According to our friends from DigicamInfo Pentax will announce the new Pentax NC-1 mirrorless system on June 23 (Update: old date June 26 was wrong)! Pentax claims that this it the “world’s smallest interchangeable lens camera“. As you know the camera should cost around $600 with kit lens. It has a small 1/2,33? size sensor (that’s the size of the sensor in most compacts). It’s a 14 Megapixel 5.6x crop sensor. It can also record HD h.264 movies. Two lenses will be released along the NC-1. There will be a prime 8.5mm f/1.9 (almost 47mm equivalent) and a zoom 5-15mm f/2.8-4.5 (28-80mm equivalent).
27 Responses
“It has a small 1/2,33? size sensor (that’s the size of the sensor in most compacts).”
So their plan may be to confuse people into not understanding sensor sizes. Throwing a wrench into the marketing of actual m43 and APS-C mirrorless compacts. That’s just mean.
Sensor size is irrelevant for most people, even the results are irrelevant (to a lagre degree) for many. Of course they want good IQ, but portability, design, price and probably other non-IQ factors are clearly most important.
This camera (if the rumor is true) will appeal to users who want small and flexible. Pentax will need more lenses though to compete with superzoom models. It will be interesting to see if it’ll succeed or not.
Yes, both sensor size and image quality is irrelevant to most people, but most of them would never choose an interchangeable lens camera over a super zoom anyway. Sadly, I can’t see this strategy being anything but a disaster for Pentax. Wouldn’t it be smarter to join the m43 folks instead.
The only advantage I can see would be smaller lenses, filling a current gap where Panasonic has the small-bodied GF3 saddled with a way oversized kit 14-42mm, while Olympus has the now large bodied by comparison E-PL2 with small collapsible 14-42mm kit lens.
But this will change in two weeks with Olympus’ new generation of E-PL’s combining small bodies, collapsible lenses, IBIS, Truepic colors and a new sensor.
Once that happens I see a compact camera sensored IL camera as irrelevant at best. Just buy an S95 for $400 if small is what your after in a compact sensor size.
> Pentax claims that this it the “world’s smallest interchangeable lens camera“.
But why anybody would need a P&S quality at the price?
There should be something else in there for Pentax to differentiate NC-1 from much cheaper G12 and P300. And hey, on top of being cheaper, built-in lens cap to me is already large plus of the latter two.
also a tz-kind of camera is always going to be smaller with the lens
Announced on a Sunday?
The Olympus XZ1 compact camera has a larger sensor, a better zoom range than this zoom (28-112mm) and is faster than this standard prime at the short end (f1.8).
Probably the XZ1 is cheaper also.
Why would anybody in his right mind choose this Pentax mirrorless over Oly’s compact?
Interchangeable lenses?
I have trouble believing that anybody content with a 1/2.33″ sensor would be interested in interchangeable lenses. Any of the high-end 1/1.7″ sensor cameras (LX-5, XZ-1, EX-1, S-95) will have a better sensor, likely comparable lens quality (and with lens adaptors cover a range from the low twenties to about 100, in equivalent focal length) and be of similar size. Compactness via primes will not really represent a significant advantage of this Pentax, nor will low-light or low DOF, and if you want a superzoom in a compact format (2x-200), you also already get that with 1/2.33″ sensor cameras.
I am puzzled why a camera manufacturer who is not doing too well, would even consider starting their own system? Surely they must know that users who like the idea of interchangeable lenses also want a lot of choices in lenses?.. I just don’t get it.
Flummoxing… And $600!! Can only think that either the rumour is wrong or Pentax have something very unusual up their sleeve. But in general I’m sceptical as to how much any company with substantial DSLR sales will devote to a mirrorless system., as they’ll want users to have an incentive to ‘upgrade’. Maybe this camera’s ‘bling factor’ (if that’s an accurate photo) might conceivably appeal to a few people, but I can imagine those people taking off the lens, staring at the sensor and saying ‘is that *it*?’
They are trying to recapture the glory of the Auto 110 system (like Olympus is doing with the PEN).
What a dumb camera. Why is Pentax so stupid?
tiny sensor and not a really bright zoom? why? where’s the point?
Come on, it’s obviously a fake.
nikon was rumored to have 2.6x crop sensor. maybe pentax is going to partner with nikon? i don’t know but there is NO WAY i would buy a 1/2.33 sensor. if it is larger than 1/1.7x (s95, lx5) sensor but smaller than the m43 sensor, i will buy.
An announcement on a Sunday? I have my doubts.
I can see it marketed at teens as a P&S with interchangeable lenses, it will only be a niche camera.
The date announced by Photo Rumors is Thursday, June 23rd, not Sunday, June 26th, which makes indeed a lot more sense.
http://photorumors.com/2011/06/17/pentax-mirrorless-camera-to-be-announced-on-june-23/
The rumoured 2,7 Nikon sensor i think will be better compromise between IQ and size,(Body WITH lens).
Pentax is like a small compact camera sensor, instead I prefer the Olympus XZ1 with bigger sensor!
Sorry for my English
Oh man i really wouldn’t want to be Pentax right now. This must be a joke. I really hope it is because Pentax used to be such a great company. And they still have that name, but they’re losing it faster and faster with decisions like this. The only way this would appeal to ANYone is with a price under 300 dollars for the kit. Let alone actually buying one. And with looks like this i can’t imagine anyone making that decision.
Fuji saved themselves with the X100, now Pentax needs something like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Pq5Url2Nk
it would be funny if pentax spread false rumors of tiny sensor and fake images and release a mirrorless camera with bigger sensor^^
but i have a fealing that this is meant serious : /
They could have at the very least used a 1/2″ sensor. At least that way they could say the sensor is larger than your typical P&S camera, not the same mickey ficky size.
Plus, at least that way they could try the close the gap between their camera and cameras from the likes of the Canon G12, Panasonic LX5, and Sony HX9.