New K-5 Rumours with More Details

( Update: Leaked Photo Above @ LensTip.com )

Someone had some more details about the K-5 disclosed with something "emailed to him from a friend who works a camera store" (Original Post Here). So, here we go:-

• $1699 US Body Only
• $1999 AU Body Only

• Magnesium body with plastic and rubber exterior, 80 weather seals.
• Tempered glass top and rear LCD
• 16.2mp Sony EXEMOR Sensor • 23.6 x 15.8 mm CMOS sensor

• Dimensions 131 x 97 x 73mm
• Weight 770g

Focusing
• Complete new AF system superior algorithms.
• 18-point wide autofocus system (SAFOX IX+)
• AF-Single
• AF-Continuous
• 4 Custom AF-C modes, auto, action, portrait, night
• Manual focus

Sensitivity
• ISO standard : 200-12800
• Expanded ISO : 50 - 25,600

Movie mode
• AVi (Motion JPEG)
• 1920 x 1080 25p, 30p
• 1280x720 25p, 30p
• 640 x 480, 25p, 30p
• Av, Sv, Tv and M modes for video.
• External stereo mic jack.
• Movie processing including Custom Image, Cross Process and selected Digital Filters

Viewfinder
• penta-prism
• Hybrid VF utilizing translucent LCD to display focus points and framing grid.

Flash
• Angle of view coverage: 28mm wide-angle (35mm equivalent)
• Flash Exposure Compensation: -2 EV - +1EV (1/2EV steps)
• P-TTL (Is same P-ttl as in 645D)
• Hot shoe, sync-speed: 1/180 sec. (will have 1/250 available with new flashes to be released First half 2011)
• Wireless-sync with PENTAX dedicated flash and IrSimple.

Continuous shooting • Hi speed: 8fps

Connectivity • USB/Video
• USB 2.0
• HDMI

Storage
• Dual SD or SDHC card

Just believe it or not and we shall know soon.

Toy Story 2! ;->

Source:-
http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20100909_392685.html
(in Japanese)

It can be seen the K-r is considerably larger than the K-x, the side-by-side comparison photos are self-explanatory. Just look at:-



Besides, I can simply see that this "lens hood" is utter stupid, as it blocks the image view and the lego is shown in the taken picture! Effect? :-o

Now, we can know well what type of companies which Hoya is now trying/intended to sell Pentax! Guess what? Toy companies, such as the giants in the field like Bandai, Sanrio or just Lego, etc.!!


Related News:-

The Third New (Toy) Optio!

Pentax K-r and New DA(L!) 35/2.4 (Plus Two New Optios)

The Third New (Toy) Optio!

This one is not announced at the DPR site "internationally", but it is there at the official Pentax Japanese home:-

http://www.pentax.jp/japan/imaging/digital/compact/optio-nb1000/feature.html
(in Japanese)

My Biggest Congrats to Pentax of Hoya! Congrats for being a new toy maker for entering the toy market and making new toy cameras and leading the trend!!! (Ditto for the appearance and look of the new K-r and new kit prime!)

Pentax K-r and New DA(L in Real!) 35/2.4 (Plus Two New Optios)

The Countdown has ended, Time's Up! The new stuff are there. Just see the links below:-



http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-r
(in Japanese)

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10090910pentaxkr.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10090908pentax35mm.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10090906pentaxrs1000.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10090903pentaxrz10.asp


My Pardon? What? Pentax finally willing to adopt a Lithium battery in their entry level DSLR?! Big and great news!? Pentax has finally made this BIG achievement Only After Seven Years of prolonged pain of all those pathetic Pentax AA DSLR users! Yes, for Seven Years!! In fact, many of us have been complaining the problem during this lengthy time, since the first *ist D. I just wish to ask that How Many of those unsatisfied users and customers have gone during this prolonged period just because of this annoying but long-lasting issue? Do note that not so many of those Pentaxians are as loyal as me and still stick to the brand while suffering! :-o (Stupid Me! >:-(( )

Besides, the K-r uses the same old Sony 12.4M CMOS sensor that the K-x has. So, there is no incentive for K-x users to "upgrade"!

