>From Amateur Photographer (27 Oct): 'Pentax set to scrap plan for flagship digital launch'
'Pentax is likely to shelve plans to launch a 6 MP flagship digital camera in favour of a 'lower-end' SLR to be unveiled next year. 'Pentax UK's John Dickins admitted that Pentax wants to move away from the 'cost no object, best quality possible' area of the digital arena because, he said, 'things change so fast we have to change direction'. He claimed: 'What seems to be happening is that cameras like the Canon D30 and the Fuji S1 Pro are creating much more consumer interest than cameras at the higher end of the scale'. The Fuji S1 Pro uses the company's Super CCD technology to increase the image file size to 6.1 megapixels. The camera itself uses a 3.34 million pixel CCD. 'Commenting on the expected launch of a new 'consumer' SLR next year, he added: 'I don't know the exact details but what we are talking about is something interesting like the Fuji S1 Pro or the Canon D30. 'The announcement comes a week after [Amateur Photographer] reported on delays in launching the high-end camera, codenamed MR-52, which had been due to appear in UK stores last month. 'When it was first announced at last year's Photokina trade show in Germany the camera was billed by Pentax as a 'high-spec' model based on the company's 35mm SLRs. It was to be compatible with Pentax K-mount lenses and to use a digital chip jointly developed with Philips. 'However, Dickins denied that Pentax was lowering it's target market. 'We are just broadening it,' he insisted. 'Though he did not know when the camera will be out in the UK, Dickins confirmed it would probably make it's first appearance at next year's PMA show in the US. 'Pentax also recently ditched plans to launch a 3.43 MP SLR to be called the El-3000, a camera it developed with Hewlett-Packard. Instead, as [Amateur Photographer] reported last week, Pentax wanted to concentrate on launching the Optio 330 digital compact because it felt that the 'ease of use' and small size of the Optio would more fully meet customer needs.' ****** Amateur Photographer is a really great magazine and I subscribe and I love it to bits, so please don't sue me for reproducing that report!!! Honest!!! - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
