Pentax Pentax K-01 Joins the Mirrorless System Camera Fray

Some things never change; Pentax has had a 'me too' policy for all of the digital period and this is but more of the same,...a 'me too' camera that sadly has none of the advantaages of other makes models. If a camera can be summed up with the phrase 'the worst of all worlds' then the k01 must be a close contender.....

....so, ONLY pentax lenses will fit (STILL no 24mm f2 ater TEN YEARS of pentax dslrs!!)

....No possibility for any adaptor use with 'any' lens like NEX

....Big as a brick!

....No viewfinder, or provision for.

....'Styled' but not apparently designed as a photographic tool.

....Unadventurous basic spec,..16 meg when everyone else is already on 24 and thinking 36.

....Weird confused identity,..a fudge made to ape a DSLR.

....Plus, a lens that is so 'off the wall' that no photographer would want it as manual focus appears physically impossible!!

so.....how is this 'me too' then, if no one else is doing it?

....largest native AF lens line-up of any mirrorless camera, including most complete line of pancake primes

....making a new mirrorless mount just to accept other people's MF lenses is...me too.

....tough as a brick! with tiny tough lenses!

....wait for the GXR K module. then you'll have an EVF and even interchangeable sensors.

....same thing was said about the rainbow colors for the K-x, which turned into an enormous hit for Pentax

....Sony's 24mp sensor already has proven to have more noise than the 16mp, and you want 36 on APS-C?

....or maybe it looks like the next generation's "first camera"?

....then get the DA 40mm Limited. or 15mm, or 21, or 31, 35, or 35 macro, 43, or 70 or 77....
 
....Plus, a lens that is so 'off the wall' that no photographer would want it as manual focus appears physically impossible!!

Maybe I am not as much as photographer as some but I can't see how anyone can manually focus with any focus-by-wire lens, I think unless you have a proper MF ring everything else is AF only and the MF is just for show and to tick a box.

As for the Pentax K-01, I actually quite like it and think it's great that Pentax has done something different rather than another "me too" camera. The design is strange but if nothing else it got people talking and got their attention so this is always good.
Considering Pentax has some really small lenses they did not need to make a small camera since their camera although chunky should come out smaller in actual use that a NEX with lens mounted on it.
 
The K-01 will have very good IQ and might appeal as a second camera for Pentax shooters, once it falls in price by half, which it will. Because it appears to be deficient in most other ways compared with other mirrorless cameras on the market. Yellow bricks have never been that popular with cool young kids around these parts.
 
Exactly!

I like that Pentax went their own way with the design, and I like the look of the K-01.

I feel the same way. While I don't have any problem with retro designs like the Fuji X series and now Olympus OM-D cameras, I really like clean and simple designs that are created for digital from the ground up - like the NEX-7 and the Pentax K-01. Designing a retro style camera is inherently challenging since designers have to deal with all of these new controls that never existed in the film world. Also, in defense of Marc Newson, he was given a brief by Pentax to retain the K mount and still come up with a bold and interesting design. It seems like the route he chose was to emphasize that boxiness rather than try to hide it with a curvaceous design. I personally find it an interesting approach. Also, as far as Pentax is concerned, they have never abandoned K-mount compatibility throughout their history and that is surely something Pentaxians value.

K-01 gives instant access to a vast range of autofocus and manual lenses unlike any other mirrorless system. It puts the K-01 on equal footing from day one with a relatively mature system like the m43. That said, I won't be buying the this 1st model just yet as I want a swivel LCD and better autofocus performance.
 
You mean the lenses like 21, 31, 40, 43, 55, 70, 77 mm X 1.5 crop factor?

:rofl: Okay, probably just highlighting my newbishness - just used to coming from m4/3 where everything is a nice round effective like, 24, 28, 35 (okay, 34), 40, 50 and 90. Oh yeah, and then my GXR is 28 and 50 effective. :D
 
Pretty much. As always nobody much cares about Pentax. I don't think anyone here will get one, and theres too much new stuff coming out to even give it more than a cursory glance. Those of us with Pentax commitments already are probably paying more attention on Pentaxforums.
 
To me it's an interesting camera. I like the body design and size and think it was a brave move and shows loyalty to its Pentax user base. What I can't get over is no tiltable screen. No EVF is okay if the screen tilts - I'm getting on fine with the Sony 5N screen. Without tilt you are very limited in how you can shoot and holding that camera steady with a larger Pentax lens attached is gonna be very tricky. The camera has IBIS and focus peaking and a fine sensor but that rigid LCD is a major failing IMO and if they want this camera to sell well then they better get an EVF designed pretty quick.

Pentax K-01 Compact System Camera - Hands-On Preview
 
I'm using Pentax (K-20, just recently) and don't have a bunch of lenses, but I may give this one a whirl after it drops price a bit, or when used ones become available. I got along pretty well with the Ep-1, without evf or tilting screen.
 
From what I've seen so far, I still find the concept to be a bit underdone. Every other mirrorless camera so far has essentially been engineered from the ground up to take advantage of removing the physical restriction of the mirror and optical viewfinder assembly. I've heard it said that mirrorless cameras shouldn't be called that because it defines them by one feature relative to an existing standard (the DSLR). By that definition, it is appropriate to called the K-01 a mirrorless camera because that is literally the only thing that sets it aside from the existing Pentax DSLRs. I can't see anything in the K-01 that couldn't be put directly into a K-5. I'm sure that it will be a nice camera with a great sensor, etc, but essentially I see it as novel way of creating a new, cheaper to manufacture entry-level camera and selling it as a "new" system without any great innovation or investment involved.
 
The more I think about what they are trying to do (make a mirrorless camera that accomodates all their old lenses) I don;t know how they could have made it much different. It's bound to be pretty beefy because of the flange difference, and the only way to keep it a touch smaller is to leave out the viewfinder. So while I'd rather have the K-5 (or even the K-r), there are a fair number of Pentax owners who already have one or two mirrored bodies. I'm not sure what the future of the Pentax line is after this, though. I'm more interested in a K-(number) than this funky cam. Will there be a mirrored camera replacement for the K-r or is this it?

Many questions, but few answers with this one.
 
Things which would have made it palateable for me... an EVF, or a tilting screen like Norman said, and perhaps a bit less boxy. I think the overall idea is good, but the design sucks. I dont think its going to be much chop unless you use primes. I could not see myself using this with any of the zooms, not even the 18-55. anyway.. I wont be getting it, I still like my K-5.
 
Seems this new announcement suddenly lost it's appeal. No more talk about it after the OM-D. Is it a dead issue?

I'm still having one eye on it. I like the quirky design and the in body IS, which no other aps-c sensor mirror less system offers. And I would not be surprised if the IQ of the K01 would set new benchmarks (@ USD 750!). In a quick pancake comparison, digitalrev.com was very positive about the new lens.
 
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