Catch-up on the New Pentax Rumours

Have gone to Langkawi for a short vacation with my NEX for a few days, I stayed in the Sheraton Hotel and Resort, where there is no internet access at rooms in village.

When I've come back home and got online again today, I've discovered that there have been something sound great and look somehow real. Well, new Pentax cameras are coming, including two new DSLR bodies and a new ILDC/EVIL body and system!

So, here is my summary, for a catch-up of the "news" and rumours indeed:-

Original Dpreview thread, i.e., the Source:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=35962286

Report at 1001 Noisy Cameras:
http://www.1001noisycameras.com/2010/08/rumors-new-pentax-k5-kr-and-mirrorless-coming-up.html

K-Rumors:
http://k-rumors.com/k2-pentax-sales-promoter-says-k-5-k-r-and-mirrorless-are-coming/

Photo Rumors:
http://photorumors.com/2010/08/05/pentax-k-5-k-r-and-evil-cameras-at-photokina/

Mirrorless Rumors (the Citi Corp Report mentions about Pentax "mirrorless"):
http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Hoya-SBJ-2010-08-03.pdf
via Excerpt at Photo Rumors:
http://photorumors.com/2010/08/03/pentax-to-release-a-mirrorless-camera-according-to-citigroup/

A said to be the K-5 body image:
http://www7.xitek.com/forum/201008/3424/342471/342471_1281010096.jpg
via the Chinese Xitek Forum:
http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=769446&pagenumber=1
(in Simplified Chinese. But, what do you see and what can you see actually? :-o Just don't blame me if you see nothing! ;->)

Photokina is coming, but it is always welcome to learn more before the official announcement(s), and as soon as possible! Of course, I hope all those are true, especially a fully functional K-mount adaptor for the new ILDC/EVIL should be made available! :-D

If Size Really Matters, What's the Meaning of Micro-4/3 Now?

My NEX is actually smaller than my Girl Friend.. Some people claim that the NEX standard kit lens is much larger. But actually, as you can see from the above, it is just similar in size (and weight as well, actually). And then some Oly guys say that the Oly 14-42mm E-PL kit lens is much smaller. Yes, but it is just retracted when it is needed to be small and the lens must be unretracted before it can be used for shooting!

I think I shall not use my Girl Friend anymore, unless I have no other camera in hands. The noise performance of my GF at ISO 400 is not much better than that of my NEX at ISO 1600, not even to mention that the NEX has slightly higher effective resolution. If I just need the 2X crop, I do believe that better results can always be obtained by cropping. Slightly crop the 1.5X pictures to get the 2X is not difficult. And, if I just adapt the same lens (say, a Pentax one), I get no extra resolution at all for what the lens could give me.

Besides, I don't like the colour response of the GF neither, so does not with my NEX anyway (which I find it to be somehow more acceptable). If I put my Pentax primes on the GF, the colour response of the pics are better, but still the results are not very good. In fact, I like the colour response of my Pentax combos most, and then followed by my 5D with L lenses. The NEX comes next and the last is the Pana.

Furthermore, the noise handling and noise structure of the NEX is the most mature, the K-x is not better but the GF is worst. When the GF pics are pixel peeped and viewed in pixel level, it is not difficult to see those P&S like noise reduction and sharpening, even at the ISO 100! Too bad..

So, after all, that's what I think and here comes my question: What's the meaning/value of the micro-4/3 system now if the current Sony IDLCs (and also the Samsung NX EVILs), both of which are with APS-C sized sensors, are made just as small and the size/weight differences are almost negligible??

With similar or just the same functionality (say, including the video capability), IQ wise the APS-C should do better. The video recording functions of the NEX and the GF are similar, say, for the continuous AF tracking and its speed and smoothness. But the NEX' recorded videos are obviously less noisy than the GF, especially when the videos are taken indoor. The NEX in fact wins all micro-4/3 ILDCs hands down as long as noise performance is concerned, no matter for still pictures and videos, and with a slightly higher resolution and output, too. The NX10 could and should do better, but unfortunately Samsung has been unable to do it better. Why? In fact, the NX10 cannot out-perform much its micro-4/3 competitors and the video function is weak, e.g., there is no usable continuous AF under movie mode. And, the higher ISO noise/details are not better than the Panas and Olys, I would say one stop advantage at most, from my own practical experiences and measurbations on others' samples.



