[Mistral75]

Who said Pentax postponed anything? The rumours of an announcement in April/May were about an entry-level camera.

K-5II(s), announced on September 10th, 2012 is to last at least one year.

Might want to take a look at the very first post of this thread, the one that shows the magazine prediction of a K-3(s) in April...

(...)

I was talking about the bits and pieces I got from my own sources in Asia and reported back here:

I have heard about a couple of (DSLR) announcements soon (...)

Weeks rather than months. But nothing high-endish I am afraid.

not about the allegedly educated predictions made by some audience-greedy newspaper.

[Kunzite]

Well, if we look closely to the complaints:
- "poor" buttons quality is probably due to weather sealing (controls will be more stiff, and with poorer feedback)
- the DA 35mm f/2.4 and 50mm f/1.8 are quite good, for their price (the later might be slightly soft wide open, but very sharp from f/2.8)
- IMO the DA 16-50 should be replaced; it's not that bad but doesn't deserve it's star designation
- Pentax being "very unstable", that's debatable. IMHO they just found stability, after being forcefully acquired by Hoya.

Clavius, I don't care much about rumors (they're mostly annoying), but I'm surprised at the lack of leaks...

[Mistral75]

(...) Even the rumors have died now.

This is only the calm before the storm .

[Kunzite]

The storm of complaints, because some new cameras are not different enough, wrong format, have mirrors and so on?

[Aristophanes]

The storm of complaints, because some new cameras are not different enough, wrong format, have mirrors and so on?

Back to film. It's all so confusing.

[Digitalis]

Back to film. It's all so confusing.

yeah, things are much simpler when all you need is a tripod, lensboard with a schneider APO symmar 240mm f/5.6, 8X10 bellows, 8X10 sized ground glass, some 8X10 format T-max in the filmholders and a spotmeter.

[monochrome]

This is only the calm before the storm .

Won't this place be jumping if every three or four weeks for six months Pentax and Ricoh announce something (or things) new, different and wonderful?:

[Aristophanes]

and a spotmeter

Cheater.

[Clavius]

This is only the calm before the storm .

Lets hope so. I'm dying to see something NEW.

[thibs]

- the DA 35mm f/2.4 and 50mm f/1.8 are quite good, for their price (the later might be slightly soft wide open, but very sharp from f/2.8)

It may be a little soft wide open but less than the F50/1.4 which tends to be Vaseline factory (whic has it uses, don't get me wrong)

[Aristophanes]

Originally posted by Kunzite
- the DA 35mm f/2.4 and 50mm f/1.8 are quite good, for their price (the later might be slightly soft wide open, but very sharp from f/2.8)
It may be a little soft wide open but less than the F50/1.4 which tends to be Vaseline factory (whic has it uses, don't get me wrong)
_______________

Quite right.

3 lower-end primes in the 50/1.8, 40/2.8 XS, and the 35/2.4.

Pentax now needs a longer 70ish and something wide, 15-21. It's too bunched up in the middle.

They also need to WR the 55-300.

The days of higher-end DA* and even Ltd APS-C lenses are disappearing. Higher-end money is going to FF.

[Kunzite]

Won't this place be jumping if every three or four weeks for six months Pentax and Ricoh announce something (or things) new, different and wonderful?:

I doubt they'll work with such a fast pace. Definitely not with DSLR products, but even including point and shoots it's unlikely.
I want quality, not quantity, so I'm fine with a slower, more deliberate approach (just not too slow).

[monochrome]

I doubt they'll work with such a fast pace. Definitely not with DSLR products, but even including point and shoots it's unlikely.
I want quality, not quantity, so I'm fine with a slower, more deliberate approach (just not too slow).

They have Ricoh, Q, K and 645 mounts. Each needs lenses. Each needs accessories. That would only be twelve to 15 release dates a year - but they'd certainly stay in the news. Certain websites would be forced to put Pentax on the front page for a week every month for 6 months, 12 months, hwoever many months.

[RonHendriks1966]

Higher-end money is going to FF.

Well I do believe that and I couldn't believe my eyes when looking at the new lens for Nikon 1 system. For the 32mm/f1.2 lens it is 859 euro overhere:
1 Nikkor 32mm f/1.2 objectief Zwart

[Aristophanes]

Well I do believe that and I couldn't believe my eyes when looking at the new lens for Nikon 1 system. For the 32mm/f1.2 lens it is 859 euro overhere:

Japanese companies are in denial about their pricing, not just in cameras.

The EU is in a recession, North America is cautious, and the BoJ is printing money to drive inflation at home so that a sliding Yen drops in value.

To make up for the lost revenues on pre-QE stock, Japanese camera companies are raising or setting prices at unrealistic levels.

Then we see that all camera sales have stalled including the supposed rocket ship Borg-like mirrorless segment. Olympus is dropping their lower-end models because a huge chunk of the market is using smartphones now, and they're not the only ones going this way.

Unless prices drop, sales will plummet. It's that simple. Nikon is in fairy-land, IMO, both on the 1-series and the CoolPix A. At least with Ricoh and the GR we see some sanity. And Pentax bodies are OK priced, but they sure need a DSLR below the K-30.