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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-22-2010, 11:03 AM
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Thank you for being another voice of reason. I am very surprised to have rocks thrown at me for stating the obvious - $1600 for a K-5 body is NOT competitive. Pentaxians are often bottom feeders who find joy in new lenses from garage and estate sales, but apparently there are also some Leica types who consider shooting with Pentax gear a type of snobbery. I never considered Pentax in any way like Leica, but apparetnly some do - and they have forgotrten the incredibly cheap and clunky Pentax cameras that populated the end of the film era.
I always considered shooting with Pentax a sign of Independence and intelligent comparisons - people that didn't jump on bandwagons just because all the CanNikon sites told them that was what they should do. In other words, people who use their cameras and know enough about photography to make their own comparisons and decisions. However, that does not include pretending Pentax is the only player in the photography market.
My very first "serious" camera was a Pentax H1A in 1967 if I recall. It had no metering so I learned to shoot with an intelligent set of rules and consider a film's latitude. I finally bought the meter that clipped on the prism and I thought I had landed in heaven. I took many many excellent images with that gear, and there has been a special place in my heart for the Pentax brand ever since.
However, loving Pentax does not mean you have to be an ostrich and pretend the rest of the camera world doesn't exist. The K-5 looks to be competitive, but at $1099 to $1199 like the new Nikon D7000 and NOT at $1599 for body only. The K-7 was $1399 when released and dropped quickly. Of course that is problem 2 with the top Pentax cameras - they don't hold their value like a top Nikon or Canon - and that also has to be factored into a buying decision.
Also a major concern is that the new K-r is also NOT competitive with the new 14.3MP Nikon D3100 or the Sony A33/A55 14.3/16.3MP which offer higher res, faster speeds (10fps/7fps), better AF, and much better video at the same or lower prices. Pentax needed more than a higher-priced spruce-up of the K-x with all the incredible new gear from competitors to the K-r that just landed.
I really root for a Pentax win, but IMHO current models at current pricing will mainly sell to the Pentax faithful. And just because I bring up a valid and troubling point does not mean I'm a troll or or whiner. Canon will also be hurting in their current entry model pricing/features compared to the new Nikon D3100 and Sony A33/A55 SLT.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-20-2010, 02:13 PM
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The D7000 has a 100% Viewfinder, 39-point AF with 9 cross points, weather-sealed alloy body, and the same Sony 16+ Megaapixel sensor as the K-5. Amazon is an Authorized US Reseller and with them selling the D7000 for $1199 do you really think new buyers will choose the K-7 body instead when it will sell for $1599? Nikon has also had an 18-135mm kit lens since the D90, so that is not an advantage. The Nikon D7000 kit with the 18-135mm VR lens is $1499 - less than the K-5 body alone!!
I really love recent Pentax cameras in general, but the K-5 is seriously overpriced. 33% more than Nikon's comparable model will not sell K-5 cameras.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-20-2010, 11:06 AM
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I am NOT a newbie. I have owned just about every Pro and semi-Pro camera over the years and I recently retired as a reviewer of Computer Technology and Digital Cameras - so those I didn't own I have tested. Your comment is the off the mark.
I seriously doubt the K-5 will yield superior colors, AF speed, or shooting speed over a Nikon D7000 which uses the same sensor and an AF module from a family with demonstrated superiority - compared to the forever slower Pentax AF.
Just the possibility of getting accurate colors with the Sony sensor compared to the K-7 and K20D Samsung sensors would be nice, and a first since the Samsung sensors. My K-7 no longer has the yellowish cast of the K20D and color is no longer all over the place, but high ISO noise is still very lacking and color accuracy is still nothing special.
Pentax HAS to offer better value compared to Nikon and Canon to sell to new buyers and the new Sony stuff is carving out some incredible value points. At $1599 the K-5 is NOT competitively priced. Pentax did price it competitively in Europe with an 1199 EURO price, but US prices are not similarly competitive.
Yes you will buy one and be glad to get it, but you already have an investment in K glass. It's a shame to FINALLY have what appears a great all-round prosumer Pentax and price it so it doesn't compete with CanNikon - and the K-r doesn't compete with the Sony A55V or A33 or even the new Nikon 14MP Sony-sensor D3100. Pentax is NOT Leica, and Pentax USA needs to quickly do some price adjustments or market share will continue to shrink even with good products.
For me, Pentax has the most useful and flexible User Interface on the market, but that alone will not justify paying more for what has become a minor brand. The K-x sold because it was CHEAP and good (though it was still hard to forgive the missing lighted AF points). Priced more than Canon, Nikon, and Sony with the same or inferior features the K-x would not be the hit that it was.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-20-2010, 10:28 AM
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I think the MSRP of $1599 for the body only ($1750 with 18-55 WR, 18-135 adds $540!) is a serious mistake. That is more than the current MSRP of the Canon 7D ($1499), The Canon 60D (at $1099) and the new Nikon D7000 ($1199 for body, $1499 with 18-135mm VR). Prices will drop, but why is Pentax handicaping the K-5 right from the start?
The pricing is NOT competitive, so the K-5 will sell to Pentax owners, but not new buyers. The camera looks like it corrects most of my complaints, but it hardly stands out from a D7000 with the same sensor or the D60 and 7D with higher res.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
07-31-2010, 04:34 PM
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I have worked with several of the marketing people in CO, and I attended the last couple of PMA shows and the last Photokina. However, I am not actively writing about photo technology right now, as I was in the past, so my contacts aren't so up to date any more. If I run across any hot news I'll try to share here because I am not under any NDA contracts right now.
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Forum: Sold Items
07-31-2010, 01:31 PM
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Please check PM for billing info.
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Forum: Sold Items
07-27-2010, 11:45 AM
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You have a PM. Please reply.
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Forum: Sold Items
07-23-2010, 02:00 PM
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See PM re: FA 1.4.
Thanks,
Wes
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
07-23-2010, 11:28 AM
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