Next, above is the comparison picture I took and posted last time, for my red NEX against my red Casio card-size Exlim S10 P&S (which is my baseline DC which is just better than the cameraphone). You can see the body of the NEX is actually made quite compact. If the "large" APS-C sensor and size is considered, the camera body is indeed very small and it is truly compact!



So, how about to compare the NEX with the traditional APS-C DSLRs. The K-x is one of those smallest DSLRs here. But the difference in size (and weight also) is obvious. In particular, the K-x is much thicker, so does when it is compared against the smaller MZ DSLRs of Pentax back to the old film days.



Well, how about the difference to the Full Frame DSLRs then. From the above photo, I think I need not to say anything more. Well, the lens attached is that smallest and lightest EF lens already, i.e., the cheapo EF 50/1.8II. Canon, why you just can't make smaller lenses of yours?? :-( And, you never made any pancake? :-o


Read Also:-

Sony NEX-5 and NEX-3 Hands-on Impressions / Quick Review

Can Pentax DSLRs be Made Thinner?

Samsung NX10 Second Impressions and ISO Check

NX10 Brief Hands-on Impressions

My K-Mount EVIL is Here!

When Girl Friend Meets Wives! ;-D

Summary Matrix for Equipment Tests and Reviews

K-7 Firmware Update Version 1.10

http://www.pentax.jp/japan/support/download/digital/k7_s.html
(in Japanese, English Translation by Google Here)

New Features:-

1. New video editing function for clip splitting and deletion of spilt clip(s);

2. New real-time electronic level display on LCD monitor (like that one in the 645D);

3. Resolved the display conflict between the level meter display and the exposure/metering indication in M and X exposure modes;

4. New Custom Image "Reversal Film" is added (645D has that);

5. (CD)AF can now be engaged under LiveView mode with the shutter release button. And, the AF speed is improved (N.B. which is needed to be verified and confirmed anyway).

Update (7-29): There is a bug report about the Electronic Level's display (in)consistency, see:-

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=35910251

It is reported that whilst the viewfinder and top monochrome LCD both shows the same thing, the back LCD could be different! :-0 So, the 1.11 firmware is coming soon! ;->

Canon Q2 Profit More Than doubles, Keeps Outlook

When Hoya always mentioned in their past financial reports for stating that for trying every effort o make the "Pentax" business not losing money and hopefully profitable and it seems that the camera division of Pentax just looks like a big burden to them (or might be even a thorn to some top guys of theirs), we should look at how Canon make huge profit with unbelievable rapid growth just because of the emerging camera business and market!

Here is the latest news on the Q2/2010 financial key results via the Reuters:-

http://www.bestgrowthstock.com/stock-market-news/2010/07/27/canon-q2-profit-more-than-doubles-keeps-outlook/

Quoted:-

"TOKYO, July 27 (Reuters) - Japanese camera and office equipment maker Canon Inc (7751.T: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a 153 percent rise in quarterly profit, a bigger than expected climb on robust sales of its high-end cameras.

For the year to Dec. 31 the maker of IXY compact cameras and upmarket EOS cameras kept its operating profit outlook at 360 billion yen ($4.1 billion), compared with a consensus for 384 billion yen in a poll of seven analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

April-June operating profit was 113.4 billion yen, compared with a consensus forecast of 90.6 billion yen in a poll of four analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

It marked the third straight quarter of year-on-year profit growth for the world's biggest maker of digital cameras, ahead of Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Nikon (7731.T: Quote, Profile, Research)."

I think the above news on Canon's excellent financial performance and results should be something that the Hoya top management should look at and think about. Actually, the digital camera business can actually make BIG Money! But of course before they could get the fruit, they should invest more and have been working much harder and to be smarter in decisions and insights, which should be supported by a management team which has better management skills and openmindedness!!


Previous Related News and Articles:-

Hoya Founder's Grandson Calls Pentax Acquisition "Failure", Seeks Reforms

Hoya CEO Still Thinking to Sell Off Pentax?

