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Forum: Pentax K-01
02-02-2012, 08:57 AM
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The BJP have just posted an interview with the head of Pentax UK and well, he appears not to be doing the brand a great deal of good in this example at least.
I may be wrong, but here is a man that is perhaps not suited to the selling of things... I'm guessing he has other strengths.
Q: "Who might want this camera over a similarly sized SLR?"
A: "Dunno... err.. it was made by a designer...."
Q: "Does it have any good features?"
A: "Ummm, design."
to be fair, there is a leading edge of "Isn't this camera kind of massive compared to the competition?" from the interviewer.... but still, I feel this is selling the camera short, while it may be low on revolutionary ideas there are definitely reasons to own it other than design!
Here's the link to the interview: Pentax unveils its "compact" K-01 mirrorless camera - British Journal of Photography
And a pasty version for people that hate clicking.....
 Quote: The camera offers high-speed burst shooting, an extra-wide sensitivity range with a top sensitivity of ISO 25600 and Full HD video recording. However, it weighs 560g and measures 121x79x59mm.
BJP's news and online editor Olivier Laurent speaks with Pentax UK's general manager Jonathan Martin.
BJP: Can you tell us what is the target audience for this camera?
Jonathan Martin: The K-01 is aimed at, first and foremost, the fashion and design market, which we see as a new market for us. But it's also aimed at current Pentax users, who will have the ability of using their current range of Pentax lenses on a brand new product.
BJP: Why were you interested in the fashion and design audience?
Jonathan Martin: That's important because it's traditionally a younger audience - an audience that Pentax, traditionally, hasn't approached and hasn't managed to get hold of. So with our collaboration with Mark Newson [an Australian designer], we hope to use this exposure to actively target that audience for, probably, the first time.
BJP: But what about the amateur and semi-professional market, as well as non-Pentax users? Do you think the K-01 will attract them?
Jonathan Martin: I think it will attract them. I think it will certainly stand out in the retail environment because of the design of the product. It will make people look - people that are generally curious.
BJP: The design is very different from what you would expect from a compact mirrorlesss camera. What was the thinking behind it?
Jonathan Martin: The collaboration between Mark and Pentax mainly took place in Japan. From what I can see, we gave him an open book and we embraced all of his ideas.
BJP: Was it a conscious choice to select Pentax's K-mount?
Jonathan Martin: I think so. It gives us [access to] a lot of existing users...
BJP: ...but that also means, in terms of using an APS-C sized sensor, it makes a more chunky camera body.
Jonathan Martin: It has to be bigger, yes.
BJP: But for a compact interchangeable lens camera, don't you think it's too big?
Jonathan Martin: No I don't think so. I think the size of the product is outweighted by the range of lensesthat you can use on the product.
BJP: But how are you going to convince people that have a DSLR camera to go with something that is almost similar in size to a DSLR?
Jonathan Martin: Well, it's whether they want to go with mirrorless features rather than a traditional DSLR.
BJP: What are these mirrorless features that you don't find in a DSLR?
Jonathan Martin: ... design, really. Design.
BJP: So you're basicaly banking on design?
Jonathan Martin: We're banking on design, and on the fact that they are - we know because we've done market research - a lot of Pentax users that have been waiting for a K-mount mirrorless product.
BJP: But don't they want something more compact in size?
Jonathan Martin: I don't know. Because of the need to have the 44mm mount, the product has to be of a certain size. I guess that, pretty much like when we launched the Q camera, which was much smaller than everyone else's - this product, [the K-01], has gone the other way. It's a design-led product.
Pentax's K-01 will be available from early March, retailing at £630 body only. |
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Forum: Pentax K-01
02-02-2012, 06:59 AM
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I had a bit of a run on buying and subsequently selling a whole load of mirrorless cameras, three Panasonics an Olympus and most oddly of all a Samsung NX100. If nothing else I have a healthy ebay rating... All of them had their charms, all of them I found unsuitable for the kind of work I like to do most.
Anyway, they all had exposed sensors and all had a distinct and quite often surprisingly loud shutter sound. The Panasonics in particular were probably louder than my K-5 is. I never had a dust problem with any of them and my GF1 I used quite extensively... I never shot by the sea much or in a dust storm, but all the same I never found dust to be an issue at all. Must have excellent self cleaning abilities.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
02-02-2012, 04:05 AM
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Those hi-res images from the Russian site are very helpful. The design is growing on me, especially the lighter body coloured model. The button design and layout of pleasingly clean, I do like an uncluttered layout, especially in what I'd call a "holiday camera" or second body. It'd be nice to see it side by side with a K-5, I can't imagine it's all that much smaller and the Samsung-esque choice of not even allowing an external viewfinder (as far as I can tell) is going to be a deal breaker for some.
I can see me picking one these up in the future almost purely for using legacy glass with focus peaking, if it allows decent AF speed with my existing primes then all the better.
Will it bring new users to the system? Maybe not, but it looks a really nice entry level option, and very solid looking build quality. I do like the Pentax have tried something a little different to the cometition, and although public reaction so far has been typically bombastic and well "internetty" it's certainly not receiving all the WTF's the Q system did.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
02-02-2012, 03:58 AM
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Thanks all,
I'll upload some shots at some point, my slightly out of date website is full of Canon and large format stuff only, I'm afraid! But everything can be found on Flickr under Mike Downing UK.
Have to say I'm really enjoying life as a Pentaxian so far, I've bagged the 15, 35 and 70mm limiteds and I love them, hope to add the 21mm soon. Very refreshing after coming from big 'ol Canon zooms, my neck and shoulders are much happier!
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
01-19-2012, 07:50 AM
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Hello,
I'm a fresh convert to Pentax having sold my Canon gear in an attempt to save money by making use of the recent K-5 cashback offers. It's backfired though, because after one Limited prime I was bitten and now I've spent more money!
I'm based in Lincoln, the east midlands of the UK and when I'm not snapping for the sake of it I'm a pretentious conceptual photographer of sorts and University techy/tutor.
Nice to be a Pentaxian, long may it last.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-19-2012, 07:44 AM
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It seems to me, regardless of if it wins over current Pentax customers, the purpose of something like this is to bring in new customers to the brand.
Any new mirrorless announcement seems to be much more heavily hyped than the equivalent SLR so it makes sense to highlight all those existing and lovely Limited primes, which are still a unique Pentax selling point.
Ricoh really needs to invest in marketing and awareness though, I don't know about the rest of the world, but it's hard to find a Pentax camera to actually test in person in most camera shops, never mind the lack of print or web advertising. I only invested in Pentax coming from a Canon 7D and it's the K-5 is an amazing camera that needs more people to know about it!
That and most people thought (rightly or wrongly) that the Q was a bit of a joke... it'd be good to banish that feeling.
I'll be unlikely to buy whatever the new mirrorless turns out to be, as the K5 is already so compact as far as SLRs go, but anything that attracts (positive) attention to the brand as a whole can only be a good thing.
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