New Pentax camera?

This appeared first on a Chinese forum and since then on the Pentaxforums. Rumour has it it is the new model - a radical departure from the previous couple according to those in the know. Who also say there is an announcement due at the end of the month .

[IMG]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c205/Bargwynbu/3440131588_585e14a4bb_o.jpg[/IMG]

As you can see the top is very different to the K10D and K20D.

the front seems flatter and yet it has the front wheel of the k10/k20,
cheers gwyn

Looks deceptively like an X70 front, until you see that front wheel and a DA limited...

After seeing yet another new Nikon (D5000), I don't think Pentax can hang around waiting to introduce a new camera....

It looks quite small and it seems it's missing some bits on the leftside... I don't like it

I would think the most likely thing this would be is a SLR without pentaprism, that is with an EVF instead. As we've already seen a Samsung version of this it wouldn't be that much of a surprise.

However, that is pure conjecture on my part.

And there was me thinking its time to upgrade to a K20D in the next few weeks.
Maybe it's not ..

If this new one is smaller than the K20D, but with all the features, including Pentaprism, then my K20D will be going out the door I think. Rumour has it that it is a Pentaprism not EVF, with improved live view - let's face it if they include live view it need improving - plus lots of other goodies. But not a follow on from the K10/20 series. It will even have a new number, they say.

Could I ask what a pentaprism is, and if a camera is better with or without one? Cheers

Definitely better with one

It is a five-sided reflecting prism and tends to take up quite a bit of space.

A pentaprism is a solid five sided piece of glass (hence the shape of the top of an SLR) that gives a viewfinder image the right way round and the right way up. A pentamirror repaces the solid glass with mirrors but is not quite as good.

Remove this type of viewfinder and you remove a lot of bulk and weight from an SLR.

You never know - it might be missing pentaprism/mirror, mirror box, and possibly even a mechanical shutter

How about just go straight for "LiveView" on LCD like a pocket digicam? Depending on the sensor technology used they could make it so it has an electronic shutter (ie CMOS that has the shutter speed dictated by electronics rather than a focal-plane shutter).

Metering and focus would, of course, have to be like digicams and taken off the sensor. It would save a lot of expensive mechanical parts though, and may well appeal to the advanced digicam users

Matt

Any move to an electronic viewfinder would be a HUGE step backwards on a SLR. I can't imagine Pentax ( or anyone else) being so stupid. Especially with their ability to use all the old manual focus lenses. Can you imagine trying to get fine focus on a tiny EVF. It would kill their sales. That's what bridge cameras are for. They might move to a mirror but that would make it a "low end" model too in many people's eyes. What everyone ( ok, maybe just me then...)wants to see is a full frame (not 0.96) bright pentaprism viewfinder and an old fashioned split prism focus screen.
( in an MX sized body )

The thing is that some people may see it as a desireable camera because it will be lighter and more compact. Not everyone wants to use manual focus lenses, but I agree that MF with an EVF is not very practical.

As long as DSLRs continue side by side I have no problem with EVF SLRs and bridge cameras. If there's a market it will bring in more profits and there will be more cash for R&D in all areas.

I would say - no EVF, just LCD. This is what most digicam users expect to happen, and allows you to zoom for manual focus (I've even managed manual focus on the K20D live view when zoomed :shock.
I could see that an LCD-only dSLR could be made to work... ok it's not the same as pentaprism, but I could see a market
Matt

May I point you toward the Panasonic DMC-G1 (Olympus have a model coming soon) & they're not technically SLR's any more, as there's no prism, there's no need for the mirror either.

edit to add: The Panasonic looks like a traditional SLR, but I think this is to coax people over from bridge cameras. No pentaprism means they can be any shape really, the new Olympus has a retro rangefinder look to it.