K60/K600/KL...

Well they made the 36Mp one in the D800 then didn't use it for two years, so it could have been that one?
Dunno Steve, I think you're right that there is a good deal of favouritism/collusion that goes on in the Photo industry, and Sony play very dirty, in fact dirtier than any.
Apparently it's the major reason behind Tamron's intransigence on Lenses for Pentax, Sony's 11% share in the boardroom that is...
Got a big stake in Olympus too, and guess who's sensors they are using for the foreseeable future...Yep...
Allegedly the Fuji X-trans is a doctored (Altered Filtering) Sony 16Mp, so it'll be interesting to see where they go next...

Are there any other sensor options for Ricoh? With the exception of Panasonic and Canon, do all the other manufacturers use Sony? I know from being an amatuer astronomer that Kodak produce very good sensors with very very low noise. But these are for very specialised applications.
Obviously the Panasonic sensors are not up to much really and Canon would not let anyone else touch theirs.

Samsung also make sensors, as we know, and there may well be others.

The 645D is a Kodak sensor I think?

I must say K600/K60/KL/K3 looks like a stunning APSC lineup. Quality and easy to differentiate products. Why didn't they call the K3 the K6 though?

Did the KL spec say plastic, can't be right.

Toshiba.

Hi Jules, well you can't blame them, its their IP , that they have spent time and money on developing. Providing they are not breaking any competition laws , which I am sure they are not, they are free to sell or not sell their products to whoever they want.

I think you are right about the sensor in question being the one used in the D800. From memory Nikon had exclusive rights to it for 12 months.

We know that Nikon chose the Toshiba sensor for the D7100, and I also read that Nikon were looking at alternatives for their next gen FF sensor, so maybe Sony are no longer prepared to grant exclusivity.

Slightly changing focus (pardon the pun), but I still believe that modularity is the way to go and it seems Nikon are thinking the same. They apparently filed a patent last year for a DSLR with an interchangeable sensor.

Now what if Pentax built a totally modular system, available on a pay for use, or lease to buy option? No more casting out perfectly good bodies, just upgrade to include the latest and greatest. True systems customisable with a wide range of add ons, such as interchangeable viewfinders; sports/action AF modules, WIFI/GPS modules ect

We are told that camera manufacturers make nothing on cameras and that it is the glass that makes the money. So Pentax differentiate by making the best handling most customisable camera on the market. Throw in an option to buy into free tech upgrades during the term of the agreement. There is definitely money to be made there.

Now that would be truly disruptive innovation and flip the market.

Regards - Steve

Nikon use Aptina for the Nikon 1 and I believe they may also have been talking to them about a FF sensor link

Regards - Steve

It takes time to lock on to the satellites though ( Sometimes many minutes ) so you can't just turn it on or off briefly for a pic

It hasn't increased at all (Even disregarding the very high ISO noise differences ).

You could argue that squeezing a similar performance out of smaller pixels is some kind of progress, but only if you're a photographer that can make use of those extra pixels

Unless there's another beakthrough, then for those wanting higher IQ then it's FF IMO.

For all you small as a match box FF addicts.
Canon have a small sensor just for you.
202mm x 205mm 488megapixels, try and get that camera in the boot of your ford fiesta.
Cheers
Dave

Now if it was 202mm x 205mm and 16MP I might be interested. The high ISO performance would be stunning.

An interesting read about the state of Sony...

link

Moody's is particularly concerned about weak earnings in the Devices and the Imaging Products & Solutions segments as the rapid decline in demand for compact digital cameras continues to alter the markets for such products and associated imaging sensors.

I think Sony have done really well with cameras like RX100, RX1 and A7r but out there in 'consumerland' it's the cheapo compacts that have traditionally made up the bulk of sales... and these are still Sony's (imaging products) bread and butter.

Pentax/Ricoh inhabit a more specialised niche that hopefully is more resilient to the phonecam onslaught.

I wouldn't even contemplate buying a cheap consumer digicam. My phone does the job already. But being an 'enthusiast' I did buy an RX100 (I could equally have bought an MX1 or GR).... unlike your average consumer digicam, these cameras offer much better IQ and usability than a phonecam.

Now, when are these K60/KL product images going to be leaked:

It takes time to lock on to the satellites though ( Sometimes many minutes ) so you can't just turn it on or off briefly for a pic[/quote]yes you're right Smeggy. But a half way decent gps should get a position within 30 seconds assuming the geographical position is reasonably current i.e. it isn't the first use on your holidays abroad

Obtaining a position when the camera is powered up and then just on demand afterwards would seem perfectly workable and low battery drain. Then again there could easily be a customisable setting for 'update gps position after shot if it is [x] seconds since last position fix' and countless other variations that would minimise battery usage.