The naming convention. It's guaranteed to add to the confusion. I mean
really.
Pentax dropped the *ist terminology and brought back the K nomenclature.
The first series of K digital slrs were the
K-10D Top of the line semi-pro
K-100D Middle range.
K-110D a K100 without SR.
The K100D was improved with power contacts and renamed the K100D Super
That still makes sense.
K20D replaced the K10D
K200D replaced the K100D super
K2000 replaced the K110D (New Body design), but just to confuse things a
bit it was also sold as the K-M
So far except for the unfortunate K-M which if you take the M to be a
Roman numeral makes it the K-1000, or try a web search you'll get more
hits, well then anyway, on the first KM film camera, it all make sense.
Then they start getting cute, the K200D and K2000 are both replaced by
the intermediate K-r or K-x (dates of production of both those cameras
are the same and seem to be more alike than the K50 and the K30).
The K-7 replaces the K20D, the naming convention is now completely broken.
The K-5 replaces the K-7 so it looks like a naming convention is back track.
The K-r K-x are replaced with the K-30 just to break the naming
convention a bit more, though it's just possible to assume the K-30
actually replaces the K20D, assuming the the K-7 didn't actually replace
the K20D, thought that' takes a bit of historical revisionism, it's
capabilities are sort of K20Dish with two control wheels, though the
body style is more like an improved K-r.
The K-5II/K-IIs replace the K-5.
The K-3 replaces the K5II the K-5IIs becomes the second tier semi-pro
camera.
Then the K50 replaces the K-30, breaking the convention again, but the
K500 is introduced as the entry level DSLR.
Now the Line is the K-3, K-5IIs, K-50, K-500. Wow the naming makes
sense! That is until you trace how we got here. That's putting aside
the K-01 which logically should be, based on the current lineup, a FF 24
or 36mp camera, or the replacement for the K-3, but is instead what
appears to be a mirrorless dead end, That also doesn't include that the
K-x and K-m duplicate the names of the KX and KM film cameras. Don't
even get me started on the MX-1.
But now, Pentax decided to break the Naming convention yet again,
releasing the K-S1. Based on it's name where would you expect it to
fall in the current lineup of DSLRs, (the fact that Pentax actually has
a lineup of DSLRs is amazing in and of itself).
Based on it's specifications it could slot in below a K-500 replacement,
or replace the K-500, but based on it's name? It does however ape the
Q-S1 name which seems to be the new top of the line in that series of
cameras.
This would be enough to confuse any new user, and quite a few who aren't
so new but have never been anything but digital photographers.
Pentax shoots itself in the foot in a lot of ways, and has done so as
long as I can remember, even from the "Good Old Days" of the M series
film cameras and the "Great Old Days" when the Spotmatic ruled as the
Sports photographers weapon of choice, when a camera being light and
handy was more important than FPS because you paid an immense cost in
weight to get high fps, which at the time wasn't so very high.
What the K-S1 looks like is Pentax's answer to the Canon Rebel SL1, but
I didn't think that camera was selling all that well, so while it's an
answer, I'm not at all sure how that particular question was phrased.
On 8/24/2014 2:19 PM, Alan C wrote:
Are you complaining about the names or the naming convention or just
complaining?
Alan C
-----Original Message----- From: P.J. Alling
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2014 7:47 PM
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List
Subject: Now that the list is back can we start complaining about the
K-S1
I mean really all the best people do it, at least that's what you'd
think if you read the Pentax Fora.
By the way, is it only me or does anyone else keep reading it as the
Kay-five-one, not the Kay-ess-one?
My major complaint is we once again have a "new" Pentax camera naming
convention, this one ties the Q mount and the K mount series together.
I sometimes wonder what it must be like to be in Pentax marketing
meetings. I can't even imagine how these decisions are made...
--
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve
immortality through not dying.
-- Woody Allen
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