Now this is a DSLR...

shutterflower said:
Nothing worth collecting exists in the digital realm. Maybe the RD-1, but nothing else.
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Depends on why you collect stuff, really. For example, if you're into collecting milestone cameras, there were many of those in the digital realm, milestones no less than the Kodak Box, the Rolleiflex, the Praktiflex or the Leica M3.

Take some of the old Kodak DCS SLRs, such as the DCS460 - a Nikon-mount digital SLR body with 6 megapixels in 1995, if that wasn't not revolutionary then what is? Of course it was for studio work with this huge chunk at the bottom, but then we're talking about twelve years ago! Or the DCS560 - a DSLR in a Canon body the same size as a professional film-based body, six megapixels at 1 frame per second with 1.3 crop factor in 1998, the birth of the DSLR as we know and use it today.

Or the Apple QuickTake 100, in 1994. OK, 640x480 and just eight pictures of storage, but one of the first digital consumer cameras, and in 1994! This is the Kodak Box of digital cameras.

Or the Leica DMR - bridging classical manual SLR technology and the digital age.

Or the Epson R-D1.

Or the Nikon Coolpix 900 with its swivel body - a revolutionary departure from inherited norms what a camera should look like, and the first of a series of eminently usable cameras that immediately had a cult following. I used its successor, the Coolpix 950, for a couple of conferences in 2000 and had the feeling that now digital photography is really "there".

Or the Leica S1, a 25-megapixel digital scanner camera for studio use that took R-mount lenses, in 1998.

No, there's a lot of collectibles in the digital world. They aren't in the same ballpark of mechanical marvels that drives people to collect M Leicas and Rolexes and cars and model railroads, but they are there nonetheless. (Maybe collecting them would be a little like collecting historical computers.)

Philipp
 
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What's so special about this DSLR? Just the classic pentaprism design? not enough as a selling point by any stretch of the imagination.
 
Yeah, that's about it. But like shutterflower said, all of the DSLRs in that range look almost the same, and none of them seem to pay attention to style. It seems like the manufacturer's ideas of refining the design of entry level DSLRs include making the body smaller, adding more buttons so there's less to hold on to, and crippling the viewfinder so you can hardly see anything through it, while adding a huge LCD screen on the back to chimp on.

A low end DSLR doesn't have to be a toy or a soccer mom camera with auto-everything, it can be a bare-bones machine that people who mostly use the higher end models like to bring out when they don't want to lug around a 3lb body.

Since this isn't a production model, they didn't bother doing anything with the control scheme, but I would hope they would cut back on the buttons and wheels if they actually make it, to make it simpler and more fitting with the old-school theme.
 
Close but not perfect

Close but not perfect

They should have taken it a step further and made it look alot more like an old camera. No display on back(no menues), memory slot/battery/USB in the bottom, just a shutter speed dial, rewind crank for the shutter cocking, ISO selector dial (old school ASA style dial with a little cut out window). Analog meter/aperture/shutter speed display in a 100% penta prism finder. Another retro dial on the other side of the prism, where the film rewind crank would be, which would be used to set picture quality. No shooting modes, but it would have an "A" setting on the shutter dial for aperture priority. I would buy a camera like this, whether it was a Nikon FM4d, or a Pentax something.... one more thing, all metal body construction, only small amounts of plastic and rubber. And no pop up flash but a regular flash shoe. Something that you would mistake for an old Nikkormat or Spotmatic until you picked it up.
 
What I found more interesting is what's happening in the background: Pentax' possibly becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hoya. On the surface, I like this idea. Rather than two competing companies making a go of it together (re: Konica-Minolta, an idea I hated from the moment it was hatched), this strikes me as a true case of that much-abused word "synergy". In other words, a sensible fit. Of course, what seems terrific on paper caould still come up craps for everyone, so my fingers are still crossed on this one.

And, yes, I really like their "concept" dSLR, especially if the "penta" scheme goes more than skin-deep. I've found most pop-up SLR flash units (film or digital) to be worse than useless, and the possible inclusion of a pentaprism would be represent a far-more-than-even trade. Offer the thing in black as well, and I think they'd have a hard time keeping 'em in stock for a while.


- Barrett
 
amateriat said:
I've found most pop-up SLR flash units (film or digital) to be worse than useless, and the possible inclusion of a pentaprism would be represent a far-more-than-even trade.
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Barrett, I'm with you there - it's one of my pet hates - the pop up flash. Not only does it look stupid, they are next to useless in use:bang:
 
Looks like a camera I would consider too!
Since I got my RD-1 I have hoped someone would make a digital camera based on the Bessaflex so all those lovely 42mm lenses could get a digital body but I guess its just a dream.
Regards
Steve
 
I would buy this one, too, Steph. I would ask them to keep the basics, apeture and shutter priority and manual focus optional. RAW capture only to simplify the software and a niffy strap with PENTAX on it.
 
I disagree with the ugliness of it. It think that is caused by the pancake lens. Put an SMCA 50mm 1.4 lens on it and it'll look much better. If it were a solid build and priced reasonably, I'd buy one in a minute. I've got a drawer full of 20-40 year-old Pentax lenses that would love to see the light of day again. I think the Spotmatic/K1000 idea in digital would be a welcome departure from all the DSLR's that do the same thing.

BH
 
nikola said:
I find it rather ugly looking!
Original K10 is much more pleasant to my eye.
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You can't beat the old Asahi Spotmatics for looks. :)

Now, that body, loaded with DSLR capabilities (none of the picture-mode and polycarbonates cack)... yes, even down to the threaded cable release socket...
 
There would have to be some sort of control dial on the body to change the aperture on the DA lenses because they have no aperture ring.
I curse lenses with no aperture ring!
 
I don't think it looks that retro, still very plasticky and modern. I also disagree with those who say the built in pop-up flash is worse than usless. I recently bought a Pentax K100d and find the flash quite good when needed, at least fairly close up for fill or whatever. There's no bounce capability, obviously, but geez it is a lot more convenient than packing a separate flash. I suspect that we'll see more cool stuff from Pentax in the future.
 
Terao said:
If only Nikon could be persuaded to build a back-to-basics DSLR. And FM3D would be sooooo coool :)
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Even if they could just slim down the D200 (if only a little bit), take out of the built in flash for a 100% viewfinder... would make me a happy man
 
"BessaflexD" does have a very good sound to it!
I would live to see a similar camera. FM2D, K1000D, A-1D, I'm not invested in any specific SLR lens line so I could be pleased by any of those pipe dreams.
Or, even better: Olympus Pen F(D)! I like all those Film cameras I based my "D" speculation on but a smaller camera to match the typical sensor size makes better sense to me.
Or, to keep this crazy idea Pentax related, how about an Auto110D?
Rob
 
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