DSLR Speculation

[Michael Perham]

I have just finished reading Mike Johnston’s Sep/29 article “Kodak Fights Back”.  He make an interesting point about the (non) acceptance of Olympus 4/3 standard and that it is principally in the interest of companies such as Olympus, who are essentially out of the 35mm SLR market, because it levels the playing field.  Companies such as Canon, with their huge base of in use 35mm lenses, are better served with the DSLR market moving to a 24X36 sized sensor and retaining the 35 mm lens system.  Witness the new Canon EOS-1Ds and Kodak 14 megapixal camera based on Nikon components.     So thinking about this and the Pentax full frame DSLR that was shown at the previous Photokina, started my speculation.  The new Pentax DSLR to be introduced in Spring 2003, has an APS sized sensor and is a modestly priced camera.  Pentax have said they intend to be a serious player in the digital camera market, they are certainly pushing the advertising on the Optio series that seems to support that position.  So perhaps, their second DSLR will be a resurrected version of the MZ-S based full frame sensor..  Wouldn’t that be nice!   Mike.