Cotty wrote: > > whickersworld wrote: > > >In future years, when photographers reminisce about the year > >2003, the EOS 300D is the only one of these two digital SLRs > >that anyone will remember. A truly remarkable coup, and > >full marks to Canon for making the first true consumer DSLR. > > I don't think this will be the case at all. Sure the Canon will be hailed > as a landmark in consumer DSLRs, but at what level of features, and at > what price?
Perhaps, in your rarified world, you don't realise that the consumer electronics market is driven by gimmickry and the availability of new technology at a price consumers can afford. Given the maturity of the PC market, the consumer electronic buyers have their Christmas 2003 cash available for whatever's HOT, and the EOS 300D is it. > It's still too expensive for most. Nonsense. It's cheaper than the average PC. In other words, it's affordable. It will sell in huge numbers. > Anyway, the *ist D is a > peg up the ladder from the 300D. ( When Ms. 300D shoots 4 frames and then > has to wait while 'it does somethin with the memory, I dunno, somethin > technical' she'll assume they all do that and won't care anyway.) The > D100 / 10D / *ist D shooter will know a bit more about what's going on > with his/her camera, and will care. The *ist D will be hailed as the > 'smallest / lightest / cutest' DSLR with good feature levels - you watch, > I'll bet the ads play on this heavily. Commentators will, however, mock > the name,as they already have: AP couldn't figure it out at all, but gave > the *ist film SLR a big thumbs-up. They'll do the same with the *ist D, > mark my words. > > Yes, the Canon will be recalled in years to come, but as with the LX, I > think so too the *ist D will be remembered also, not buried like the > Sigma SD-9...... Well, nothing will ever be "buried like the Sigma SD-9" except maybe the latest M42 mount Zenit SLR. But the *ist D will only be of any significance to Pentax users; its influence on the wider world of imaging will be approximately nil. The average consumer DSLR buyer won't be impressed by the *ist D's additional features over the EOS 300D but will be highly impressed by the Canon's price, and rightly so. 6 megapixels for GBP 899.00 is a remarkable coup. The extra features the *ist D offers over the EOS 300D are available for less in the Canon EOS 10D, so the *ist D's 6 megapixel ability for GBP 1400.00 is just a bore, except for those who want a camera that accepts Pentax lenses. As members of this mailing list, we should not over-estimate our self-importance in the world of photography as Pentax owners, users, enthusiasts and (some) obsessives. The *ist D is a nice camera, but it won't change anything much. It's a bit like the MZ-S, or the Minolta Dynax (Maxxum) 7 ... nice products, but no significant market penetration, ultimately forgettable despite their undoubted virtues. We should not let our loyalty towards, or love for, the Pentax brand, or our sour grapes, cloud our judgement. The EOS 300D is HOT, and it is a massive technical and marketing coup for Canon. Photography will never be the same again. The *ist D changes nothing, except for Pentax users. Best regards, John