Moreover, the K-r is actually somehow bigger than the K-x and is a little bit heavier without battery.

Next, the new DA(L) 35 is slow, with a maximum aperture of 2.4 only. It is all plastic construction including the mount and there is no focus/distance scale and no Quick Shift Focus neither. Frankly, the lens conforms 100% to the DAL and kit lenses' Specifications and should have been called/named a DAL instead of a DA! It is not particularly small nor super lightweight (something similar to the old A50/2 or the FA43/1.9 etc.). In fact, Samsung and Panasonic's similar offerings (i.e., NX 30mm and m4/3 20mm pancakes) are just smaller and lighter. Furthermore, there is no information for whether this new lens would have 135 Full Frame coverage or NOT, as it is just a DA lens afterall! The final thing is that it is not particularly cheap in the competition. Even when it is compared to the FA 35/2 sold in the old days, when Hoya had not crazily increased the prices of the current not-yet-discontinued Pentax lenses, the FA 35/2 was indeed not much more expensive!

Moreover, the claimed "natural perspective similar to that of the naked eye" is a LIE. How is a lens with an effective 135 film focal of 54mm could be described like this? Pentax marketed and described the FA 43 Limited in exact wording back to 1999. So, which one is true? >:-|

Last but not least, the previously rumoured DAL 18-125/3.5-5.6 has not yet appeared in today's announcements. Why? Just because the rumour was false, or, the announcement is postponed?

As for the new Optios, I have no interest in these. So, just forget about them!

Well, you may have a different view than mine.. No problem, here is a new poll I have just created. Just vote and we will know about how people and Pentaxians think/react:-

What Do You Think about Pentax' Announcements Today (Sept 9)?
	Excited !
	Disappointed !!
pollcode.com free polls

[ Poll Page URLs:-
Vote: http://poll.pollcode.com/VBME
Results: http://poll.pollcode.com/VBME_result ]

Anyway, the next Pentax announcement will be on September 20, let's wait and see again! :-)


Update: 1001 Noisy Cameras have compiled a nice summary on the K-r previews and netsphere reactions, go check it:-

http://www.1001noisycameras.com/2010/09/pentax-k-r.html

Besides, there are 12 colours to be chosen from for the new DAL prime, here is a screen capture from a Japanese online shop, whom accepts back orders now:-



The street price is not cheap, though, in 24,800 Japanese Yen, which is nearly $300 US Dollars! :-o


Related Articles:-

Pre-Photokina New Products Summary

It's Time to Seriously Think Again about the Future of Pentax.. Really.

Countdown for the K-r and the New DAL Lenses (35 & 18-125)

Although possibly there would be nothing great and surprised, it does no harm at all for me to insert an unofficial countdown timer here, just like what I did last time for the K-7! ;-)



So, enjoy waiting and more so for enjoying counting! ;-D What will actually come then? Oh, well.. :-o

Nikon D7000 is Around the Corner, Can Pentax Really Cope With?

This latest rumour at the Chinese Xitek Forum does make some sense..

http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=781433
(in Simplified Chinese)

So, there will not be a D95, but a D7000 instead, which has specifications and an useful feature set that is just more than a K-5 Plus a K-r, for what it has been rumoured and as compared, as follows:-

Nikon D7000:

- 100% Field-of-View Optical Finder
- Dual SD Card Slots
- Magnesium Alloy Body
- Sony 16.2MP HD APS-C CMOS Imager
- Expeed 2
- 1080p/24 Full HD or 720p/30 HD Videos, Maximum 20 Minutes
- Can Take Pictures During Video Recording
- Continuous AF Possible During Video Recording
- Stereo Microphone
- 6 FPS
- Electronic Level Meter
- One-Touch Video Recording and Live View
- ISO Range: 100-25600
- 39-Point AF System
- Wireless Flash Support
- Weather Sealed
- New Proprietary Battery Model
- Expected Suggested Price: US$ 1199

So, below is an overall summary on what the K-5 and K-r are rumoured so far, yet with rather limited information anyway:-

Pentax K-5:

- Magnesium Alloy Body (as It Should Be, for a Model *Above* the K-7)
- Sony 16.2MP HD APS-C CMOS Imager
- 1080(p/i?) Full HD Video Support
- 7 FPS
- ISO Up To 25600
- Weather Sealed
- Expected Suggested Price: JPY 139,000 (~US$ 1,640) <- This Price is Insane, IMHO!