Hoya Closing Pentax Production Facilities in Japan

Bad News: The Pentax Muesum is to be Closed Down! :-|

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

Is MF Really Needed for Higher Pixel Count?

After held a 645D a few days before and checked for its street price, I have some thoughts to wonder what cost that much for a MF DSLR? And, are those "differentiators" of the 645D really worth for paying that significant extra premium? How long will take for those advantages to vanish, or at least to be less significant? (in nowadays when the technologies are growing so fast..)

To begin with the investigation, let's go back to the sensor size/pixel width talk I made last time for some MF DSLRs and others. Recently, after completed my in-depth full review on the Canon 550D and also brief tested the S0ny NEX-5 and purchased the NEX-3 myself, I found that in fact the Image Quality and Noise Control of those latest DSLRs and sensors (and their image processing as well) are actually not bad. In fact, I found that both models/sensors are not worse than the noise performnace of the K-x, if they are not better, even though the K-x has already been highly praised by Pentaxians for its "superior" noise performance at higher ISO speeds. (Well, Pentax people are amazed for what the K-x can give for the results just because there is a K-7 in comparison! Right? :-o)

The 645D has 40 Megapixels with a (square) pixel pitch width of 6.1 um. The 550D has a resolution of 5184 x 3456 pixels on a 22.3 x 14.9 mm sensor. As such, the pixel width of its sensor is of 4.3 um only, which is only 50% in area per pixel when it is compared to the 645D sensor. If that's what the current and latest technologies, no matter for the manufacturing process of the sensors as well as the associated image processing techniques (for both the hardware and software), could give acceptable or even good results, then we can calculate the maximum pixels and count that can be put into a 135 Full Frame DSLR, which is yet considered as the mainstream product for most (for advanced users/"richer" amateurs anyway).

Reverting the maths and calculating packing 4.3 um sized pixels on a 36 x 24 mm full frame sensor will give an overall resolution of 8372 x 5581, which gives an aggregate pixel count of 46.7 Megapixels, which is just more than the pixel count of the current 645D actually.

But of course, with the same sensor size of the 645D, we can have a DSLR with 10232 x 7674 = 78.5 Megapixels, which is just huge in number! But do we need that anyway??

So, my quick conclusion is that the Full Frame sensors will eventually reach and exceed the pixel count of that of the current 645D, even with the current proven/mature technologies that are already adopted and used in the latest APS-C sensors of Canon and Sony in their latest "low-end" (but actually high-end in real!) DSLR models. As there is still no popular 135 FF sensor that is more than 25 MPs at this moment, we shall still need to wait and see if any of the sensor vendors can make it later on - but possibly the day will come sooner than we would expect - as the technologies are already there. One more thing to note is that those 21 and 24M FF sensors of Canon and Sony were designed and put into mass production at least about two years ago. So, I do believe that if they are willing to make one, they could!

So, with the above conclusion and prediction in mind, the high resolution and high pixel count advantage of the 645D will soon vanish in a year or so as soon as when 135 FF DSLRs and sensors are catching up in this regard. As such, it should be wise to stay away from the MF even if you like it a lot, considering the huge investment probably cannot be safeguarded for just a bit longer. My believe is that the 135 FF will become the MF of the old film days, as IQ wise they will be more than adequate for 99% of use for people on this planet, no matter they use their cameras professionally or just amateurishly.

For other general shooting purposes and when smaller cameras and systems are desired, the APS-C will be the way to go. So, how about micro-4/3 then? I guess they will be killed by the APS-C ILDCs/EVILs eventually, as people don't need cameras that are not as small as and as "versatile" as compact P&Ses but without the minimum level of IQ that APS-C systems would give. (Honestly speaking, I am not using my GF-1 anymore with the purchase of my new NEX, as the IQ difference is just huge! Even if when I haven't got my NEX, I have already rarely to pick up my Girl Friend and I would just use my "huge" K-x and Pentax APS-C system instead.)

No More Update at Ned Bunnell's Blog

It is noted that Ned Bunnell has not updated his blog for more than two months now. I just wonder what's going on with him. Maybe he has some new plans to execute (personal or not) and being rather busy as such?

