Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle
Originally posted by: Deadtrees
If you enjoy low light shooting, you want to avoid Pentax cameras at all costs: their old ass AF system is painfully slow in low light. It's pretty much unusable.
I seldom have an issue focusing in low light with my K100D. And when I do, I use the flash in AF-assist mode, which has never failed me. But maybe with other Pentaxes it's different. Which model do you have?
Here's what DPReview says about the K20D's AF:
The autofocus, while never breathtakingly fast, is also never intrusively slow for general shooting. Using enthusiast-level lenses (16-45mm f/4 or 35mm f/2.8 Macro), its performance, even in low light, has been at least comparable with similarly-priced cameras, if not quite up to the standards of the more expensive, similarly-specified cameras from other brands.
Originally posted by: Deadtrees
In addition, I think it's only a matter of time for Pentax to go out of business. It's a well known fact Hoya wanted to get rid of Pentax camera division; now that the economy is down and Pentax is doing terrible in the market, they already laid off half of wokers in that division. Relationship with the partner, Samsung, isn't good either. Samsung has shown disappointment in Pentax and they're going after their own play ground. The best thing for Pentax camera division is to be aquired by Samsung but it seems very unlikly. Though many hated it, I think Minolta was lucky to be merged into Sony. For Pentax, I can't think of any company wanting to take over especially when the global economy is this bad.
From what I've read, most of the Pentax layoffs were related to the P&S division, and sales positions. The DSLR business had already been transitioned to other locations and workforces.
Pentax's demise has been rumoured for years. I would say, though, that of all the mainstream DSLR companies, Pentax is the one most likely to perish.
Here's a release from Samsung, earlier this week. Sounds pretty positive:
03-31-2009 17:05 Samsung to Boost Pentax Partnership Park Sang-jin, center, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging, and models pose in front of Samsung?s new cameras at a press event held in Samsung Electronics? headquarters in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Kim Yoo-chul Staff Reporter Samsung Digital Imaging (SDI), a camera-producing affiliate of Samsung Electronics, Tuesday denied the possibility of an M&A deal for further external growth in the camera business. The company is competing with Japanese makers such as Canon, Sony and Nikon. It is currently the world's No. 3 maker of compact cameras. The affiliate, however, is planning to strengthen a partnership with Japan's Pentax in a bid to sharpen lens and photo-related chips ? key components for enhancing camera capabilities. "Amid the global recession, the time is not ripe to push an M&A deal," Park Sang-jin, chief executive of the company said in a press conference at an event to unveil new camera models held in Samsung's headquarter, Seocho-dong, southern Seoul. "Samsung Digital Imaging has made much progress in the development of lens and image processing chips, independently," Park added. "We have already secured complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies to handle more data volume," according to the executive. Citing a solid partnership with the Japanese camera maker, the executive said Samsung and Pentax have also been engaged in additional talks to expand this mutual partnership. "Further details over the Samsung-Pentax partnership in the digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera category will be unveiled, soon," Park said. Samsung is lagging competitiveness behind Japanese camera makers in the DSLR camera market, which is gaining in popularity and is more profitable than the compact camera segment. By riding on Samsung Electronics' solid distribution channels in developed markets, the camera unit is aiming to increase its global market share in compact cameras to 12.5 percent in 2009 from 10.4 percent in 2008. "Camera shipments by SDI in the first quarter will rise 12 percent year-on-year as the unit is selling the products using Samsung Electronics' solid outlet channels in China, India and South America," Kim Do-han, an analyst at Samsung Securities said. Also the affiliate, which separated from Samsung Techwin and is 33 percent-owned by Samsung Electronics, is set to boost its digital imaging product sales to five trillion won or some $3.6 billion by 2012. Camera sales in 2008 were worth two trillion won, according to the company. SDI is developing a high-end hybrid model, which would feature the small body of a compact camera with exchangeable lenses. "An internal partnership with Samsung Electronics in development, marketing and design will help us boost our global share. Premium products are another card for a bigger share," Park said. Samsung Electronics has steadily been increasing its budget on the camera business as the consumer electronics maker hopes to make it its next growth engine, analysts say. "The camera business won't bear immediate profits. But Samsung will never give up the segment as it needs more consumer gadgets that consume memory and NAND flash chips," Park Young-joo, an analyst at Woori Investment said. Samsung Electronics is the world's biggest producer of DRAMs and NAND chips. DRAMs are used in traditional PCs, while NAND chips go into high-end portable devices such as MP3 players and digital cameras. But some say camera makers appear to have reached a crossroads as they are finding their earnings power weakening rapidly. "That's why compact camera makers are now competing with innovative functions after the competition for higher resolution that expanded the digital camera market to this point reached its limit," said a high-ranking industry source. yckim@koreatimes.co.kr
Original link:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/ww...2009/03/123_42293.html
Originally posted by: Deadtrees
After all, I don't think Pentax cameras are bad. For some, it's good more than enough. However, what they provide is just way too limited compared to others. While all the others are coming out with new lenses and cameras, all they've been doing is messing with colors and rebadging old cameras with new gimmicks.
Every review I've read on recent Pentaxes (K100D onwards) have been extremely positive, often cited as being near or at the top of their price class. Other than AF speed, how do they suffer when compared with other DSLR's of the same class? The main constraint of going Pentax is the limited availability of lenses, other than primes.
Last year, Pentax released 3 new DLSR's, including one with a brand new sensor.
If it does go out, it just makes my switch futile since i'll have to do it again. In the end, I probably won't, but really this is my way of vetting it out for myself, heh.
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