Wild speculation

Some people have been suggesting that Pentax will/should follow Sony and create a full-frame DSLR. Others are suggesting that they should follow Samsung and create a 4/3-competing EVIL.

Here's just a wild thought, given Pentax's tendency to do things differently with DSLRs (small 'limited' pancake primes, emphasising image quality over speed in K20, weathersealing etc.) What if these two rumoured cameras are actually one and the same?

What I'm essentially putting in a guess for is that Pentax will produce a full-frame EVIL. After all they have to come up with a reason to make people switch from other brands - selling purely to K20/K7 upgraders will not do. So this would allow Pentax to have the "world's most portable full-frame Digital SLR camera". The use of an EVF (hence no need for a mirror box) could also open up a "get-out" from the fact that Pentax have sold a lot of high-end APS-C lenses.

With no mirror box, I don't think there's any mechanical reason why this unicorn camera couldn't accept APS-C lenses. The electronic communication between camera/lens detects a DA*200 f2.8 (or whatever) attached, and the sensor goes into 'crop mode' (ie the camera only records an APS-C size image from it). That way it wouldn't annoy people who've spent five grand on crop lenses, and would sell lots more upgrades.

Opinions? I'm not suggesting that there is any evidence of this, or that I think that it will ever actually happen (so it doesn't even really qualify as 'speculation'), but if Pentax were going to make a full frame DSLR I think this would be a very good way to do it.

Hmmmm.... ever thought of applying for a job in Japan?

I,m in the front of the line already .

what a brilliant thought as ken said a job in japan made for you.

I hope Pentax can show the way forward, maybe even better than the M9.

regards

albert

I think for the coming 5 years Pentax will keep making DSLR like they do now and only APS-C and don't forget the 645D.
I simply don't think Pentax has the resources to compete with others on a different scale and Pentax should not try in my opinion.
Pentax need to have it from the Pentaxian, the more photography orientated species and they don't get so warm about EVIL camera's I think, they just want a mirror and prism like it always was, EVF/EVIL is something for the Sony fanboys.

Ah but now the whole reason why not to use a mirrorbox is to get a smaller camera is away since the dimensions from the lens to the sensor needs to be the same or else the combination wouldn't work.
They could solve it by using an adapter but then the camera would still be roughly the same size like they have always been so they would need new lenses.
So if you're going to use your old lenses there is nothing to gain really....

So if they will go EVIL that would simply mean a complete new system and Pentax probably will not do that soon simply because they can't, certainly if they are serious with the 645D that would keep them busy for 2 years.

Interesting idea and definitely makes sense.

Next question, what's the pixel density?

There would be something to gain if you were going to use at least one FF lens. The ability to use a mixture of FF and APS-C lenses would be good as it means you won't have to change ALL your lenses.

I'm not keen to give up my mirror box, though, on anything other than a pocketable camera, and this FF thing ain't going to be pocket-size any time soon.

Cropped resolution wouldn't be too great though would it (based on even the current highest resolution '35mm format' sensors).

True, but it would stop people who have bought expensive crop glass (I'm thinking especially of the 200mm and 300mm primes) from being tied to the APS-C bodies by them (which would be bad for sales of a FF since the people with money for the expensive glass are the people most likely to be able to afford a FF body).

Plus, if my calculations are right (I assumed a 24.6mp FF sensor like the Sony A900, and then calculated what its 'crop resolution' would be using the sensor areas on Wikipedia) the crop resolution would still be 10.5mp - not as good as a K20D but more than a K10D. It could also be another 'one-up' selling point over Canikon and Sony: "At Pentax we believe that you shouldn't have to buy a new lens just to buy a new camera!"

Yes I had roughly calculated 9mp cropped based on a 21mp ish 35mm format sensor. Yes I agree, I guess 9-10mp isn't so bad at all.
I've got some FA primes which would be nice

Yes I agree with that, it was all about the EVIl camera idea really not against the sensor.
I believe that Nikon or canon has such a system already, where the FF sensor turns down to APS-C crop.

True, my D700 has that feature though I have never used it. I don't have any cropped Nikon lenses.

Regards

or maybe they put a fixed pellicle mirror and super fast burst mode with af to match, and remove the mirror swing and mechanical shutter?

The rather major (and very expensive) problem is that Pentax would have to support any FF camera with a new range of full frame lenses...