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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
10-20-2011, 09:42 AM
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Pentax 645D = 10 000$
Canon 1Dx = 6 800$
Both are not "cheap" products. Now if you're annual budget for photography is 1000$, then you are not the target for digital 35mm.
Older second hand body may come to that price at some point, but glass ain't cheap. No scorn in my comment, but FF is a "rich" product, if Pentax release a body next year it won't be at 999$ with additional 500$ for a decent 28-70mm/f4.
I don't have a FF, I don't plan to have a FF or Pentax 645D although I desire it and I can somehow afford it. It is just that I don't practice as much as i would like with my existing cameras and I treasure more compacity than pixel count (although I use a Pentax 67 for street shooting, everydoby has their contradictions)
Asking Pentax to release a FF camera, while not considering first how it would bring value to your own photography is IMO hardware nerdism.
I was making a coment about making a FF camera as business strategy, the 645D is currently a big success, and Pentax made the effort of re-releasing their whole glass range, and develop new lenses.
Releasing a 36Mpx FF camera may harm this product line in term of sales. So Pentax has to move up the 645D system before releasing their FF, to make sure both address different markets and users of the 645D would not be tempted to move to a much cheaper product.
My comment was not directed at me or you buying the 645D.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-20-2011, 01:41 AM
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Not so much, they would have been gone brankrupt. But according to the lastest info from Leica, their factories are running at full capacity for both bodies and lenses, actualy they are saying that they haven't seen this level of production since the M3.
IMO, Leica is not anymore comparable to any other camera companies. It's a bit like Ferrari for car, people don't buy them as a mean of transportation, it can do it, but that's not the point. They are status objects. The same goes for Leica, it can take pictures (and very competently) but this is first a status object.
Maybe a better comparison would be mechanical watches, they measure time and are used for such, are a superb pieces of outdated engineering, but ultimately people buy them as status object.
Leica may be the only camera company in that situation, and IMO, they are making plenty of money at this time. Because, they may not sell volumes, but their margin is definitively higher than any other.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
06-10-2011, 02:28 AM
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Rangefinders have survived the dawn of SLR, there is no reason to believe that EVF camera will cause the death of DSLRs.
DSLR have quite a few years to live in the "serious about photography" market because of the existing glass available new and used.
The mass market is another matter, but DSLR can live properous without it. More quality glass less disposable products.
I always have a hard time with people seeing photographic gear as an "investment". My Fa31 and Fa43 get beaten and brassed because I use them, if I was looking for investor items, I would have started buying Leicas or Zeiss glass.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-12-2011, 05:01 AM
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I do not want to repeat what have been said in other threads but current concensus is that Sony is loosing money on their FF and Canon and Nikon not making much on the 5MkII and the D700 respectively.
If the FF market is 10% of APSC market, what are the sale figures that Pentax may gather by launching a FF, Pentax is just about 6-7% of APSC DSLR market worldwide.
So this is for the business part of thing.
Regarding the 645D, I invite anybody to have a stroll on the MF forum on this site. Nearly all user are very experienced photographer, and none of them are complaining about the crop ratio, only some are worried on what the performance of the lenses would be on a full 645 sensor. At the moment, the only full 645 back on the market are extremely expensive, launching such a camera would have contradict Pentax market positionning which was an affordable MF camera sold in high volumes (and with a DSLR layout which is unique to the market)
IMO, we shall keep the sense of perspective, I mainly shooting 35mm film at the moment, but when I need resolution and quality, I shoot with my K20D, a 3 year old APSC camera. The paradigm 35mm / MF / LF have been replaced by APSC / FF / MF mostly, there are pros out there shooting with Canon 7D and Nikon D300s and perfectly happy with it. The film MF crowd had moved to the FF camera of the likes of 5DmkII and Nikon D3x and now moving back to MF via Pentax or Leica.
For the last few years, Pentax has made quite a few great moves in order to regain recognition but the market that addresses FF at the moment was occupied by the likes of Nikon Fs in the film day, at that time Pentax did not address this market, its last attemps was the Pentax LX launched in the early 80s.
At the moment, I would rather see Pentax bringing new great APSC advanced cameras, and keep developping their 645D lineup, as one day I may be able/tempted to buy one, new or used. FF is not a natural evolution for Pentax, how many users would be pissed if they can't mount their DA21 or DA15 on their new Pentax DSLR? (kidding on this one, because most owners would know the difference betwenn APSC and FF)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-17-2010, 07:19 AM
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Well, that's my point. Considering the price of FF vs APSC with the sole price of body is pointless. Even if next year you can get a FF body for the price of a D300s now, it doesn't mean that the full system will be the same price.
There will still be people who want high quality APSC body and will be willing to pay that much because they need it - like most pros who are on a budget. And a lot of them are.
Plus there still will be some people valuating weight and compactness over high isos and massive prints. And willing to pay for the quality features, 100% viewfinder, Magnesium body, weathersealing, double card slots etc...
Will APSC body at the same price of a FF be relevant ? Yes, if it is enough well built.
At least that's my opinion.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-06-2010, 11:33 AM
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Not sure about this one.
The DA ltd lineup is made of pancakes ranging from 15mm to 70mm.
DA15mm/f4
DA21mm/f3.2
DA35mm/f2.8
DA40mm/f2.8
DA70mm/f2.4
To me this look pretty much complete apart between 40 and 70 maybe, but then fro someone who needs the focal length FA43/1.9, FA50/1.4 and DA*55/1.4 are all extremely valuable alternatives.
On the high end of lenses, Pentax can produce more DA* primes, bigger, faster and with weather-sealing compared to their ltd siblings.
DA*18/2.8
DA*35/1.4
DA*85/1.4
Can complete nicely the high end lineup.
But, sure, as much as I love the Kx, the lack of cheap 24 (eq 40) 35 (eq 50) or 50 (eq 85) gives a hard time advising to invest in the Pentax system for a serious beginner on a budget.
I believe at the moment, there is a gap between the snapshot maker who want "prettier" pictures than their compact (with a K-x + 18-55) and the "serious" user who is willing to invest 1000€/$ for a setup with decent creativity potential (K-x + 35ltd or DA21ltd)
The later are really fantastic combos and great teacher for someone willing to learn seriously but a 35/2 at 200€/$ would just be more relevant for this population (before they drool on the DAltd lineup ...)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-03-2010, 06:50 AM
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On a complementary note, you could push film but it was extremetely grainy. I never lived that era (started with digital, now my everyday camera is film) but I do have seen some original prints from the likes of Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank etc and they are not detailled at all and at the same time very grainy at that time, when you wanted definition you were using MF or LF (like Ansel Adams)
Seeing those pictures make you feel that what is important is not technical quality but the feel of it. Sure, modern camera allows to push the bondaries and explore new territories like night aerial photography. But mid-level APSC, even past one generation or two allows for outstanding results if in the right hands.
Having those right hands is a matter of work and inspiration, not of money. So when they lack willpower and talent, they put it on the gear.
Nobodies needs a D700 to take a picture of a cat.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-12-2010, 08:15 AM
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That would be very good news. The higher the number of 645D sold, the more effort Hoya/Pentax will put in the system. I think everybody here would like to see things like a CMOS 645D or 60Mpx FF 645D.
The downside of it would be that it would push further in the future a 35mm "FF" DSLR. (I don't really care personnaly, if I can get get an "affordable" digital MF)
Guillaume
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