.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-01-2011, 05:28 AM
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Hoya "retired" Jun Hirakawa, one of the best lens designers Pentax had.
Ricoh, please bring Mr. Hirakawa back out of retirement.
Put Mr. Hirakawa to work designing new lenses for Pentax FULLFRAME DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras.
All the best on the new Ricoh-Pentax merger!
:)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-26-2010, 02:55 PM
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Wake up Hoya/Pentax! Give us a FULLFRAME (24x36) K-Mount DSLR soon! Otherwise I'm switching to Nikon's new D800 (the D700 replacement) after it's released.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-17-2010, 10:43 AM
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If you want to pixel peep, the new Pentax 645D with the new D-FA 55 2.8 shows a lot of CA when the images are blown up. You can check the image samples here:
645D Manza Hotel | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The highlights in the clouds are somewhat blown and the windows of the hotel show chromatic aberration.
There are a ton of EXCELLENT photographs taken on FullFrame Cameras, (Nikon D700, Canon 5D, Canon 5D MKII, Sony A 850, Sony A 900) with old M42 lenses and even K mount lenses (Canon EOS mount will accept both M42 and Pentax K-Mount lenses with the proper adapter). Just do a simple image search on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/
(Use sound search criteria like the name of the camera and the lens. (i.e. {Canon 5D Takumar}
pulls up images taken on both FullFrame Canon 5D and 5D MKII DSLR's as well as any Takumar lens.)
I've posted some image examples of legacy glass on FullFrame cameras in some of my older posts. I have a friend with a Canon 5D MKII that gets great results from old S-M-C Takumars on his camera. Are the results flawless? No, you don't get completely flawless images even with new digital lenses. The old lenses do deliver great images and have awesome aesthetic value. Competent post processing can easily remove chromatic aberration and sharpening can be selectively applied.
You can also check Vimeo.com for excellent examples of videos made on DSLR's using old glass. I saw a great one the other day using Canon DSLR and a single coated Helios 44 (Russian Biotar clone)!
Vimeo, Video Sharing For You |
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-14-2010, 12:26 PM
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Where does the money come from to fund R&D into accessories? Selling two of the most inexpensive cameras on the market isn't going to add much to your R&D budget.
Nikon and Canon have cash machines in their FullFrame cameras, both companies make good profits off of the cameras. That makes investors happy but also funds R&D, marketing, etc. R&D develops better autofocus, flash systems, you name it.
I don't understand the rancor against FullFrame. If certain forum members aren't interested in it then they don't have to buy it. Hoya/Pentax needs a premium system to help bring in more profits. The 645D was a start, but it's still the cheapest Medium Format Camera out. Even at $11,000.
The Pentax product line up won't change that drastically after Photokina. From what I've read:
K-X- $500
K-R (EVIL) - Under $1,000 (K-R with lens<$750?) A lot of competition from Sony, Samsung, Olympus & Panasonic. Price wars will keep it in the ballpark of the other manufacturers.
K-7 - Fills mid-range spot of K200D, $800.00
K-5 - Soon to be Pentax DSLR flagship, priced between $1300-$1400 (my guess).
Next step up with Pentax is the 645D at $11,000.
No middle ground between the APS-C line up (all about $1,000) and Medium Format in the $10,000 range. Pentax really needs a decent FullFrame in the middle somewhere. I bet it would have a crop mode for DA lenses. A tele-converter would give APS-C DA lenses FullFrame sensor coverage. No one loses out.
Canon and Nikon both produce APS-C and FullFrame cameras. The 645D Medium Format shares a lot of DNA with the K-7, tweaking the K-7 (or upcoming K-5) to work with a FullFrame sensor won't break the bank. Hoya/Pentax can support all three systems with well thought out product development shared among three platforms.
Whatever products Hoya/Pentax bring out they need to advertise. Where's the sense in having a great product if no one knows about it? Good advertising pays for itself with increased sales. Advertising isn't cheap, I hope Hoya keeps investing in Pentax. It will pay off.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-13-2010, 10:07 AM
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Pentax can keep producing Model T APS-C cameras, I'm going FullFrame and will take my business to Nikon. I still have a number of great Nikon AI-S lenses from my film days that I can use too.
For all the FullFrame critics, Pentax makes some great stuff but it's all APS-C. The reason I haven't switched is that the D700 is two years old and Nikon is prepping its replacement which is said to have video and other improvements. The chances of me getting my hands on that new camera this year are slim. It will probably be out of stock for awhile at Amazon and brick and mortar stores. I'll probably have to sign up for a waiting list like people did at the initial launch of the Canon 5D MKII or Nikon D700.
Look at Pentax's lineup, two APS-C DSLR's.
The black K-X can be purchased for around $500.
The K-7 can now be purchased for less than $1,000.
The 645D is now $10,995, roughly $11,000. I believe that is what its US price was announced at with the standard lens.
