Pentax a New take on VR
 

Just seen this. An interesting concept.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0605/06...entaxk100d.asp

Don

Thanks for this info Don, I'm not sure my wallet will be so pleased when it becomes available - no doubt in Samsung guise for Europe. Still, at only $700 (US) for body plus lens, it's not a huge amount of cash, they've cut corners with the penta-mirror viewfinder to keep the price down. Glad to see they've chosen a sensible name for this series of products.

Konica-Minolta did a similar system of moving the sensor with their 7D and 5D models. I have to say I'm surprised that it's taken this long for Pentax to get in on the anti-shake act. They developed the basic technology a long time ago but probably never had the budget to turn it into a final product. I even read somewhere that one of the patents they took out for some aspect of Anti-Shake technology is licenced to Canon for use in their lenses, how true this is I don't know.

You have to admire Pentax for sticking to their guns for lens compatibility. I can use just about any Pentax lens ever made on my dSLR, not only 35mm lenses but also medium format 645 or 67 lenses. Not that I have any.

I immediatly thought of you when I saw this Duncan. I have not checked the specs against your current camera, but the anti shake and backwards lens compatability seemed to be major plusses. Nice big preview screen too.

Have to start saving your Saturday money :D

Don

Strikes me that the one to have will be the next Pentax to be released, the more-than-rumoured one due out later this year which is expected to us the same Sony 10MP sensor as the Nikon D200 and compete with that camera and the Canon 30D.

If that had been out when I bought my first 20D in October last year, who knows? I might have gone Pentax. Certainly, even for those who are happy to consider the K100 and K110, the knowledge that Pentax have a higher-spec model they can (one day) graduate to, keeping their existing lenses, has to be a major plus.

And we can probably expect AS on it ..... could be quite a tempting unit. Good for Pentax!

Tony,
The unit you refer to is much more than rumoured, it has (apparently) been shown at an exhibiton in Japan.
http://www.pentax.co.jp/english/news/2006/200615.html
The same product was actually shown at PMA2006 in Florida.

The launch for this product is, tentatively, autumn 2006 and I agree that this would be a better upgrade path from my current *ist DS than the K100D. This assumes the new 10MP model will have AS on it, it would be a bit of a damp squib otherwise. I'm sure the yet to be named model will cost a lot more than the K100D, but AS and a slightly bigger (but lower resolution) preview screen would probably not be enough to tempt me on their own. I will await developments later in the year.

I find it interesting that you guys from down under see Pentax as a viable brand, the Aussie distributor's marketing is clearly far better than the UK marketing.

Thanks for that link, YT.

I don't know if there is any marketing down here, llet alone if it is any good or not. But the Pentax name endures: everyone who knows anything at all about cameras recognises the Pentax name, and still associates it with good, solid, reliable, value-for-money SLRs. Or at least that's the impression I always get, perhaps skewed a little by my own opinion - which is quite ill-informed: I've never owned one!

A heap of people still have Pentax film SLRs, mostly unused in cupboards now, and that presents a wonderful opportunity for the company - the chance to sell to all those one-time regular Pentax SLR users who now rarely touch the big camera anymore and just use a little digicam for most events. The hassle and delay and expense of film cameras sees to it that many people use the digicam instead - I'm talking about people who use a camera maybe monthly if that often now, not the keen ones who use it regularly and are likely to read and post here - and it seems to me that they are the ones Pentax should be aiming for with the K100, the ones who could be temped back to a "real" camera once the asking price drops close to ... oh ... say $500US ... Ones who are using a digicam at present and miss the control and flexibility they once had with their 10 or 15 year old film SLR. I guess I'm talking mums and dads. And the people they talk to, such as their children ....

Hmmm .... maybe Pentax ought to offer me a job as their advertising director.

(Stop dreaming Tannin and go to bed. It's after midnight here and it's a working day tomorrow. Have to go to the office and do something about making some $ to pay off the credit card that got comprehensively destroyed at the camera shop. Again!)

Overall, pentax is slowly capturing the dSLR market. The K10d is out, and it will be quite a giant killer. The only problem for Pentax is, their lenses are kinda hard to find, especially in certain countries.

Hard to compete with giants; Canon in first place, then Nikon. Not only Pentax but many others like Olympus essentially could not make a move in USA market and now Olympus seems to boycott Americans by not introducing their new E-400 in North America. Won't wonder if Pentax does the same. And personally I like the Olympus better as alternative with their full frame sensor and very nice color rendering capabilities.

Yes lenses are the main hassle but many first time DSLR buyers may find one or two lens just enough if the price of package is right and significantly competitive.

Some new Schneider lenses for Samsung have been announced which will make things better for Pentax users. See HERE

Olympus has full frame sensor>? thought it is 2x crop factor? Or you know something that i dont know?