Rob Studdert wrote: > I'm probably going to p*ss devotees off with my bitching and moaning but I > think Pentax has lost sight of the ball and the goals in this 645 announcement. > > I predict that if and when Pentax actually get a D645 body to market Canon will > before if not very soon after release a full frame 18MP body at a very > attractive price point which will be near half the price point of the Pentax > D645. In the interim Pentax will be no closer to production of a full frame > 35mm DSLR and APS DSLR development will remain stagnant. > > I'd love to be proven wrong but...
Rob, If you view the D645 in the context of a larger product roadmap, it makes a lot of sense. Pentax has had a loyal following among professionals in the medium format arena for decades. Let's assume that Pentax does a good job with the signal processing, camera operations, and power management of the D645. I think that the camera has a shot at selling well into the niche formerly occupied by their medium format gear. In fact, I think that they have a better shot at building a good medium format DSLR than, for example, Mamiya. Remember, this will be their fourth digital SLR body (inluding the MZ-D that was never released) and we know that they build great lenses! In addition, their product development team experience and the technology development itself can be applied directly into the development of a 35mm full-frame system when reasonably-priced components become available. I don't think that Pentax is large enough to develop their own imaging sensors, so they're always going to be in the position of having to use the best technology that they can source from elsewhere. My guess is that when a company like Sony or Kodak offers a full-frame imaging array at a price point that makes sense, Pentax will be very well-positioned to place it into a camera body. Just thoughts, worth only what you paid for them.... --Mark