Where's the middle ground? There's a huge gap in Pentax's lineup that should be filled with a decent FullFrame. If you don't want to buy it then don't. Those of us that do can stay with Pentax instead of changing brands.
The Mirrorless camera doesn't really fit that niche; plus, I bet it will be APS-C. To me a Mirrorless is for portability. I can toss a great Mirrorless camera in my hiking bag or take it biking easier than a DSLR. With the price wars between Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and Olympus I don't see a Pentax Mirrorless selling for more than a $1,000 with a lens anyway.
I'm not against Pentax selling APS-C cameras, or even the upcoming Mirrorless. Just give us some real choices. The Pentax product spread is too wide. I'm not interested in medium format.
Regardless of how great a Pentax APS-C or FullFrame DSLR will be, Pentax does little to market their cameras! Pentax needs to develop sales channels and support their products with advertising. Good advertising always pays for itself with increased sales! What good is having a great product if nobody knows about it? :eek:
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-12-2010, 10:15 PM
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I've picked up some old Pentax Spotmatics in the last few years. They are built to last. A great service that Costco, Walgreens and even Osco offer are a direct transfer of film to CD. I can go out and shoot a roll of film in my Spotmatic or old Nikon camera, take the film to be developed and instead of getting prints back I get all the images on a CD. It's not that expensive and lets me temporarily get my FullFrame fix from time to time. The old cameras still have value.
I'm really not looking to fight with people on this forum, but look at Pentax's overall offerings. Two APS-C DSLR's that are less than $1,000. The next step is a $10,000 Medium Format Digital Camera. Where's the middle? I mostly shoot between 14mm-50mm with some occasional portraits in the 85-105mm range. FullFrame has always fit my shooting style. If I used long telephoto more I'd probably be more into APS-C. That's not my style of shooting. I prefer wide to standard focal lengths.
I would rather shake hands with a leper than touch a M4/3 format camera. The sensor is too small and I'm not impressed at all with image results. Having to multiply legacy lenses by a factor of 2x has no appeal to me whatsoever.
I switched to Pentax from Nikon and really like Pentax. To keep me as a customer Pentax needs to offer more or I'll have to head back to Nikon. It's a shame because I really like Pentax. I just don't care for APS-C!
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-12-2010, 07:38 PM
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Hi Gene,
Your numbers are partly correct.
Check out these links:
Old legacy lenses: What did they cost new back then?: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review
&
$2500 for a Pentax Spotmatic F - Photo.net Leica and Rangefinders Forum
In 1964, The Pentax Spotmatic with a 50mm 1.4 Takumar was $300.00. Adjusted for inflation, using the online calculator:
DollarTimes.com | Inflation Calculator
The 1964 Pentax Spotmatic with 50mm 1.4 Takumar in today's dollars would be $2,076.43.
The 1974 Pentax Spotmatic F including the SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4 was $600 in its day.
Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F
In today's USD that is $2,804.53
How many people just buy a camera and kit lens? When I buy a new camera I usually pick up extra batteries, better neck strap, another camera bag and another lens or two.
$2,800 today can buy you a Fullframe DSLR from Canon or Nikon (Sony too, but I don't want to get into Sony) with a 50mm lens. What does Pentax currently have to offer?
I have to be good with numbers in my line of work. I don't fudge numbers as another forum member has posted. Check my links. These numbers are all factual.
Pentax was once a premium brand. Pentax advertised and had sales offices in New York, Chicago, Denver, etc. Even the repair center was in the US. Now nothing, just the home office in Colorado. You have a hard time finding Pentax in any brick and mortar stores too. By offering premium products again (like a FullFrame DSLR) I believe Pentax would help rebuild its market share and become more profitable.
Living in Chicago, I will walk around downtown and take pictures. I have a Pentax K100D and K20D. I frequently see Nikon, Canon and even Olympus around the necks of other photographers. I have been asked many times, "What's a Pentax?" or "Pentax is still around?". It's sad.
I enjoy Pentax cameras but I don't want to shoot APS-C anymore. I hope Hoya keeps helping Pentax along and we see a FullFrame Pentax sooner than later. Pentax makes great stuff and has a lot of growth potential.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-12-2010, 07:10 PM
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TaoMaas, you should reread my original statement or go back to sleep.
The Pentax Spotmatic F, brand new in 1974 with a SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4 Lens was $600.00! Adjusted for inflation, today that equals $2804.53!
Check this out for the specs:
Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F
$600.00 new in 1974!
Using the online inflation calculator:
DollarTimes.com | Inflation Calculator
It comes out to $2804.53 in today's dollar. Sad!
What does Pentax offer currently in that price range ($2,800)? Both the Canon 5D MKII and Nikon D700 Fullframe cameras with their respective 50mm 1.4 lenses can be had for that amount. What does Pentax have? Two APS-C cameras to choose from? The 645D is out reach for many consumers. It's also a lot of camera, I just want a FF DSLR.
