Pentax K-01

ricardovaste wrote: Hobgoblin wrote: ricardovaste wrote: As it stands this is just another mirrorless fail as far as I'm concered. Unless I'm missing something obvious, or fundamental... it's just a small k-mount body without a mirror or viewfinder. If so, this just doesn't do anything for me. And there are a LOT of choices in the mirrorless market today, so you have to do something that stands out, any simply removing the mirror on an old film mount isn't anything special, it's just strange. Boom. But you can mount any K mount lens on it and it will autofocus and perform correctly without the use of an adaptor as is needed to use a-mount lenses on the nex If that is the only point I'm missing, then it's still a waste to me. NEX can mount almost any lens. This is basically an SLT without a viewfinder... weird.

I think I agree and disagree at the same time!

I think the ability to mount legacy lenses is not to be dismissed (it has caused some angst amongst Sony users like us over what is going to happen with E and A mount etc etc). However, I also agree that the camera as it stands, although on a personal level cosmetically appealing, doesn't really do anything a low end K-mount DSLR couldn't. I honestly think if they wante dto use K mount, they should have had a socking great mount on a much smaller camera, maybe with an EVF.

But it's interesting and quirky, which I like, and I always hear good things about Pentax prime lenses. They also make a small number of very small "pancakey" lenses (e.g. 40, 70 etc) that will suit a smaller body. I guess they are trying to capitalise on the "fashion" for mirrorless, whilst producing a new lower end smaller body - maybe we should think of it as a shrunken K-r rather than an ENX-5 competitor?

It looks a bit desperate by Pentax IMO.

They messed up by investing the money in the Q family. Realised their mistake and went down the APS-C mirrorless route with no money or ideas left except to strip back a DSLR and provide a rather colourful clunky looking case.

This might work if it was significantly cheaper than a DSLR. But it's not.

So unless it has some hidden goodness we're left with a chunky over priced mirrorless that has good Pentax K compatibility and in-body anti-shake but not a lot else.

Camerastore Pentax K-01 Hands On
Like it in white, but it ain't a market changer.

nigelbrooks wrote: It isn't pretty, but I do like the idea of using K-mount lenses without adaptors as it makes carrying a back-up much simpler.

How is that simpler than carrying a NEX 3/5 and E-A adapter?
Those you can actually carry more versatile as the camera is smaller and the adapter can go to different pocket when needed.
Same goes for Nikon 1 and adapter (although crop factor makes is less useful as backup).

I like the idea but a mirrorless+adapter is smaller and a entry level DSLR (or SLT) is cheaper.
So it is not good compared to offers by other brands.
On the other hand it fit's well in the pentax world.
The Q has to strong crop to use K lenses effectively and also Pentax has some extremely compact primes in K-Mount.

I think Pentax has succeeded in making me appreciate how small their Q system is.

To use a baseball analogy, Pentax fans were expecting a home run, hoping for a grand slam. What they got was a base hit. It's going to be who follows in the line-up that will determine how well Pentax will score in this inning.

Tortured analogies aside, where this camera fall down is the lack of either a good EV, or a tilting screen. Either of which would make it usable with anything more than pancake sized lenses. As it is, it would be limited to tripod only for my uses, as I could not hold it in front of my face with a "normal" sized zoom.

PhotoTraveler wrote: ... I've had that vision for them for years, and yet it keeps going all wrong. But in the mean time Fuji keeps rolling out stuff that looks almost exactly like what I have expected Pentax to create.

I agree. Both Pentax and Fuji seemed like perfect underdogs to bring forth new niche innovations, except former was just too intent on recycling working formulas without a vision. Fuji is making a digital comeback on the other hand, the only really successful manufacturer to milk the sales potential of retro rangefinder designs.

Pentax will continue to remain a foil for success. Hopefully Ricoh puts it on the right track.