Pentax K-r:

- 120 Colours (12 Body x 10 Grip Colours)
- Sony 14.2MP HD APS-C CMOS Imager
- 720p HD Video
- 6 FPS
- Red Dot Indication for AF Point Selection
- New Proprietary Battery Model Plus Support to Use AA Batteries Also
- No Vertical Grip Option
- Expected Suggested Price: JPY 74,800 (~US$ 880)

After looking at these, the BIG Question comes across my mind is Just: How Could and CAN Pentax/Hoya Compete if the information "leaked" are true? WHY PENTAX?? :-o :-|

My (Another) Transcend Card Died *Again*!

I will never buy any of the Transcend products and memory cards again! This brand is actually totally unreliable and with inferior quality and short card lives according to my practical experiences.

I have bought 3 Transcend CF cards since 2007, for use with my 5D. In Autumn 2008, one of these 8GB "133X" standard speed cards died, I lost tens of photos for a house-warming party for my new house. The defective Transcend card got replaced with a brand new one, with full and unopened package. But very "unfortunately", the replaced card once again got death yesterday, for about two years this time (versus about one year and more against the last one).

So, it has been verified that these cases are just not isolated ones and by no means "co-incidence". They just tell me that those Transcend products are really unreliable. I have lost several tens of valuable family photos of mine just in these two cases! And poor Me actually! >:-(

In contrast, I have used both Sandisk and Toshiba cards in both SD and CF formats in size of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16GB in various speeds (both slower and faster than my Transcends), they are so reliable that not even a single file have ever got corrupted for the ten thousands of photos that I have taken since 2003 with my first *ist D. Besides, my other "minority" Olympus SM, Fuji xD and Sony Memory Stick cards have never died even for one, even for those ancient 8/16/32M cards. Furthermore, I have never experienced death card for other brands of cards that I owned, including some really small or OEM brands. In fact, even my Hitachi 1GB and 4GB Microdrives have never had any problem even though it has generally been believed that they are not reliable and vulnerable to shocks and magnetic field etc. In contrast, I have dropped my Microdrives for times from desktop levels for times and there was no problem.

The only Transcend card that has not yet failed is a 2GB "266X" one of mine. But I would not use it anymore as I have lost all my confidence on this brand and dare not to take risk further.

I know that Transcend and their agent do provide a five-year warranty of their cards. But So What? Shall I put my treasurous photos at risk again? Should I bother to waste my time to exchange for another and then have once again my photos taken got lost?

In addition, it comes to my mind that the last DC Watch SD cards speed shootout test just had shown that the Transcend "Class 10" SDHC card is indeed slower in actual read and write speeds than just a Toshiba "Class 6" SDHC "White" card! So? :-o

Hoya is to Announce New Stuff on Sept. 9, at 1:00 p.m. Tokyo Time

According to the Japanese Business Live Calendar as reported by the Information on Digitalcameras Blog, Hoya is to announce new stuff of Pentax on September 9, at 1:00 p.m. Tokyo Time (UTC +9:00, i.e., one hour faster than my Local Time):-



So, this reconfirms the last rumour actually, which should be true.

Pre-Photokina New Products Summary

The Photokina is coming. New products from different camera makers are rushing out. With less than 3 weeks to come, it's not bad for me to make a quick summary on most of the new products we've got known so far, no matter these are officially announced, released or in development, or simply just rumoured. And, I shall update the table below from time to time before the final date.

