RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: The Era of More Affordable Full Frame DSLR Comes, Will Pentax Survive?

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The Era of More Affordable Full Frame DSLR Comes, Will Pentax Survive?

See all the background information of the latest rumour about the upcoming Sony budget FF DSLR:-

http://www.1001noisycameras.com/2009/08/sony-alpha-a850-revealed-24mp-fullframe-dslr.html

And there are some real questions as raised by a typical Pentaxian amongst many other Pentaxians or potential Pentaxians who are likely for having the same doubts and concerns:-

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=32581082

Your thoughts?

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Enche Tjin · 817 weeks ago

Same as the thread starter from dpreview forum. Basically APS-C will declining in 1-2 years to come, because Samsung NX and Olympus-Panny micro four thirds are thrusting from behind, and in the same time affordable FF will be a choice for advanced amateur and professionals.

Pentax is trapped because they are only concentrate on APS-C DSLR, while other manufacturer already have FF camera for years (Canon).

Samsung, the only Pentax alliance also shows his ambitious plan in digital imaging alone. It is proven by releasing Samsung NX lenses lines and abandoning K line. By the time I'm writing this, Samsung even does not release the K7 twin yet. (GX series). With Samsung gone, Pentax is really in a deep trouble.

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RiceHigh 110p · 817 weeks ago

Yes, Enche, I'm afraid what you have analysed are deadly true.

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BRunner · 817 weeks ago

There are still rumours about Samsung´s FF sensor. What about this optimistic strategy:

Top end: Pentax MF 645D
High end: Samsung FF K
Mainstream: Pentax APS-C K
Low end: Samsung NX

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David · 817 weeks ago

A few months ago, I was thinking about getting a K-7. Thanks to the careful work done here and elsewhere, I decided not to get one, despite a big investment in Pentax lenses. Now the answer is clear: an A850 fits my needs perfectly - it is everything I hoped Pentax would do, and didn't. It will cost to flip Pentax lenses to Zeiss/Sony, but at least I'll end up with a company that is likely to be making cameras for a while, and with a sensor size that offers reasonable resolution and noise tradeoffs.

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TonyZ · 817 weeks ago

I'm flushed! I thought the Pentax K-7 was a dream camers. Everything I wanted, it had. I have owned Leicas, with no complaints for over 40 years. What an enduring system. Nikons have also been in my bag for 29 years as well, but a big disapointment. I would have liked to move some of my glass to a digital camera but gave up on that idea. I am now at a loss for a camera platform that will last me til I can't take pictures anymore. I had considered Sony, but find them to be "anti consumer" as a company.

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AlexS · 817 weeks ago

There is still a significant price difference between a low-end FF camera and a high-end (better specs) APS-C one. The K-7 is 1300$ body only (at bhphotovideo), and it's selling quite well for this price. Declining in 1-2 years? No kidding... the FF camera market share has yet to grow above single digit figures. Many don't need FF, nor want to pay the price difference.

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RiceHigh 110p · 817 weeks ago

But when the "significant" price difference is not significant (enough) anymore..

1 reply · active 817 weeks ago

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Barbarosa · 817 weeks ago

cmon ppl no way that in next 10 years aps-c gone
FF so what, lenses are thing what maters, pentax have whole bunch lenses that cover FF
small, tough, resistant, smaller and lighter than competition, that is K7, and is my next camera after K-m, 15M is enough for next couple years
also I have film body and hiress scanner for 40+ MP shots if needed, but small light and tough that is what I need , not an extension for dick like big and heavy ''you know who''

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Marcin · 817 weeks ago

Crap, I will not move to FF unless there is no other option at all. APS-C fits all of my needs. IQ/kg is much worse for FF then APS-C gear. I'd rather use compact then take FF for hiking trip.

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Jukka · 817 weeks ago

yep, sad but true.

1 month ago i started selling all my Pentax gear.

i am sick of all the waiting for Pentax to FIX the bugs. I returned 2 K7's back to the store (megapixel) due to lines and instability of the body. And before that...my bloody K20 developed similar vertical lines, fortunately i got a good copy afterwards.

after ~18 years as a Pentaxian....i moved on. I kept only 50 1.4 and a K10D.

i started playing with D300...so far everything works perfectly and the AF/ISO performance is amazing. Next week, i will try a 50D and hopefully chose a brand.

i was so blinded by the pentax fanboism that i ignored all the performance from the competitors.

s pozdravem,

Jukka

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Yours H_I · 816 weeks ago

Ok now you are a retarded instead of Ç;IOÇ^ª`|:

eheheheheh

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Yours _H_I · 816 weeks ago

RICE SOMETHING
"Banned from 3 forums (dp review, steves digicams and here) and asked to leave a 4th (Photozone) without somehow bringing this on himself.... He's a pariah created from his own stubbornness to listen to facts."

eheheheheheh
And will be banned from hell when gets there.... nobody wants him.

