Pentax a respectable 3rd

The BCN results 2012 show Pentax DSLR's came in third for DSLR sales. That's a very good position as they bettered Sony.




Best regards

Wow, this is interesting! Let's hope they build enough momentum and grab more share!

It looks like Sony and Olympus have effectively abandoned the DSLR sector, leaving Pentax in third place by default. Lets hope that 7.5% share increases rapidly!

Maybe the rumoured Olympus OM-D will change all of that? Could you imagine what an MX-D would be like?

Best regards

I really don't think an Olympus OM-D will have much in common with an OM1. The world has moved on, and so much can be done in firmware that there is no point in restricting a camera's functionality to make it similar to a camera of 40 years ago, however iconic that camera might have been.

So there isn't going to be an equivalent of an OM1, or an MX, whatever the marketing people might pretend.

It's a nice thought, though. As with many things in life, cameras are becoming too damned complicated.

G

I think the important thing here is that Pentax performed so well against a much bigger consumer electronics giant like sony... says a lot about what they are capable of doing...

but remember also..Sony is still making money in the mirrorless camera category...will be interesting to see how Pentax performs there as well..because that segment of the market may very well to to d-slrs the same thing the original slrs did to medium format. large format and polaroid combined...

I think you may be right, Don.

I saw a review of the Q, in which the reviewer said he couldn't see the point of a Q with a pancake lens. I nearly shouted out: "You can put it in your pocket, you nitwit."

And nitwit might not have been the actual word.

I love my SLRs, and hate my miserable little P&S. But something with the size of a (biggish) P&S and the quality (nearly) of an SLR would be attractive to many people.

This could be a turning point.

G

I don’t wish to flog a dead horse here, but the issue clearly is that Sony’s last generation A55 & A33 SLT cameras are not being counted as dslrs - and rightly so!

Well this reviewer thinks they are clearly DSLRs, as explained previously. The EVF instead of an optical pentaprism is neither here nor there. Was a Canon Pellix not an SLR? Is an Asahiflex not an SLR? Of course they are.

You are absolutely right. We don't know the specs of the OM-D yet, and very likely it will not be restricted to OM functionality. It's impressive however, how Olympus marketing teams get this 'nostalgia' idea so spot on with the PEN range.... they are top of the market share with mirrorless, and the iconic look of the recreated PEN's have made every other manufacturer of cameras change direction. Fuji followed suit, as did Pentax with the Q. If the OM-D is what many think, and is weathersealed, with the usual flourish of Olympus innovations, then it's likely to catch a big portion of the market. Others will follow....Can't wait to one day see the Nikkormat Ft-D hit the shelves LOL

The OM-D will be a mirrorless camera, a segment where Olympus are already the market leaders (only slightly in front of Panasonic and Sony though). It looks like those three have the mirrorless DSLR segment all wrapped up currently!

What I expect of the OM-D is that it will follow in the Fuji X series tradition of providing plenty of actual physical external controls for a satisfying photographic experience, in contrast with Sony's more menu-driven experience.

It's a great idea IMHO, and you don't have to limit functionality at all.... it's just about putting the key functions on the outside of the camera, so you can just pick it up and use it straight away like a 70's DSLR or rangefinder. The usual menu finctions will be there too, accessed through the equivalent of a fn button...