Pentax plan calls for higher-grade SLR

[istDeS]

from: http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-986...g=2547-1_3-0-5

Quote: January 30, 2008 8:14 AM PST Pentax plan calls for higher-grade SLR Posted by Stephen Shankland LAS VEGAS--Pentax just announced its new flagship SLR camera, the K20D, but the Japanese company has plans on the drawing board for a higher-end class of camera in 2009. On the Pentax roadmap for 2009, the SLR quality arrow jumps up "much higher" above the K20D--a bigger step up than the one from the K10D to the K20D--said John Carlson, Pentax's product manager for imaging systems. "That would be a new category" of SLR for Pentax, he said, but was mum on further details. Obviously, that statement leaves a lot of room for maneuvering and interpretation, but it's still a notable reflection of the company's ambitions. Pentax also must reckon with some powerful competitors with high-end models--not just market leaders Canon and Nikon, but also well-funded newcomers such as Sony, which plans to release a professional-grade SLR this year. Pentax announced its K20D last week and is showing it off this week at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here. The 14.6-megapixel model includes features such as 11-point autofocus, sensor-shift image stabilization, ISO up to 6,400, and seals to keep out dust and water. SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras offer higher image quality and interchangeable lenses, but they're more expensive and bulkier. SLR sales are growing faster than the overall digital camera market, so it's no surprise camera makers are fighting for dominance--especially because the market is in flux. Pentax, like Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, and Olympus, is a traditional camera maker facing new competition from consumer-electronics powers such as Sony and Panasonic. Sony got a leg up in the SLR market by acquiring the assets of Konica Minolta, and Panasonic has a partnership with Olympus and Leica. Another electronics giant now selling SLRs, Samsung, bases its products on Pentax cameras. One way Pentax could head toward higher-end SLRs would be to follow Canon and Nikon with models whose image sensor is the size of a full frame of 35mm film. Most digital SLRs, including all of Pentax's, employ a smaller "APS-C"-sized sensors that are cheaper to make. Larger sensors offer the promise of greater sensitivity because pixels are larger, and for 35mm film buffs, lenses give the same field of view as they did with film. But don't expect a full-frame Pentax, at least for the time being, Carlson said. Asked whether it was in the plans, he said, "At this point I would say no. The lenses are designed for the APS-C format," Carlson said. However, he qualified his remarks with a disclaimer: "What will happen in two years? Who knows." One interesting feature in Pentax SLRs is support for the Digital Negative (DNG) raw-image format, which is Adobe Systems' attempt to curtail the cacophony of proprietary raw image formats. Raw images provide more quality but require manual processing into something handy such as JPEG, and different SLR models typically have their own proprietary formats today. Pentax is probably the most notable DNG adopter, though others include Ricoh and now Epson with its super-high-speed camera. However, DNG still plays second fiddle among Pentax photographers to the older PEF format, Carlson said. "Most people are shooting PEF," he said.

[fengwei]

On the Pentax roadmap for 2009, the SLR quality arrow jumps up "much higher" above the K20D--a bigger step up than the one from the K10D to the K20D

Sounds pretty cool. The K10D is already an overkill to me, wonder if I need another much-better-than-K20D new camera ...

[billitone]

Originally Posted by fengwei On the Pentax roadmap for 2009, the SLR quality arrow jumps up "much higher" above the K20D--a bigger step up than the one from the K10D to the K20D Sounds pretty cool. The K10D is already an overkill to me, wonder if I need another much-better-than-K20D new camera ...

Probably what "much higher" means is faster FPS, faster AF system, higher ISO like 25600 or maybe more?.
Don't know about higher MP as 14MP is big enough for APS-C sensor.


I want smaller and lighter pentax with K20D spec

[flowerpot]

i also hope they improve on their flash system as well...

[NoMoney]

Could this be equivalent to 1D series of canon ?

[sloth]

While I am a Canon user, I would still hope to see them leapfrog Canon in one area.

Pentax 645 DIGITAL.....OH YEAH, OH YEAH!!!! BRING IT BACK!! They have already showed off the prototype, why not capitalize on that research and productize it? The 'backend' processing can also leverage their investment in technology already applied to the K20D, so it should not be too hard to build. Doesn't matter if it shoots one frame per second, it's medium format. We don't need to spray and pray.

...I am a Pentax 645 (with 120 film insert) shooter too

[P3ntx]

I don't like the idea of a Full-frame sensor as a solution to higher sensitivity, I am interested in the final output of the pic .. if Pentax really plan to go full-frame, I hope, there is nothing I would need to sacrifice on those Super Takuma lens.. Another issue of using full-frame is that alternative use of third parties lens (Sigma/Tanrom) may have compatibility issues ...
as a know other Brand have. My Pentax K100D still rocks, but I drool over it lack of speed and long buffers and not so every situation applicable auto mode, but even k20d still haven't buzz me and somehow I even firn my K100D produce better pic with zero post processing than full-frame cameras, random speaking, but you don't have to agreed with me. www.flickr.com/photos/nc_chia I hope Pentax, will not lose it way up to the Pro-SLR with Hoya acqusition by following others Brand, but be as unique as how it started with the K100D.

My imagination was that if K10D had the sensor of K100D, JPEG output at least equal, it would be better prefer over the K100D...and raw shooters don't have to agreed with me.

K20D, still a great attraction for those other brands at a budget who need the hard to beat features. I think this is their target customers.

However I take critics for my better understanding and I am not perfection right.

[NoMoney]

Well... I feel the same too. After seeing my K100D pic with my friend pic from Canon and Nikon camera, I still like the K100D pic.

[creampuff]

Originally Posted by NoMoney Well... I feel the same too. After seeing my K100D pic with my friend pic from Canon and Nikon camera, I still like the K100D pic.

I like my K100D images too but unfortunately technology doesn't stand still.
Something tells me that I will like the picture quality of the K20D better.

[NoMoney]

Originally Posted by creampuff I like my K100D images too but unfortunately technology doesn't stand still. Something tells me that I will like the picture quality of the K20D better.

I felt the same too. But I would have to save up to get a new lens and also keep practicing in order to be fit for K20D

I guess I would have to give it a miss and focus on my skill.