K-01 prices?

<p>Has anyone noticed the prices on the K-01 lately? Just saw it body-only on Amazon for $349. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it seems like a steal at that price. Are these "early Black Friday" prices or is Pentax trying to clear them out to make way for something new?</p>

<p>Edit: B&H has the K-01 + 40/2.8XS kit for $447 shipped. The 40/2.8XS sells separately for $247, so you'd essentially be getting the K-01 body for $200. Wow.</p>

<p>These prices were advertised on PF over the last couple of weeks. The K-01 was discontinued, so I expect sellers are clearing stock.</p>

<p>Not my cup of tea, indeed. :)</p>

<p>Ah, I see. Well that explains it. I'm not on PF, and it doesn't appear that it's been mentioned here. Figured I'd say something in case anyone was looking to buy one. :)</p>

<p>If it had been priced this way from the start maybe they wouldn't be discontinuing it now. If I had the cash burning a hole in my pocket I might pick one up but it's not that high on my list right now.</p>

<p>They may be cheap but try and get one. Adorama and B&H have been out of stock for over a week now.<br>

What's that old vaudeville joke about charging less when you don't have them?</p>

<p>Wayne, they're in stock at B&H and Amazon as I type this.</p>

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<p>If it had been priced this way from the start maybe they wouldn't be discontinuing it now.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Maybe they would have discontinued it later, but I don't see how they could have continued with it long term. What future can there be in a MILC designed around an old SLR mount?</p>

<p>I am now waiting for Nikon to bite the dust with their 1 system. :)</p>

<p>I'd pay $10 shipped for a K-01. As soon as it hits that price point I'll pull the trigger.</p>

<p>Weren't these priced around $899 at launch? Seems like the failure everyone predicted at launch has eventuated.</p>

<p>The K-01 never needed to cost that much. That was introductory pricing. Was the K-5 considered a failure as its price dropped to half (~$800) its introductory price (~$1600)?</p>

<p>I can see why K-01 might not be for everybody but at its current pricing it has a lot to offer, at least as a second camera for people who already own some compatible lenses. Personally I don't see much point in using it with larger lenses -- at that point you might as well bring the SLR but with a couple of small primes, you get SLR-quality output in a form factor with controls adult-sized hands can use (though arrangement could have been a little better), a larger battery than most of its competition, plus its live-view operation is more like what digicam shooters are used to so you can hand it to others and they'll be able to use it. I actually hope that Pentax comes up with a compact standard zoom for it (or its possible eventual successor) that can take advantage of the vacated mirror box.</p>

<p>I just bought one a couple of weeks ago when I saw it for $349 on Amazon. It is an odd camera, even by Pentax standards, but I figured the sensor is about three generations newer than my k20d and at half to a third of the price of a K30/K5, figured it was worth playing with. The ergonomic do leave a "bit" to be desired, but we're bonding, slowly. The updated firmware seemed to speed up auto focus. The focus peeking option makes using manual lenses a lot more fun. And with my DA limited lenses it's reasonably compact and makes some beautiful images. For $350, while they last, and depending on what body you're shooting now, and your budget, it's a deal - especial for casual street and fun shooting. I'm happy I bought it - it has me taking more pictures and seems like a good upgrade over my K20 for casual shooting. </p>

<p>Price is now down to $299 (body only) on Amazon. Snatch one of these up if you have any old Pentax glass lying around. It does 75% of what my K-5 can do and for the price it's a very good photographic tool. <br>

I've been using mine as a second/backup camera at events and have been impressed with the results. <br>

Biggest negative for me is the 1fps limitation in RAW mode. This seems like a huge design oversight (or intentionally crippling it via firmware?) There's no mirror to slap around, it could have been faster. At least 3-5fps in raw would have been helpful. <br /><br />Nitpicking here though, and some of the features (focus peaking, tracking, weaker aa filter) allow it to perform better than my K-5.</p>

<p>Now that I've been using an Olympus E-PL1 for about a year, I've become much less attached to the idea that I absolutely <em>must</em> have a viewfinder. In fact, not having a viewfinder has sort of liberated me to try shots and angles that I otherwise wouldn't have tried, with surprising and in many cases excellent results. Granted I had been doing this for many years with small-sensor pocket-size digital cameras, but being able to do it with a "large" sensor camera for the first time has opened up a whole world of possibilities (e.g., being able to shoot at an ISO higher than 200 or 400, and being able to once again capture images with shallow depth of field).</p>

<p>Frankly, if I <em>had</em> $299 to spend on something other than groceries or rent, I'd be verrrry tempted to spend it on a K-01. </p>

<p>I do hope that Pentax will at least offer an optional add-on EVF if they continue to produce APS-C mirrorless cameras, but I'm beginning to see the lack of EVF as less of a dealbreaker than I previously thought it would be.</p>