I have, like many others, for a long time been annoyed with Nikons' lack of commitment to the DX format. Every DSLR they have ever produced is DX, but still they have produced very few DX lenses, and all the pro lenses have been 35mm ones. The 70-200mm VR is still unnecessarily huge and expensive, and there is no DX equivalent. There are still very few AF-S primes suitable for DX, and only one really good DX standard zoom. Of course, now, we are starting to see the reason for this. Nikon will produce a professional 35mm camera. They will go the Canon route of super expensive bodies requiring super expensive lenses in order to perform, leaving the DX crowd as second-class citizens, much like the EF-S crowd of the Canons. Serious DX owners will have to rely heavily on 35mm equipment, providing unsuitable focal lengths along with a lot of dead weight that they don't need (with accordingly high prices). DX lenses will mostly be consumer zooms with vario-apertures, like the EF-S lenses are with Canon.
So, serious users will have to invest in 35mm equipment (35mm camera and lenses). Financially OK if you have a lot of cash, but what if you don't want to carry the extra bulk of 35mm equipment? What if you don't need 25 megapixels? What if you care more about edge sharpness and quality than ISO noise? Then you have no option. All the serious stuff will be made for 35mm, leaving only cheapo consumer gear for DX.
If we look to Pentax, we see a clearly different philosophy. Many new lenses have been announced recently in their most professional line, the DA* line. These are both zooms and primes, all with constant apertures throughout the range, all with AF-S equivalent technology, and all with weather sealing. Also, every single one of them are made for the DX sensor. Not one 35mm lens among them. Pentax are showing their commitment to DX. They will not produce a 35mm body, because there would be no suitable modern pro glass for such a body. If you buy the K10D today, you can be sure of continued pro support for the format. You can be sure that the lenses you buy today will continue to function when you upgrade the body.
Of course, Pentax have their own medium format line for those needing a super high pixel count. Prosumers (and most professionals) don't need that. They don't print wall posters. But prosumers want nice gear. They want weather sealing. Constant aperture. Generally high end stuff. They also hate bulk, and most of them do not have unlimited funds. The Pentax road of a medium format line completely separated from the smaller format makes so much more sense than what Nikon and Canon seems to be doing. Buy the D200 today, and you'll need the 12-24mm for real wide angle. Maybe you'll get the Sigma 50-150mm because you don't want the huge Nikon 70-200mm. Upgrade the body in a couple of years, and you might suddenly find yourself with a 35mm sensor. Both these lenses are suddenly useless. Maybe you bought the Sigma 30mm f1.4 as well because Nikon doesn't provide a fast standard prime for the DX format. Useless. Bet you wish you had bought the K10D instead. The DA 12-24mm, DA* 50-135mm f2.8, and the 31mm f1.8 limited will still function as intended years from now. And if you absolutely need to go into the niche of huge sensors, you'll always have medium format.
So, serious users will have to invest in 35mm equipment (35mm camera and lenses). Financially OK if you have a lot of cash, but what if you don't want to carry the extra bulk of 35mm equipment? What if you don't need 25 megapixels? What if you care more about edge sharpness and quality than ISO noise? Then you have no option. All the serious stuff will be made for 35mm, leaving only cheapo consumer gear for DX.
If we look to Pentax, we see a clearly different philosophy. Many new lenses have been announced recently in their most professional line, the DA* line. These are both zooms and primes, all with constant apertures throughout the range, all with AF-S equivalent technology, and all with weather sealing. Also, every single one of them are made for the DX sensor. Not one 35mm lens among them. Pentax are showing their commitment to DX. They will not produce a 35mm body, because there would be no suitable modern pro glass for such a body. If you buy the K10D today, you can be sure of continued pro support for the format. You can be sure that the lenses you buy today will continue to function when you upgrade the body.
Of course, Pentax have their own medium format line for those needing a super high pixel count. Prosumers (and most professionals) don't need that. They don't print wall posters. But prosumers want nice gear. They want weather sealing. Constant aperture. Generally high end stuff. They also hate bulk, and most of them do not have unlimited funds. The Pentax road of a medium format line completely separated from the smaller format makes so much more sense than what Nikon and Canon seems to be doing. Buy the D200 today, and you'll need the 12-24mm for real wide angle. Maybe you'll get the Sigma 50-150mm because you don't want the huge Nikon 70-200mm. Upgrade the body in a couple of years, and you might suddenly find yourself with a 35mm sensor. Both these lenses are suddenly useless. Maybe you bought the Sigma 30mm f1.4 as well because Nikon doesn't provide a fast standard prime for the DX format. Useless. Bet you wish you had bought the K10D instead. The DA 12-24mm, DA* 50-135mm f2.8, and the 31mm f1.8 limited will still function as intended years from now. And if you absolutely need to go into the niche of huge sensors, you'll always have medium format.
This might be dejavu all over again.
