Answering my own message because I'm addressing a raft of issues from various correspondents in this thread and reaching back through the life of the K-01. I don't want to single out anyone, it's a collective thang.
A Google image search for "toilet suite" will find a lot of square and rectangular toilets. I've been seeing them (and using them) for years now, if people got out more they'd be less amazed by the concept. Or was it an opportunity to infer that Marc Newson is a shithouse designer because he designed a toilet? In fact he designed an entire bathroom range, it'd be a serious omission if a toilet suite wasn't a part of it. I think the attitude to the K-01 is one of "Get your stinking paws off Pentax, you damn dirty foreign designer". How many times does it need to be said that the form factor and the feature list of the K-01 were Pentax's decisions, not Marc Newson's. Once again, the form factor and the feature list of the K-01 were Pentax's decisions, not Marc Newson's. For the hard of hearing I'll repeat it, the form factor and the feature list of the K-01 were Pentax's decisions, not Marc Newson's. And for the visually impaired, T H E F O R M F A C T O R A N D T H E F E A T U R E L I S T O F T H E K - 0 1 W E R E P E N T A X ' S D E C I S I O N S , N O T M A R C N E W S O N ' S . Is the K-01 any squarer than an LX? You'd think it was a cinderblock from the gripes I've read. For the record it's 22.5mm narrower, 11.5mm shorter, 8mm thicker and 4g lighter than a gripless LX. And the LX was praised for it's feel in the hand. And, by the way, the next time anyone complains of the K-01's thickness, consider that it will do screwdriver AF with any K-AF lens since Pentax made AF lenses. An mount adapter won't give that, the body needed screwdriver AF to ensure backwards AF compatibility. A short mount would only have been AF-adaptable to SDM lenses, and AFAIK no-one has ever produced a mount adapter with an integrated AF motor. If Pentax had taken the short mount plus adapter route we'd still be hearing the squealing and whining and moaning today, even from people who wouldn't buy a K-01 anyway. There's the rub, the biggest complaints appear to be coming from people who were the most unlikely to ever buy one. OTOH I've read some reports from people who bought a K-01 and seem to be OK with their choice. Over the years I've observed that single-lens-reflex purists are the most uncompromising group of photographers around, with respect to their acceptance of any other type of viewfinder (or no viewfinder). For them I suggest a future PUG theme, "No Viewfinders Allowed - A Gallery of From-the-Hip and Overhead Shooting". I'd also suggest that enough is enough, we know how you feel about optical frame 'finders and wire frame 'finders and live-view-on-the LCD 'finders and no 'finders. Just don't buy them and see if I care. Finally, pardon my grumpiness. I have prostate cancer, and last week underwent a brachytherapy implant after a year of hormone blockers. I still hurt (a cough or sneeze is unbearable), have no endurance, scant tolerance, and I have to carry a sieve and a lead container everywhere in case a radioactive pellet gets loose when I pee. Have a nice day. regards, Anthony -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
