Pentax announced a new mirrorless camera today. A lot of the chatter I saw – on one blog, I don’t spend any time on the “forums” – was discussing the design, which depending on your point of view is either really cool or makes it look like it was built by Little Tykes or Tonka (one of the versions is actually bright yellow). Among the usual comments like “I’d buy it in a heartbeat if only…” was a quote from someone named Paul (hopefully not my friend Paul that frequents this blog!), who in referring to the comments about it being ugly, said:
“You’d think, in a creative hobby such as photography, that folks would be… you know… creative in other ways of thinking and seeing the world as well. The only thing I have learned from reading blogs and online photo forums is that photographers now-a-days are the most conservative, dull and uninspired group (of mostly old men) on the planet.”
Boy, doesn’t that pretty much nail it. There are exceptions of course, and I feel that I and anyone reading my blog qualifies as an exception, but I see that everywhere. A bunch of old dudes collecting expensive equipment and hauling it around in their PT Cruisers to a bunch of checklist places and taking cliché photographs of famous icons. Of course, no one reading this blog fits that definition so please don’t take offense! Although I believe that is perfectly OK if that is your goal. More than anything I want to make sure I don’t fall into that definition, and I’m trying really, really hard to avoid doing so.
Granted, a bright yellow camera and a field full of (mostly) gray and black does stand out, but you’d never lose it! I personally tend to prefer a camera that blends in, and you would do anything but blend in with a yellow camera! But I think you have to give them credit for thinking a little outside the box. And this actually looks like it might be a very nice camera. It’s got a nice, big APS-C sized sensor and it uses existing Pentax K-mount lenses as well as some new ones they are producing just for this camera. Interesting.
Nope! I didn’t say it. 🙂 However, I would say that the camera industry as a whole is pretty much stuck on film cameras made digital. I’m not quite sure what a new style of camera would look like, perhaps it would be yellow! LOL I am pretty impressed with the mirrorless cameras and their high frame rates. I do like that they’ve included a nice, healthy-sized sensor in the camera, instead of going smaller.
Well, even if you had said it I agreed with it! 🙂
I really like seeing the very excellent choices that are coming out now, from point & shoots to interchangeable lens cameras there is a lot to be excited about. From a design standpoint he great thing is that once they ditch the SLR form factor they can do anything they want. And I do like the idea of the larger sensor, because as good as the smaller ones are there is something to be said for the larger size.
Still not sure about yellow, though! 🙂
A friend of mine sent me a link to the new Nikon P500 – it sports a 42x OPTICAL zoom! 24 – 1000 mm. You know I’m going to have to rent one and try it! 😀
I saw that, Paul. And I’m afraid that the average buyer of that camera will complain about what lousy photographs they get from that camera because I can’t imagine that most people can hold 1000mm still, and I’d be really surprised if the IS is up to the task. But maybe it is. You should rent one…in yellow, perhaps. 🙂
Sorry, P510!
Will it be yellow?
Not sure how conservative I am but I do fit the old part. I also like the idea of the large sensor as well as the fixed lens in the point and shoot. There is no need for a large focal range. And yellow is out of the question for me. 🙂
Boy, that Paul has got me nailed! Except i do like the colors on cameras and it wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for me, all other things considered. the Pentax K looks sweet.