The #3 spot has been like musical chair in the last few years.
In the K10D/K100D days, Pentax was a solid #3.
In 2008, it was Sony by a mile.
Last year it was Olympus.
The first part of this year, K-x may have allowed Pentax to back in #3 (just guessing only, have not seen any sales figure). But the momentum seems to be lagging now.
Just last week in Japan, Sony's NEX-5 alone has put Sony in #3 spot (occupying #5 and #7 in the sales chart in Japan). We'll see how well NEX will sell in the coming weeks; especially with the on-sale soon NEX-3, and the rumored top end NEX-7. I personally think Sony has to count on NEX this year, as their A290/390 looks like sales bust and probably won't figure much in the sales chart.
Pentax would need something up its sleeve in the second half of this year if it wants to achieve/keep its #3 spot.
Originally posted by mickey
My ongoing observation in Tokyo would be that Pentax has the #3 spot.
Certainly in terms of the cameras that I see around peoples necks.
One camera store(Yodobashi Camera) in Tokyo currently has the K-x as it's #3 top seller.
Still, the majority are Nikon and Canon, but I still see more Pentax than Olympus and Sony on the streets and in the parks, for what it's worth.