RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: New Pentax K-s1

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

New Pentax K-s1

Source: Japanese Digicame Info

Utter ugly, silly and toyish look! It's indeed a stupid design for this appearance!! OMG!!! >:(

Update: This new body will be small, comparable to the Canon EOS100D, but not considerably smaller. Look:

Source: Japanese Twitter

Comments (20)

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+1 Vote up Vote down

Big Daz · 552 weeks ago

I like it! Its a fun looking little thing, it gives us some Idea of what the mythical full frame K-1 will look like, hopefully that will not have the battery sapping light and shit!!

+1 Vote up Vote down

foton · 552 weeks ago

You are right. It is fun. In other words a TOY.

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K5 rules · 552 weeks ago

Photographing should be fun, hence the design!

+5 Vote up Vote down

RiceHigh 110p · 552 weeks ago

Yes, this Photokina must be full of FUNS for RICOH PENTAX! Hope it will not be a JOKE!

+6 Vote up Vote down

xbox · 552 weeks ago

great design for an entry level DSLR! Just the kit lens needs an updated design...

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Heiko · 552 weeks ago

Alright, I 'get' the impulse that some UI-designer must have felt when sketching this thing.

BUT: LED-lights-rope FTW !?!?!?!?

Seriously: wtf , sarcasm-galore!

At least that "beam of light" will notify its users to use their right hand first when reaching for their camera - and thus hopefully let them cover up that distraction in order go into achieve "stealth-mode", again(...)

Can anyone of you think of a better use of that thingy? I'm just about to explore my personal limit of (in)sanity!

...then again: it is an ultra-low-entry-level-should-be-cheap-as-chips kind of camera. Seems like they still sell those when they publicly display one itereation after another. (And there goes my theory of offering two click-dials at the low end (K500) being a good strategy - we are now back to just one).

So yeah: mixed feelings about this one. Unfortunately I do *NOT* want that thingy in my bag. Not saying all of the "innovations" found here are bad. The user interface actually looks like a good idea... ...but does not *quite* do anything for me in this exact implementation - since it is still a castrated entry-level camera without seperate AF-ON, AEL and at least TWO click-dials. Same shortcoming with the K500/K30K50: only one function XOR the other.

At least they made it *look * really different, this time 'round.

So Photokina 2014 - for Pentax- means "KS1" ... ... ... ?

Really Pentax?

(hoping for "bigger" things to come - in true Pentax-style I'll even cound smaller packages as long as they pack the punch!)

+6 Vote up Vote down

werku · 552 weeks ago

it is obvious that they don't want to address the professional market except for the medium format. I guess that these kind of entry-level products is enough for them to survive as a company. Sad for me. Perhaps the ast chance for them. Who knows what's in their heads actually.

+4 Vote up Vote down

anunnaki · 552 weeks ago

this is the ugliest thing/camera I ever saw

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Pentaxfools · 552 weeks ago

Show of hand who is preordering this POS? I'm preordering one in every color of the rainbow......

+5 Vote up Vote down

Bukaj · 552 weeks ago

Entry level amateur camera has to look interesting, and this thing does, I hope this strategy will work good in amateur low end segment. But personally, I did't decided if I like it or not:)

+1 Vote up Vote down

maksa · 552 weeks ago

The camera is loose, but not enough loose! It must not have flat black surfaces, it needs sensor controls and gadget-style usability.

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Allan · 552 weeks ago

Well at least they have gone back to being different. The K01 and K-30 were strongly criticized for their looks but are wonderful cameras. They went back to conservative with the K-50. I think it is a good sign that they are experimenting again, though it may be out of desperation. (I hope not)
I would like to try one before I diss it on looks alone.

1 reply · active 552 weeks ago

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Gert · 552 weeks ago

very true

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Anonimity is Great · 552 weeks ago

It takes time to get used to the design, bu definitely not ugly. Anyway what if this thing is actually ergonomic, easy to use, fun to use? Wouldn't that make it a great camera?

1 reply · active 552 weeks ago

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foton · 552 weeks ago

No. It would not. It would, if it were great also in its looks, and not a flashing, shining, glistening toy.

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Heiko · 552 weeks ago

Ergonomics: Cheap-O-Mania! - with an interesting twist: The mode-dial now in on the same plane with the main screen, making it obvious what mode your in, even while "chimping" your pictures.

THAT is some true innovation in DSLR-land, I'll give them that. Less likely to hit the mode-dial when shooting, as well (without adding additional cost like they did in the K-3 with its mechanical (costs money) mode-dial-clutch.

Buttons and wheels cost real money. That's why this camera sports less. I might add, it might not have been such a good idea to build two exact look-alike models - one with weather-sealing, one without ( K50, K500). Uneducated buyers might have mistaken the more expensive K-50 for the slightly less-capable, cheaper K-500 - that sported real goodies like glass pentaprism & 2nd click-dial, but no in-finder AF-information (red blinky dots) and omitted weather-sealing, as well.

So the "inexpensive" K-500 now got replaced by the "cheaper" (to produce) K-S1.
Improvements in User Interface-accessability meets spec-sheet regression – same price-point.
At least has not turned out like the Hasselblad Lunar.

In my eyes it is a small tragedy that with every well thought through innovation Pentax seemingly manages to screw some other thing up, really substantially. Mostly at the low-end. First was with the "DA-L" castrated lens-line(s) ("quick-shift" costs money - yet I found it to be money well-spent!). And then: Neither a swiveling screen nor an electronic viewfinder on the live-view-only K-01? And here I thought ONE of these items would have made perfect sense on that model... ...but I digress!

Speaking of the low end, at least P.-R. continue to try stuff there.

Next time Pentax, please get rid of that annoyingly reflective, glossy plastic finish, will you?

Greetings

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pjalves · 552 weeks ago

Too much styling, too little design. Might as well go "retro". At least mid-century "retro"(standard, back then) was all about functionality and ergonomy... Now it may be also styling, but at least a more tasteful and purposeful one. Even if Ricoh does't want to do it like Fuji, they could at least do it like Sony. This "design" is awful, and it's a cheap move that doesn't add to brand respect and recognition. There's only the promise to sell more k-mount lenses, but I doubt many buyers of this thing will outgrow the included kit lens. Waste of resources. For small and light, Ricoh already has the Q. This is sad, silly and redundant. At least now give us the FF in September, so we can forget all this...