How am I guilty of seeing the market through my own eyes? I am not a camera manufacturer. I'm a consumer, (but I've spent my business career in sales and marketing). I have the money and desire for FullFrame DSLR. If Pentax doesn't offer one in the future I'll move on. It's a shame because Pentax needs to offer more choices to keep customers. If I was in the market for an entry level APS-C DSLR I'd consider the Pentax K-X, the APS-C K-7 is an interesting camera but it does not meet my needs or wants.
Different strokes for different folks. All I see is combative resentment towards forum members asking Hoya/Pentax for a FullFrame DSLR camera. The APS-C diehards act like someone has just run over their prized poodle. :fedup:
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-12-2010, 06:48 PM
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Pentax was in really bad shape before Hoya took them over. Don't kid yourself. Hoya has had their work cut out for them in reviving Pentax. Pentax's board and major stockholders were not initially interested in the merger. Hoya had to pay a premium of 20% over the then value of Pentax stock to get control of the company. If Hoya keeps straightening out Pentax and keeps Pentax profitable it will be worth it in the long run. Pentax has a lot of room to grow. Pentax has already seen a market share increase under Hoya. Not bad considering Pentax has been losing market share since the late 1970's.
News Headlines |
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-12-2010, 06:35 PM
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I believe Pentax first announced the 645D in 2005 and then didn't do much with it. The 645D that is for sale today is no where near the camera that was shown in 2005. I've read different news pieces that Hoya cracked the whip and got the 645D rolling again at Pentax. There was a slight hold up over the next generation SD card format (SDXC) which I don't believe was even included in the 645D, Hoya was trying though. There were also some supply issues either with the sensor or something that slowed down the 645's launch. You are right, it worked out! :)
Check out this write up from 2005:
http://www.livingroom.org.au/photolog/reviews/pentax/pentax_645_digital.php |
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-11-2010, 10:28 PM
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Didn't Hoya bailout Pentax? Pentax was in bad shape when Hoya took them over. Hoya's influence is responsible for the release of the 645D and can be seen in the K-7.
Ford was planning on bringing back a vintage coupe but really missed the mark with the revised T-Bird. That was a really strange vehicle. I believe Ford killed the vintage coupe project in 2002 or 2003 which was a shame. The vintage coupe was to be rear wheel drive and have a decent V8. The picture I saw of it looked cool, a lot more tastefully done than the last T-bird.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-11-2010, 06:02 PM
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If you adjust for inflation, in today's value of the dollar, the Pentax Spotmatic of the 1960's with a 50mm 1.4 Takumar lens is about $2,200 - $2,400. What does Pentax sell today that is comparable?
Pentax started ceding market share after the K2, KM and KX cameras of the mid-1970's. The K1000 was a low cost stalwart that remained in production for almost 30 years.
I remember a business model that I studied way back in college. It dealt with Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford sold the model T and it was a successful car, at first. Henry Ford believed the Model T was great the way it was. Ford was even widely quoted as saying that "You can get the Model T in whatever color you want, as long as it's black." A modern day equivalent would be "You can have any kind of Pentax DSLR you want as long as the AF isn't that great and it has an APS-C sensor."
The Model T might have been an early success for Henry Ford but the car was a double edged sword. Henry Ford clung to the Model T and produced it from 1908 until 1927 (19 years, almost as long as the Pentax K1000). Meanwhile, Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant founded Chevrolet in 1911 and started producing cars and trucks. Walter Chrysler (a Ford stockholder) later launched his own motor company, Chrysler in 1925. Soon, Chevrolet and Chrysler were drinking Henry Ford's milkshake. Henry clung to the Model T that he thought was good enough for everyone and lost market share and sales. Why would anyone want an electric starter in a car?
Finally, after much corporate infighting Ford discontinued the Model T and brought out the Model A which was light years ahead of the Model T. The Model A had an electric starter, better engine and a lot of other refinements. The Ford Model A spawned a lot of other variations like Ford cabs and trucks. Ford was able to rebuild market share and profits.
What FullFrame detractors are forgetting when they chirp that APS-C is good enough and that FullFrame is just bad is that they are projecting their views on the entire market. If I was in the market for an entry level APS-C camera I might choose a Pentax K-X, it seems like a good camera. The K-7 has some nice features but doesn't suit me; I prefer the FullFrame (35MM format).
You can't look at the market completely through your own eyes. Some people have more money, some people have less. Some consumers may need a feature that means little to you but means the world to them. Consumers need to have choices. You need to address those needs to retain customers and grow sales. Henry Ford learned this lesson a little late, but he still learned it. APS-C might make be suitable for some, but not for everyone.
Give us a FullFrame DSLR Pentax!!!
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