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nomadman · 816 weeks ago

hahaha once again fanboys are upset by reality

1 reply · active 816 weeks ago

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nomadman · 816 weeks ago

I don't think being banned from hell should be that bad, don't you think? Plus, he can't ever be banned from this blog, can't he (though you could)?

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Yours _H_I · 816 weeks ago

Well, if he will be banned from hell never mind heaven!!!!!
YES he can be banned from this blog... Just wait and see.

There is only a place that he won´t be banned from, Psychiatric Hospital.

For your information he tried, on past, to ban me, no luck, poor guy!!!!

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nomadman · 816 weeks ago

well, I think you are free to not read his posts if you don't like them. I find them inconsistent sometimes, but oftentimes informative about issues that people like you would rather was not known. Which is why I come here to read. I particularly pay attention when the whole Pentax fandom gets upset about what he says, because that is more likely to be true. I mean, only pentaxians believe that an APSC sensor captures more detail than a FF one. Coincidentally Pentax does not make FF, funny how this community can be so defensive and childish.

Go on Rice, post your crazy ideas here and let them be upset. The rest of the world does not think you are so crazy after all.

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RiceHigh 110p · 816 weeks ago

Well, I think I have no more "crazy ideas" for Pentax as what I wish them to achieve is to upkeep in the game and not be lagging too much behind, in features and performances. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that the K-7, whilst has most of the updated features, but just falls short of many things as long as actual performance and image quality are concerned, which is sad indeed.

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Yours _H_I · 816 weeks ago

"Well, I think I have no more "crazy ideas" for Pentax as what I wish them to achieve is to upkeep in the game and not be lagging too much behind, in features and performances."

RICE my boy, u are hypocrite !!!!
Since when u wish Pentax good?
I can´t send u to HELL because u been banned from there.

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rerere · 816 weeks ago

Well agree with Rice, that I hope Pentax survives, but that does not mean that i am going to swallow everything they serve me. The net is swarmed with users which report problems of their K7. Actually the problem of missing detail is a real one for some K7s! Apparently the SR does something funny and what you get are blurry images for most lenses. After their crazy price increases here in Europe, they are even more in need of supplying goodquality. And this seems not to be the case to me! The K7 is in a Beta-shape but definetly not worth to be released yet. There are tons of problems!

-blurry images
-tilted sensors
-funny green line in the middle of the frame
-broken switches on new cameras
-stuck pixels in video
-non-functional autofocus indicators for live view
-funny colored lines in video recording
-image tilt adjust function screws whole sensor orientation

Which other camera has been released in such ashape by the other manufacturers, despite maybe Sigma?

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Yours _H_I · 816 weeks ago

That´s for you my Boy Rice !!!!!

Best Digital SLR cameras

Name Score Price

Nikon D700 89% $3000
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 88% $2700
Pentax K-7 87% $1300
Nikon D5000 86% $730
Pentax K2000 85% $700
Olympus E-620 84% $800
Canon EOS 500D 81% $900

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Walter · 816 weeks ago

Wow!
Yours_H_I shows a typical response from a deluded pentaxian.
Personal attacks and nonsensical comments.
The K-7, along with the disastrous 16-50 have proven to be an embarrasment to Pentax and their fanboys.
They get excited that the new "flagship" is almost as good (except for FPS, focussing, tracking) as other manufacturers' 2 year old models.
Sad...

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Yours _H_I · 816 weeks ago

Wow Walter
Who told u that I´m a pentaxian ???
And for your information I only get excited with a nice woman ....

Anyway, my Rice boy is the only one who gets excited with PENTAX cameras, must be a fetich !!!!

-1 Vote up Vote down

nomadman · 816 weeks ago

How old are you Yours_H_I? 14? Walter is right. Your attacks are personal and your reasons are childish and nonsensical. If you don't like what you read then make a coherent argument to support your point. Oh, btw, it is spelled FETISH these days.

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Yours _H_I · 816 weeks ago

Hi nomadman,
Of course Walter is rigth, so is you and all the followers of my boy RICE..... what is a shame.

Yes my attacks are personal so are RICE´s attacks to all Pentaxians ..... A man(?) who has been banned form all forums and bashes PENTAX the way he does, must be sick. I´m sure he is very sick, not me.

Yes you are right is spelled FETISH, my mistake but excuse me because I have none and misspelled. Ok give you the Latin word "facticius"

Older then you, nomadman......

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fddf · 816 weeks ago

So the K7 is only 1% better than the D5000 but costs almost twice as much. And you call this one of the best cameras? rofl!

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Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The Era of More Affordable Full Frame DSLR Comes, Will Pentax Survive?

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