I'm not saying Pentax can't jump into mirrorless. I'm simply saying they would have to jump in with both feet. Essentially, commit all lens resources to lenses in the new mount - no K-mount lenses that aren't already out there or ready to release to market.
That would probably alienate existing customers. And I'm not aware of
any evidence that their best strategy would be total commitment.
Every piece of information available tells us they have limited resources. They've said as much (someone even posted a quote to that effect). So, if they have to spend money designing and building lenses for 2 different mounts,
Which I dispute!
it's fairly basic business that they're not going to be able to do both and do both well and rapidly. So, unless they get a doubling of money and resources, they can't do both effectively. This is different than say Sony who can throw gobs of money and resources at such an endeavor as well as absorb losses for several years.
You still need a adapter so people can use their old lenses and transition to the new. You really do need a dozen lenses or so
What are they?
If you list them, perhaps we can examine the list one by one.
See Barry - that's the thing. Ask the forum what the 3 lenses are and see if you get consensus. You've got people that will only use primes. You've got people that want 2 zoom lenses. You've got people that demand telephoto and others who could care less.
You said "a dozen lenses or so". I don't believe that statement for one second!
There are 16 lenses in the current K-mount FF catalogue. There is plenty of duplication and old lenses that they wouldn't need to match. And many (all?) of those lenses would work via an adapter.
If a Pentax mirrorless camera with features that were useful to me were released, I would buy it, and an adapter, and use it initially with my existing lenses.
I don't accept that the only value to potential customers of a mirrorless cameras is a new set of lenses.
I agree completely. My point is Pentax doesn't have the resources to design and make and distribute lenses for 2 different mounts for a long period of time.
My point is that they wouldn't need to.
Once it is recognised that there would be an adapter!
For interest, I'm currently running tests recording videos of what is seen though my K-1ii viewfinder when shooting in burst mode. I'm shooting videos with my Lumix LX100 close to the eyepiece, then editing and viewing the results in Premier Pro.
When I play the results so far back, (without panning so far; panning makes things worse), I wonder how anyone has tolerated the visual disturbance of the flipping-mirror view for so long!
Perhaps because many people don't pan in burst mode. Or because it has been "the least worst option", without an alternative. The latter is changing.
I know some people hate the burst mode view via an EVF. Well, that is improving over time. But the flipping mirror view of an SLR doesn't appear likely to improve significantly in future. And if many others feel the same way, there will be a shift in the marketplace in future.
But for me, that shift won't necessarily involve new lenses. That is a separate matter.
But, as a supplier, why would Pentax want to incur the cost of designing essentially 2 similar lenses in 2 different mounts? From a supplier side, it makes much more sesnse to just supply 1 - especially when you have limited resources (both financial as well as human and manufacturing).
Yes: where the lenses can work with the current K-mount registration distance, make it once.
Because there is an adapter!
Just make lenses with a shorter registration distance when this gives a significant optical benefit, which typically probably means some extreme-image-quality wide angle lenses.
Now, I get that K-mount users might not WANT that. But, let's say for the sake of argument that Pentax doesn't give you a choice. Let's say they commit to the new mount and stop designing new k-mount lenses. Let's say that, their mirrorless offering has better AF than the mirrored offering does. And, let's say that the mirrorless offering has other aspects that the faithful like about Pentax. What, exactly, are the faithful going to do? Jump ship? To where? Especially people like you who don't have an issue with mirrorless. if your k-mount lenses work with the new cameras with adapter that's better than going elsewhere. So, while you might not like it - do you dislike it enough to jump to another brand?
I currently have two Pentax SLRs that travel with me. (K-3ii and K-1ii). They have different characteristics. I am not a "one camera" person.
- no way Pentax is going to be able to crank out that many so you need an adapter so people can use those old lenses while you produce new ones in the new mount. But, you better get 5 lenses or so within 2 years.
My whole point is simply Pentax can't do both - they're too small. They have to choose. Commit to DSLR or commit to mirrorless.
I believe they could have a "mixed economy" of cameras for years.
(Neither of us is able to prove our views!)
Absolutely. You are absolutely correct, no one can prove anything. BUT, how many lenses and bodies is Pentax releasing now per year? Now, what if they have to divide their resources in half - 1/2 to mirrorless and 1/2 to mirrored.
I don't believe they would
have to do "half and half". But
once the adapter is built into the equation, the lens problem mostly goes away, and perhaps the mirrorless camera would reduce (not eliminate) the need for new SLRs.
Contrary to the preferences of some people for SLRs, I believe there are Pentax users, or potential users, who would appreciate a mirrorless camera and be happy to buy one
instead of an SLR.
How happy is either user base going to be with 1/2 the new releases that Pentax is giving right now?
There would still be about as many cameras and lenses being released as now. But there would be a wider range of camera types, which some people wouldn't like, and others would be happy with.
(My concern is that the current Pentax SLRs have largely saturated the "Pentax K-mount SLR" marketplace. It may be that a mirrorless camera would introduce the novelty that some people would need to bother to buy a new Pentax camera at all).
(I have 4 mirrorless cameras. One a non-system camera, the others interchangeable lens cameras. I have a total of 5 lenses for the latter cameras. 2 of the cameras, and 4 of the lenses, are Pentax).
