New K100D Super

Don't know if you have already seen this or not, but here you are anyway.

http://www.pentaximaging.com/footer/news_media_article?ArticleId=9997175

The spec look's about the same only 6.1MP thort they may of uped it to 10

I went on a good long rant about this on another forum. I'll spare you that and instead provide the abridged rant...

Not impressed. Not at all. If this turns out to be one of the two "new" Pentax dSLRs then I will be many miles from impressed. This is not a new camera.

DS, DL, DS2, DL2, K100D, K110D, K100D-Super...
What next, K110D Super? K100D Super 2?
Or will we have a K10D Super or K10D 2, followed by years of minor variations on that?

Honestly I don't want 10mp. Not stuffed in the same old camera. The K100D is good, the K10D is good. What I'd like is a bit of product differentiation that goes beyond "Stop looking at that Rebel and D40, we have one like it for less!" Personally what I'd like to see is something like what Olympus have done, namely designing cameras that are not simply small but have a small profile - this would be an ideal body for the Pentax pancake lenses, it would recall the small 35mm bodies like the MX (at he moment Pentax use names like "K100D" and "Super" to recall their great cameras of the past when all they're doing is made slight improvements to the same camera). Of course that's just one idea. There must be others. My point is, something different please...

... or at least take time off fiddling with existing bodies, and either restart production of FA lenses or bring us a bit closer to that magical DA road map. At this rate Pentax will soon have more dSLR bodies than current lenses, which I'm fairly sure is not the way it should be.

The only thing they seem to have added is SDM lens support.

Other than that it's the same beast. Same sensor ("upping the pixel count" isn't as easy as it sounds!!).

Interesting about the new flash - they still have plain old TTL mode included

Matt

And they added DR as well...

Which lets face it aint the best thing since sliced bread !

Pete

And why, if you're thinking to yourself, "ooh, Pentax SDM lenses at last, just what I've been waiting for - I can afford a couple of those ", would you not stretch that little bit further and get the K10D anyway?

ISO 3200 and 'Scene' modes, obviously...

This is surely the Pentax response to Nikon's D40x? Nearly all "beginners" dSLRs have 10mp now, and people won't accept less, they always think more equals better.

Every manufacturer need to update its existing range periodically, so I can't see what the fuss is about. Had this been a new camera, they'd have called it by a new name.

K100D Super tells me it's essentially a K100D body with some enhancements. Actually, it's got several worthwhile enhancements, so I say "Well done, Pentax".

Pentax's problem now is how to improve the K10D. A higher top shutter speed and flash sync would be good, but apart from that I'm not sure what they could do.

Of course, there's the new Samsung CMOS sensor. 12MP anyone?

G

Looks like a nice little set of upgrades to the K100D. One thing though, can AA batteries power SDM? Will they be chaining the power system to Lithium rechargeables? That would be good and bad as having AA support can be rather handy in a tight spot.

Like that they kept the 6MP sensor as this means a lot less noise.

Are they likely to discontinue the K100D, now that the Super version is here (did they stop making the ME, when the ME Super arrived?)

If so, then fair enough - better is always better, providing that the price isn't much different.

Otherwise, although enhancing things is good, it doesn't make sense to me to look at enhancements in isolation from the rest of the range.

If they're continuing all three (four if you count the 110D), then presumably the Super will be more expensive than the 100, and less so than the 10. To choose the Super, you'd need to want SDM lenses (otherwise get the 100), ISO 3200, and maybe AA batteries.

So we're looking at the need for superfast, super quiet, AF in low light, maybe somewhere where you can't plug in a charger - and someone with a lot of money for lenses.

Hardly mass-market, perhaps.

I think this could be a very important step

here's why

Sigma have stated that they wont be adding HSM to K mount lenses until there are more Pentax bodies out there which can use it. The K100D Super means that Pentax now have an entry level body with that capability and therefore brings us one step closer to Sigma HSM lenses in Pentax K mount.

The AF200FG has promise too, a nice low end flash unit for those of us who rarely use flash.

Personally I don't have a problem with this, I think the DSLR market is at a similar stage to the SLR market of the early 80's. The key difference is that DSLR's (at least entry models) will be viewed as consumer electronics. A key factor in the decision process for many will be how old is the model, since the perception will be that newer is better.
The K100 Super extends the life cycle of the original K100 and maintains Pentax presence in the market at an entry level, without the associated cost of a totally new model.
I expect the K10 will get a similar treatment later this year and at around the same time a really new model will be announced with a very high specification and corresponding price.
That would provide Pentax with 3 cameras aimed at 3 different market segments, that coupled with the new range of lens will firmly lay down the challenge to Canikon.

I too wish that Pentax would restart production of some of the FA range, but I guess the economics just don't stack up.

it's certainly a more sensible and justifiable modification than the Nikon D40X

I can see a K10D refresh adding Super but what do you think that would bring?

Perhaps this should be split into an other thread...