Yep - they have known that for more than 20 years. That's why they haven't tried to compete with Canon & Nikon for the top pro market. But they have found themselves a pretty good niche developing first-rate lenses, and camera bodies that sell reasonably well to the advanced amateurs (and somewhat to the low end of the pro market). That's where some of their R&D dollars are being spent, because that's where their competition is perceived to be. The rest of the R&D budget, of course, currently seems to be going on trying to pick up the first-time DSLR buyers who want to move up from a point-and-shoot to a somewhat more capable system.
Personally I'd like to see at least one body with a lower pixel count, lower-noise sensor for low-light photography; the one big drawback with digital bodies is that you can't change the "film" for different conditions. But I'm still not convinced there's anything special about 24x36mm sensors; an 8MP or 10MP sensor made with today's technology should be capable of good results, and would have the advantage of working with current Pentax lenses. On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 10:08:36PM -0700, Tom C wrote: > Hear that Pentax? No need to go higher, do R&D, develop new products > that keep up with the competition. > > Oh, you already knew that? Excuse me. > > Tom C. > > On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 9:51 PM, John Francis <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Don't know about Paul, but I cvertainly would. ?If I were shooting > > Nikon I wouldn't feel the need for a D3x; ?for Canon I wouldn't see > > any point in paying through the nose for a 1Ds Mark whatever. > > > > I buy cameras that will do the job I need, not because they are the > > (current) top-of-the-line. ?And 14Mp is more pixels than I need; > > in fact the K10D (and, occasionally, the good old *ist-D) have more > > than enough pixels for nearly anything I want. ?Buying a camera just > > because somebody has stuck a "flagship" label on it is ridiculous. > > > > > > > > On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 09:29:16PM -0700, Tom C wrote: > >> Paul, > >> > >> Respectfully, if Pentax came out with a 21MP or 24MP digital body in > >> FF similar to a Canon EOS 5D MKII or Nikon D3x in basic > >> specifications, are you saying you would not find or suspect it to be > >> a superior product to their current 14.6MP flagship? And that given > >> the option to go with what would likely be viewed as their top of the > >> line in the size factor, that you would choose a lesser model? > >> > >> Tom C. > >> > >> > >> On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 8:02 PM, paul stenquist <[email protected]> > >> wrote: > >> > I have not intention of going FF. With my DA* lenses, the K7 delivers > >> > all the quality I need. I've been selling some 24 x 30 prints, and the > >> > detail and sharpness are excellent. I hope Pentax continues to play a > >> > lead role in APS format. Their lens development strategy indicates that > >> > this exactly what is planned. > >> > Paul > >> > On Feb 22, 2010, at 8:37 PM, Tom C wrote: > >> > > >> >> I understand exactly what Boris is saying. ?If a 35mm sensor is 1.5x > >> >> that of an APS-C sensor, then given the same pixel density, one can > >> >> expect a significant increase in resolution using a FF 35mm sensor > >> >> over an APS-C sensor. Many people already have the 35mm lenses. > >> >> > >> >> I don't buy the digital lens superiority over those that were made for > >> >> 35mm film systems. ?Maybe there are some benefits here and there, at > >> >> certain f-stops but I've been getting great results with FF lenses on > >> >> digital bodies. Yes I know it's with the sweet spot of the lens, and > >> >> yes I know about chromatic aberration and vignetting with FF, and of > >> >> course the noise issue with increased pixel count overall. ?As far as > >> >> I'm concerned those all are excuses made when when one doesn't have a > >> >> full FF body to offer to go along with a complement of FF lenses. > >> >> > >> >> There's a good reason why other mfrs have a FF body in their lineup. > >> >> Specifically, Nikon, Canon and Sony do not have a sensor to offer that > >> >> is > 35mm FF format. ?So the 35mm FF format allows their user base to > >> >> realize an increase in resolution over APS-C that is significant and > >> >> detectable in tests, using their existing lenses and presumed > >> >> purchases of new FF lenses. Those mfrs have not been unsuccessful with > >> >> these products. > >> >> > >> >> I wager if Pentax came out with a FF 35mm format body, virtually every > >> >> single person claiming they were perfectly satisfied with APS-C and > >> >> could afford it, would jump to FF, in much the same manner that many > >> >> did not need anything greater than a 6MP DSLR before there was > >> >> anything better offered by Pentax. > >> >> > >> >> Tom C. > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 6:05 PM, Godfrey DiGiorgi <[email protected]> > >> >> wrote: > >> >>> Nothing wrong with a bigger sensor and more pixels. > >> >>> > >> >>> That said, I have no urge to change from what I'm using now. At all. > >> >>> It's working fine for my photography. > >> >>> > >> >>> -- > >> >>> Godfrey > >> >>> godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com > >> >>> > >> >>> -- > >> >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > >> >>> [email protected] > >> >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > >> >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > >> >>> follow the directions. > >> >>> > >> >> > >> >> -- > >> >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > >> >> [email protected] > >> >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > >> >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > >> >> follow the directions. > >> > > >> > > >> > -- > >> > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > >> > [email protected] > >> > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > >> > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > >> > follow the directions. > >> > > >> > >> -- > >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > >> [email protected] > >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > >> follow the directions. > > > > -- > > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > > [email protected] > > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > > follow the directions. > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