Maker	Announced	In Development	Rumoured
Canon	60D, EF 70-300/4-5.6L, EF 300 & 400/2.8L II, EF 8-15/4L Fisheye, EF 1.4X & 2X III	EF 500 & 600/4L II, 120MP APS-H CMOS Sensor, 8"x8" CMOS Sensor	-
Nikon	D3100, 85/1.4G, 24-120G ED, 28-300G, 55-300DX, D7000, 35/1.4G, 200/2G ED, SB-700	-
Sony	NEX-VG10, A55/33, A580/560, T*24/2, A35/1.8 & A85/2.8, Carl Zeiss T*35/1.4 (for Canon and Nikon)	-	A750 (in Simplified Chinese)
Pentax	K-r w/ DA(L) 35/2.4	-	K-5, 1 Zoom Lens, New ILDC
Olympus	E-P2, M-Zuiko (m4/3) 40-150/4-5.6, 75-300/4.8-6.7, E-5	-	50mm Macro, 8mm Fisheye & 12.5mm WA,
Samsung	NX100, 20-50,/3.5-5.6 20/2.8, SEF15A Flash, GPS10 and EVF
Panasonic	-	-	- (Nothing Yet?!)

Last Updated: September 16th

K-x' Durability/Production Quality is Just a Joke!

That's what recently the various issues that Hinman has encountered with his beloved K-x White, see his latest report:-

http://www.techtheman.com/2010/08/pentax-k-x-dead-with-memory-card-error.html



The memory card unit of his unit was dead, the silver painting of the K-x rim peels off, the red SR label and logo got detached and lost "accidentally"! I do feel much for him indeed.



In fact, this is what I'd reported back to January for the same problem reported by another user. The case is not isolated actually, as the first black K-x unit I tested for my K-x review just suffered from the same:-

http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2010/01/200-colours-of-pentax-k-x.html

IIRC, Hin bought his unit just for about half year ago and so did mine which was bought close to that. How about my Navy Blue K-x then? Although I would say I am yet more fortunate than Hin, still, the Shiny Navy Blue coating are now getting off from the lower boundary of the RTF of my K-x!? Now, the wound can be the starting point for further peeling-off of the Navy Blue coat! I shall add some photos later to show the problem and for better illustration when I have the time. In view of the problem, I have just stopped using my K-x so as to prevent further "damage" to it and I shall head to the local Pentax service centre for asking for a rectification, hopefully a "permanent" remedial if there is any, which I shall insist and ask for!

Furthermore, I must tell that my K-x has actually been under very light use (as I have many cameras) and I do always take great care with any of my gear and clean them each time after use (with a gently wet soft towel and cleaned with clean water only). I have used my K-x for taking only three thousand something pictures. I just couldn't imagine the Navy Blue coating/painting is just so brittle and could get off like that!

Hoya/Pentax, how come you've made the Pentax cameras and bodies so vulnerable? Do you just think that they are toys but not photographic equipment?? >:-( When the cosmetics of the Pentax bodies are just so easily to break and peel off, what's the point of having 100 or 120 colours and "beautiful" choices? :-o (Not even to mention even the electronics are so easily to refuse to work anymore, just like Hin's camera!)

Last but not least, when I looked back, the "brittle" shiny coating of my Shiny K-x is not an isolated case, as this did happen with my brand new first Navy Blue K-x unit (for one position only, though) that was returned, owing to the serious Back Focusing issue, which I cured partially with the Debug mode myself but for infinity objects, the AF accuracy is yet affected, although it is just not so *easily noticeable*.

I hope not the coming K-R will suffer from the same problem, no matter how wonderful the new colours and appearance of the new body will be! In fact, I do always hope Hoya do review the common defects and reports and try their best to get rid of those in the coming new camera(s) and lens(es). But then history does tell and remind that they are not likely to act in a positive way, as we can see from the persistent SDM issue which is still received no response of any nor any real improvement in design/production up till now, even after so many years!