I might drop him an email to see if he is okay and well, btw. I hope he is well and actually stays with Pentax and the cause of his absence on the net is just that there are too many works for him to deal with, as new Pentax products are coming! :-)

Sony Has Discontinued Their Current Flagship APS-C DSLR. So, How About Pentax?

According to the news from SonyAlphaRumors, the A550 has been discontinued (the Japanese official page at the Sony website has subsequently been removed anyway). It is further told that two new Sony Alpha DSLRs will be announced, within August.

The A550 is really a short-life model, as it was announced just in late August last year, which is more than three months later than the K-7.

Whilst Sony users are somehow surprised about the discontinuation, I do think that Sony has done the right thing and move in the right direction. For a model that haven't sold well, why keep it? At least they have two new models to try again (as rumoured), which is a good thing for their users anyway (if it is real).

Don't know if Pentax will react and act faster, or they just wait to the last minute before the Photokina, which is only to be held on 21 of September soonest..


Read Also:-

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

My 645D First Touch

Have just touched, put it in hands and inspected a 645D and its kit lens without powering it up (which is exactly like what Lance B had done for a Nikon D700 before he subsequently decided to buy it!) and below are some of my findings and very brief impressions:

1. The body is large and heavy;

2. The kit lens is in normal size for a Mid-Frame prime but it was felt lightweight (especially after I held the body and then the lens);

3. The combo is huge and very heavy! Well, it is really an aircraft carrier of a DSLR! :-o

4. The body is very well built, felt very solid but the outer shell felt a bit plasticky. Well, it's made with metal alloy, right? Maybe it's the coating/painting on it that gave me that feeling;

5. Despite the 645D is made in Philippines, I do have good impression on the workmanship as it looks.

6. The anti-reflection coatings and (transparency of) the optics of the eyepiece is pretty impressive. It should be made of glass for the optics, I guess, unlike all those other Pentax APS-C DSLRs which the optics in the eyepieces are all plastics.

7. The rear 3" LCD monitor looks rather tiny on the back of the 645D. And it lacks any anti-reflection/anti-glare coating so that it just reflects white light. Umm, I think my Sony NEX-3 is better here as it has deep colour anti-reflection coating on the surface of the LCD (which is roughly of the same 0.9M+ pixels resolution as the one in the 645D - but in 16:9 Aspect Ratio instead of 4:3);

8. The kit lens is a SDM only lens and it is "Assembled in Vietnam", as printed on the inside of the lens rear. It is weather-sealed for the orange red rubber ring around the lens mount. The materials and texture are just plastic, which is similar to that of the later Pentax DA lenses like the DA17-70's;

9. The aperture and blades of the kit prime form an almost perfectly round/circular shape opening for all f-stop values as I gradually pushed the aperture coupler and inspected it. Well, the bokeh of the lens is supposed to be better then, right?

10. Last but not least, the kit set is really very expensive and I will not buy it! ;-D (How can I live for the month to come if I spent all my hard-earned money for a whole month for just a camera (i.e., just a body + one lens)?! :-o Moreover, my wife will surely kill me if I did that!! :-{)

I guess the price of the 645D kit could be reduced. If you're not in a hurry to use it but still want to get one, just wait a bit longer until the price is to be stable. Btw, if you're far richer than me and have no wife that would kill you on the purchase, just Act Now! ;-)))

New Technology Breakthrough - Phase Matching AF by Sensor!

(Above: The AF Phase Detection Pixels; Image Source: Fujifilm)

By Fujifilm! See:-

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/f/finepix_f300exr/features/

Well, if this can be applied to larger sensors/imagers like that used in the IDLCs and above later on (currently the above new technology is used in a DC only), then DSLRs will no need to have all those split-mirrors and prisms as well as sensors in a separate AF detection module. As such, there will be no more mis-alignment issues that cause the AF errors. LiveView mode will be much better to use as there will be faster and more accurate AF. And continuous tracking and predictive AF will also be made possible. What a better world it will be!

