On 03.2.23 10:16 AM, "Iren & Henry Chu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> You can tell from Pentax Japan web page, when they put *ist in the mid tier > of the list of existing cameras. *ist is placed in between MZ-5n and MZ-6 > and that's how Pentax headquarter people ranks them and this is a fact. I was told by a reliable Pentax source that the *ist is intended as an "entry level" camera to compete with the likes of Rebel (EOS Kiss) and Minolta Alpha Sweet etc. It is priced so (65,000 yen), compatible with the entry level models from other major brands (I am talking about the MSRP, not the street prices). The fact that it has more feature sets than usual entry level means the *ist is competitive. It may be the result of their cost-down effort particularly in the area of electronics packaging. It is also part of the more reduced model/chassis line up and Pentax probably cannot divide the model line up in smaller increments as they did before. MZ series is still showing in the Pentax line up but I suppose they would be phased out eventually, and the *ist is mixed in them in the interim. However, it is really hard to tell whether Pentax is going to announce anything lower than the announced *ist model. It probably has a lot to do with the DSLR sibling. And you never know. Pentax might change their mind and announce a real stripped down model. Cheers, Ken
