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With all the talk of the K-r and K-5 there seems to be a gap in Pentax's offering. Where is the mid-range camera successor to the K200d. A K-r would suit my need just fine (upgrading from a K20d for better high-iso and AF), but I sure which it had weather sealing. A K300d model would fill that gap quite nicely.

Has anyone heard anything about such a model?

I get the feeling that Pentax has dropped the weather sealed/grip mid range product model in favor of exclusivity for the upper-end products. If I had to guess, I'd say it may of been to difficult to maintain a viable cost advantage against the competition.

There's still a lot of talk about weather-sealing on "all" Pentax cameras.
My K10D is weather-sealed, as we know, and it was one of the reasons in buying into Pentax.
I still see it as a very attractive feature in a camera.

Saying that, none of my lenses are weather sealed, and if it rains, I'm very concerned about them in such conditions.
It really makes a weather-sealed body irrelevant in a way.

It looks as if it will be only included on higher-end Pentax cameras.
I've no problem with that at all.

Yeah, it's really too bad though. WR through their whole range (or most) would be a good thing for even just promotional purposes. Look at Subaru the car company for example. They advertise that their whole lineup is AWD (all-wheel-drive) and it's pretty well known to potential customers.

You make a good point sjwaldron as friend of mine mentioned yesterday how he wished he had a Pentax body to shoot in the rain, he currently shoots with a Canon 5D. Pentax seems to have developed a reputation from other photogs regarding the weather sealing.

That said, I made a choice when I purchased my K100D, oh so long ago, to skip the extra features and WR of the K10D and save $400. I had a budget and bought what I could afford. The same holds true with other brands yet offering a wider range than just two bodies. The vast majority buying into a particular price point/entry level would probably never consider WR as a needed option.

Where's the entry level Pentax though? Continue with the K-x but bring in all the color choices to NA for further sales. The K-r would be the next step up with higher FPS, WR and you end the line with the K-5. A nice well rounded family for new customers to see what best fits their budget and interests.

Not only the WR of the K200D, but the top LCD, and general feel of it. It was head and shoulders above the competition when I bought it, and I haven't seen a compelling replacement - even the K7 fell short basis the sensor.

If the K7 stays in production then its priced in the middle to be your weather sealed k200d replacement.

Nope, no, no, no and no.

Weather sealing is now being reserved for their top line models. If you want it, you will need to pay for it. The same for a top LCD. A top LCD and small form factor do not mix. For most shooters, a top LCD is unnecessary. If you find it necessary, be prepared to spend more to satisfy your needs.

K-7 or K-5 are your models.

K-7 will be in production. Good price and WR.

I hope so

But not keeping my hopes up

It's a pity that they don't seem to consider a K300D model. After the release of the 18-55/55-200 in WR versions I thought that they would WR all their next bodies and make this the distinctive feature of Pentax DSLR. A 14MP version of the K-r with WR would slot perfectly between the K-r and K-5. Add some extra features (back remote, connection for a dedicated grip and maybe even a top LCD). Leave the dual wheels, magnesium alloy and 100% pentaprism VF to the K-5.

Forget it, it will cost as much as the K-5 to build. It would be more effective for Pentax to think about a WR version of the K-r. Besides the K-7 would be in the awkward position of being outperformed by the K-r on 3 key areas: high ISO, AF, fps.

I don't need WR but I'd like a K-r with a pentaprism. That said, it seems pretty clear that Pentax has taken a different route. In fact, if the K5 doesn't sell much better than the K7, I'd expect their next mid-level camera to look a lot more like the K-r than the K5. They can't go on pretending to compete with S/N/C while operating at a tiny fraction of the market size. If they've chosen a niche, it's the young Japanese fashion accessory buyer.

The 645D will be their foray into "serious photography".

The pentaprism was one 2 things I would have like on the K200d. The second was the front shutter dial.