Thanks, Fuji, for bring us that ground-breaking technology that I think will open up a new era of new echnology that will come! (Thumb Up!)

Update: There is more technical information on how putting additional "AF" pixels on sensors could do the phase detection and job. Here is an explanation on the Sony patent and design (Yes, it's a Sony, not Fuji. Btw, I don't know if Fuji works in the same or a similar way, but I guess that it should be):-

http://olddo.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=13800
(Text in Traditional Chinese, for Google translated English page, click here)

So, I think without micro-prisms for the light splitting, focusing accuracy and low-light sensitivity would be affected. Moreover, diffraction would be a real problem by that design (see this diagram). Let's see what the technology will become and how it would evolve! Maybe later on they put micro-prisms on sensors, just like what the sensor makers did that years ago by adding micro lenses on sensors. Whilst theoretically all these are possible, but then it just boils down to the manufacturing cost and money/marketing concerns again..

My Ten Reasons to Buy the NEX-3 Over the NEX-5! :-)

1. The sensor and thus image quality are the same, but the prices have a 21% difference! Video recording wise, for the 21% price difference, I get the same truly large-sized sensor fully functional "DV" camera, except for the power zoom! Whilst the shallow DoF for movie recording is amazing, I now do have a really usable full-time AF during movie recording with total silent operation of continuous focusing and moreover for the exposure control by real-time variable aperture as well, which is also completely silent. In fact, my RED NEX can be pretended to be a real RED camera, and practically it is far more usable than the Canon 5D MkII for most of the family causal movie shootings.

2. All other specs of the 3 and 5 are the same. I enjoy the same brilliant articulated high resolution LCD monitor with anti-reflection coating. I enjoy the 7 frames per second continuous shooting mode. I can use the same one-scan automatic stitching panorama mode. I can have the full time quick and continuous CDAF in movie mode. I have the same responsive and accurate face detection AF mode for taking still pictures.. and so on.

3. NEX-3 has four colours to choose, whilst the NEX-5 has only two. And, the silver colour of the NEX-3 does have a better match to the metal shiny silver kit lens, but the silver NEX-5's does look dull, on the contrary. Well, you know, as spoiled by Pentax in the recent years, I am a colour-hungry person for cameras! (I have bought the Silver *ist DS, my Olive K-m and then my Navy Blue K-x these years.)

4. NEX-3's on/off switch is at a more convenient position than the NEX-5 that can be easily turned by the thumb, i.e. concentric with the shutter button. And I prefer this "Pentax" style design as I have been adopted to it for long (since the MZ-S). ;-)

5. NEX-3 records videos in MP4, which is a format which has far better compatibility. Moreover, the AVCHD format and file structure (with multiple folders+sub-folders and files inside) is really troublesome, I have to say. Once the structure is destroyed, the videos cannot be played back at the camera.

6. NEX-3 has the 720p(/30fps), whilst NEX-5 only has the 1080i(/60fps) but no choice of 720p. If MP4 format is chosen at the NEX-5, it will give you a strange format of "1080p" at 30fps at a forced 16:9 aspect ratio but actually sub-sampled at 4:3. As such, many software players do not recognise and playback the video and its aspect ratio correctly. Last but not least, compressed 720p is easy to playback smoothly on more modern PC machines than the 1080 ones. What is the point of having "higher" resolution if one can't get a smooth *video* and playback?

Btw, do note that both MP4 and AVCHD videos are actually H.264 compressed. So, actually there should be no difference in image/video quality, against what Sony and Panasonic are claiming! Afterall, only the bit rate and compression ratio counts actually!

7. NEX-3 is slightly larger and thus is a little bit more balanced than the NEX-5, as it looks and feels.

8. The lack of an IR remote controller support is not a major issue for such a "P&S" camera, which does not support wired cable release anyway (at least by now), just like the K-x.

9. The shallower grip is not a real issue to me, as we used to have no grip for most P&S DCs, right? :-) On the other hand, the grip of the NEX-3 is broader, which would be more comfortable to hold for some people.

10. The non-metal body is a non-issue to me, as I have been used to have all those plastic DSLR bodies from Pentax, since the *ist D!! :-o (except the K-7~)