What's next?

I think there are really 3 drivers. The general march of technology, consumer features and enthusiast features.

The general march of technology means better sensors, more FPS, more DR, higher usable ISO, quicker focusing end so on. That should apply across the board and the next few years will see models with incremental improvements in all those.

Primes for consumers were in 50 years ago, but nowadays it's zoom that sells more for mr. average surely? I think there's a differentiation to be made between features for advanced photographers and features for mr Jo public. ie the typical coloured Pentax buyer - that seems to be the demographic they're most concerned about. Hence I sadly personally expect more gimmicky stuff like panorama stitching, HDR blend modes, upload to FB, send image as email, video filters, different recognition modes and so on.

At a pinch, for more advanced users I suspect they'll develop stuff like spot histos in LV, adjustable horizons, ie better elaborations of things we already have. Focus bracketing is a feature that's dying to be made and might also be relevant for mr average so there's hope yet.

Consumers aren't generally interested in primes, but I think the "good portrait lens" (ie a 50mm f1.8, with an f1.4 upgrade option) continues to have some hold even among those who never intend to go beyond their twin lens kit. I therefore wouldn't be at all surprised to see a DA-L 50mm f1.7 at some point in the nearish future.

It is a thought that the megapixel race still has a lot of power. If you take a mobile phone with it's microscopic sensor then stating that it has a 10/20 megapixel sensor will always help to sell it, even if the quality of the lens and the size of the sensor makes it redundant.
In fact it's far more likely that stereo video will appear on cheap camera phones long before it hits SLRs.

One other thing which I think is a given is a megazoom lens - something in the 12-500mm range. Obviously this could be built, but if the quality isn't there most serious photographers wouldn't buy it. But there was a time an 18-250 would have seemed impossible.

And most people wouldn't understand why there was a problem if it started at f/6.5. After all, they have all that ISO to play with!

Focus bracketting is something that would interest me. It'd be very easy to impliment in firmware too. Just select a start point, an end point, and number of steps in between. Job done.

Why not take it a step further and also put in an automatic hyperfocal focus distance.

The camera sees what focal length and aperture you use so it should be able to calculate that and even place the focus on it.
The only problem is that the lens and th body needs to talk more with each other then they do now.

I'd settle for what my sony hdr hc1 video cam has...
a touch screen... set to focus, you tap the screen anywhere it focuses right there.
set for spot exposure, you tap the screen it spot meters right there...

then you can set up two individual settings for focus, zoom, and exposure, hit preset one, tap the screen and it smoothly shifts to pre set two....

that would be awesome to have in a pentax d-slr.

I'd settle for usb tethering to an Iphone/ipad ap that gives me those features with live view from the camera.....

The cheaper Sony cameras also do that. I've got an old DCR-TRV33E that does it. I would expect it to appear on a Sony first. I'm not sure that we need it though you can do it quicker through the optical viewfinder.

Exposure bracketing in MANUAL would be nice!!

No moaning Photographers that cant work the things when they get the camera ! lol we all do

After spending a frustrating day at Westonbirt on Sunday - the only thing I want is a device to vapourise people who just won't move out of my view.

I think that would be popular, but not amongst PCSOs

Well you could always vaporize the PCSOs too .

Next time take a tripod with you, that sometimes help

And photoshop extended has a nice tool for that btw. link

PSE can do that too, from PSE8

But I like the idea of vaporizing PCSOs more .

Didn't knew that Gwyn.
Strangely enough it isn't in the normal photoshop though only in extended

Why would you want a SLR with a touch screen? It defeats the whole purpose of the reflex viewfinder if you use a screen instead.... (aside : I can focus the camera on my phone that way - although it generally sucks as it doesn't lock focus...)

However, your desire is one that many people have, and as I never see anyone under 30 shooting sticking their eyeball up to the viewfinder, and technology in this area is dramatically improving to the point that the screens are now usable and the batteries/sensors don't pack-up after 30 seconds... all adds-up to more reasons that SLR's are going to die out and will all be done electronically.

What you really want though for serious work is a B&W display with Zebra option...

For those who would prefer to dynamically change settings with their nose while still looking through the viewfinder, perhaps?

Nudge nudge.. wink wink.. say no more.

.R.