The Pentax K-01 is out there

So no more speculations or rumours: the Pentax K-01 is out there, and I confess it looks more interesting than I anticipated.

Full specs are provided at many sites in English and besides you have a very nicely done introduction at DSLR Magazine.

So, despite all people saying it was impossible for Pentax to release two mirrorless systems, they have done it: the all tiny Q system, and now at the other side of the size spectrum, the K-01 system, providing full compatibility with current and legacy K lenses. To top it all, Pentax released their lens roadmap for 2012 and 2013.

I think their game is smarter than competitors were thinking.

"Google making the world better" bollocks

I found, via Daringfireball, an article where an old employee from Google, and longstanding supporter of Google, Nelson Minar, expresses his disappointment with the current status and strategy of that company.

I was reading it and found this sentence:

But I think Google as an organization has moved on; they're focussed now on market position, not making the world better.

I don't know if this guy is ingenuous enough to believe (or at least, doing it in the past) that Google's goal was "to make the world better".

Making the world better my bollocks.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, Intel and on and on: they want to make money. Their strategies differ, and I love some products of some of those companies. But their goal is the same: business.

Now, "making the world better"??

Yeah, sure.

First samples of pictures taken with Fuji X-Pro 1

As reported today by The Online Photographer, the first full size pictures taken with the Fuji X-Pro camera, the mouth watering camera par excellence, are already available.

Pity about mortgages and plenty-of-other-stuff-to-spend-money-in... as otherwise I would heavily invest in this system, for sure.

Crematorio, a masterpiece tv series

Yesterday I watched the two first episodes of a Spanish tv series which excellent reputation, entitled "Crematorio". And I was truly blown away by its quality, to the point it reminded me of "The Wire" due to the realism and interest of the stories.

The core of the series is focused on the story of Rubén Bertoméu, a rich man who made fortune by using all kind of dirty methods in order to make business. But this, which is a fairly standard topic, is exploited in a talented manner, mixing personal relationships and crime affairs, all in a convincing way and far from moralities. Furthermore, the quality of interpretations is stunning, beginning with that of José Sancho (Rubén Bertoméu) and following with a top-notch team of actors.

All in all I am extremely pleased after starting with it, and I'm sure this is going to become another personal favourite, this time from my own country.

New song from Bebe, "Sabrás"

My impression is confirmed: Bebe has a clear identity, and that is about the best thing you can have in the world of music. She just released a new song from her forthcoming album "Un pokito de rokanrol", entitled "Sabrás", and if the previous one (K.I.E.R.E.M.E.) was all about rhythm, in this one she goes towards quieter sounds.

I'm all anxious to hear the full album.

President of Canon to step down, after overall decrease in sales

Imaging Resource reports about the president of Canon stepping down, after overall sales decrease in 2011 (mainly due to sluggish sales of compact cameras).

Some people point out to smartphones being the replacement of compact cameras, as the main reasons for such decrease. I think that is only part of the problem.

Canon remains one of the two big gorillas in photography, together with Nikon. But if you look at the market of photography cameras in the last 10 years, there are clear conclusions:

- First of all, it is true that there are today many serious contenders in the world of compact cameras, both from traditional photography camera makers, but mainly from smartphones, which have been continuously eroding the low end of compact camera sales. It is widely reported that the best seller, among compact cameras today, is the iPhone. I have made some quick back-to-back comparisons between a good compact (Fuji Finepix F30) and a mid smartphone (Sony Xperia Neo V) and I was shocked to see the results.

But there are a number of additional aspects, which should be taken into account:

- Canon made the strongest debut with their low-end dSLR models at very affordable prices, getting a significant advance over competitors in the mid 2000s.

- Nikon took a while to react, but then they smashed with a series of dSLR models which received both rave reviews and unanymous acclaim of photographers, both amateurs and professionals (D300, D3, D700...).

- Canon had very serious problems with his flagship model (EOS 1-D), with a number of longstanding issues that damaged their reputation among professionals (autofocus, stains, etc). Nikon profited of these flaws to convince many top-notch photographers to switch to their flagships, the D3 and D700.

 - Last but not least, Canon is the only big player in photography who remains, as of today, without any system of mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. All others, including the pioneers of Olympus, Panasonic, but also later competitors, as Samsung, Sony, Ricoh, Pentax and eventually even Nikon, have joined the mirrorless market, making a bold impact and getting significant sales in some markets, as Japan and the UK.

Canon is said to be developping such a system in the last years, but fact is that there is nothing in the market, in early 2012.

All of these issues add up and have changed the image of Canon, from an almost impregnable leader in the early 2000s, to a strong but troubled player in 2012.

Pentax K-01 to be introduced on February 2nd in London

The site Stuff-review.com has posted a scan of an invitation to the official introduction of the new Pentax K-01, to be held in London on February 2nd, from 11 to 13 h. Besides, they post a few pictures, including two drawings of the camera, and two pictures which are supposed to correspond to small parts of the camera.