RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: The Camera Store's Best and Worst Cameras of the Year

Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Camera Store's Best and Worst Cameras of the Year

645Z and K-s1 are mentioned..

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pjalves · 535 weeks ago

These guys are right. The KS-1 is a disappointing product as so is the new 16-85 zoom. Totally unnecessary products and absurd in its logic. Let's hope these were just side-projects to keep some engineers occupied while the company focused on the (so said) great 645Z.
I'm also still hoping for some good news next January. Or else... ;-)

1 reply · active 535 weeks ago

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Lulli · 535 weeks ago

I have the 16-85 zoom and it's an excellent lens. Sure, it's a zoom and it's pricey and slow, but it's sharpness, colour response, built and compactness and overall performance including WR rivals the primes available at least at the wide end.

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Roman · 535 weeks ago

K-s1 is too strange camera for the market. (

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Simon · 535 weeks ago

I've seen some sample pictures and these were really great, is TCSTV promoting and pushing mirrorless, because of declining (saturation) DSLR sales ?

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Daedbird · 535 weeks ago

I don't understand why the K-S1 is the worst, since it sounded like the #2 camera was just really bad....

THAT SAID....

The K-S1 will have a short life for many reasons. I hope Ricoh learns its lesson on this. And what is that lesson? Here:
• Don't reduce the input controls - removing the front control wheel is dumb
• Form better keep function - New control grouping on the back better be as easy to use as old system - everyone is complaining about small buttons
• Offer weather sealing - This is one thing Pentax is known for, don't throw that away
• Gimmicks better be cool - Adding lights to the camera can be quite cool. Placing them in the handgrip, and making them one color, lame. This could have been something

Some more lessons to learn here:
• If you go different, go all the way - The K-S1 had the start of something cool, but the pentaprism bump shows they did not feel comfortable going all K-01 on this
• Its time to retire the DA18-55 design - You want a new, edgy camera? Don't mate it with this decade-old design. You are the king of shrinking lenses, its time to put some energy in the non-weathered kit lens

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A reader · 535 weeks ago

Dear Pentax, I wonder who would actually buy a camera because of some flashing LEDs. Different body colour of buyers' choice, yes... Flashy LEDs...very much doubt it. I do think that you are trying hard to make something different. You tried it with K-01. I own one and I like it a lot as it churns out pictures with good image quality at a very reasonable price. But I didn't have the buying urge of it because of the design of the body. I don't know how many Pentaxians out there share this view of mine: I want a Pentax version of Sony A7II. Make it as nice looking as a K5 or a Fuji XT1 or a Oly OM-D. You will have my money then.

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ToetSFX · 535 weeks ago

I bought a K-S1, it is a different camera but not so bad/wrong as discribed by some people, producers sharp results with the Sigma 500 EX DG. I also use the K-01 as my "compact", it works perfect with fore example the 21 Limited. However I prefer using the K5-variants. Good building and grip, a "real" camera. Waiting for the full frame ....