[SyncGuy]

...Matt

Pre-production K3s are out there right now: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

We shall see, when we shall see.

I heard a rumor here that although it's not FF, the IQ is close to 645D.

I heard it too... Rumor has it...

I heard rumors of rumors rumored to be just rumors of a rumored Pentax product rumored to be rumors.. Wondering when will such rumors won't be rumored to be rumors of a rumored product yet again as was rumored in previous years..

[Portland Pete]

All I want is a FF body with a non-crippled mount!

[yusuf]

Awesome, finally K3 is here. I don't care much about FF, APS-C & 24mp is awesome, more important for me is reliable AF - close to Canikon. I recently shot with D800 and 70-200 and most pics were in focus which is a dream so far with all the Pentax bodies I owned (k-5, k-x, k-01) and DA*50-135.

[olypdd]

Well I'm not selling my K5IIs to upgrade to this if a FF is coming next year. But with the specs I'm seeing, it is tempting. Very tempting.

[Tesfaye]

Looks like a winner!
Improved AF has been promised and was expected. But this is the first time I see reference to improved flash system, which has been a long-term demand. And there may be lots of goodies hidden underneath these specifications. It is very good (seems possible) if it is compatible with the grip and battery of K-5 etc., since that inspires confidence in investments. Not just the lens/body link is part of a system, but all links to external elements.
The only thing I really miss (but it certainly would not be in the specs) would be a function where the screw drive takes over when the SDM (or other motor) fails. After all, all motors will fail in the end, also in-camera motors, but we change camera bodies much more often than lenses so the latter is not a big problem. A small trick here would significantly enhance investments in motorized lenses and would be a confidence-turbo.

[thibs]

Oh, please, a whiner already

I'm VERY excited

[Tesfaye]

I have had a Pentax camera since the 70’s. I doubt Pentax will receive any $$$ from me in the future.

Really! Why are you here?
But I take your point: An APS-C, even if good, is a waste of time. And even if they were to bring out a full-frame, it would be too late.
On this background, I find it strange that you cared to join the forum in March. Don't waste your life - be it on disappointments or trolling.

[LFLee]

I am hoping it gives the satisfaction as much as my upgrade from K5 to K5IIs.

Any new flagship body is always welcome, and this will be the first flagship model under Ricoh ownership!
From the company that bring GR and have the gut to bring GXR in the past!

Can't wait!

[kadajawi]

Sweet. Pentax seems to be gearing up in Malaysia too... they have appointed an ex-Intel guy it seems, and are starting to do promotions (the DA 50 1.8 for a reasonable price! Who would have thought...), events, giveaways, ...

If only it could have the AF system of the 70D... perfect video AF... but Pentax would find a way to botch up the video functions. There's no doubt about it. They'd get something wrong...

Oh, and I do recommend Pentax when asked. I don't see any reason to go with another brand. Canon entry level is too plasticy, my cheap point & shoot Canon feels more expensive than the entry level DSLRs! Big Canons are good, but no IS and heavy, not to mention the feel of their buttons is meh, placement even worse. The ergonomics are just bad to me. Power switch etc. Nikon is better in terms of buttons and placement, but still way too big and heavy. The last friend who bought a camera moved from Nikon to Panasonic. He didn't consider Canon and Nikon at all, only Sony, Pentax, Olympus and Panasonic. Pentax was eliminated due to a lack of extreme tele lenses (they need to be compact too), so it was between Olympus and Panasonic. Size and weight does matter a lot to him, he travels a lot. Btw. I see more and more people move to mirrorless cameras, because they are less bulky and less heavy than the big ones. Pentax is somewhere in between, small and light for DSLRs, I think they have a point there. They can sell cameras to people who still want the ergonomics of a DSLR, with pro-level build quality but without the bulk that typically comes with it.

Basically Nikon is ok'ish, but lacking features that I need for work, not so nice to use, and just too big and heavy for their proper bodies. (D7xxx and up).

Canon is meh. All they are good at is video. Big and heavy, usability is outrageous to me. I can pick up most cameras and know how to use them, I never used a DSLR before, picked up a Pentax and it worked. Canon? I even have to search how to turn it on! (I love their point & shoots though). No image stabilization with all lenses is a big bummer too, especially during video. The only thing halfway interesting is the 70D, but I disliked the 40D, 50D and 60D, so...

Olympus is doing interesting stuff. The OM-D is sexy and seems to be really good. Same goes to Panasonic, with a bigger focus towards video. The GH3 is pretty sweet (my friend went for that one).

Sony too has some very nice gear. They are doing interesting stuff, the cameras feel good and serious yet light, quality is good, good for video too.

My wish would be to have a sensor shift system that covers the full frame range. That would a) work better with video since you just have more range before the sensor hits the edge (you have to walk pretty smooth to not max out the current system), b) allow for full frame photos at high resolutions (just stitch them together), and c) give you a massive shift function for architectural photography etc. How much is a tilt shift lens? If you can have half the functionality already built into the lens that'd be huge for some.
Also the camera should have a video recording button (or one that can be assigned as such), P, Av, Tv, TAv and M modes when taking video, at least optional use of the sensor shift system during video, and the ability to pick between different codecs. I want to be able to shoot with MJPEG, and perhaps MPEG 2 and h264/AVC. At any sort of bitrate.
Of course hopefully the K-3 will have a new CPU, or at least the one from the K-30, and not the one from the K-5 which is just a bit slow...

[southlander]

I've been stopping myself from upgrading the K-x with a K-5II. I'm getting a feeling that my wait is worth it.

You and I in the same camp here, except that I have been resisting the K5IIs.

[Class A]

...no AA filter...

I know that there are many "no AA filter" (K-5 IIs) fans here, but I hope that either

a) there will be an option with a Bayer-AA filter, or
b) they will leave the RAW files untouched.

There was talk of a "software AA filter". Obviously, the latter tries to come to the rescue when the damage has happened already, so I'm hoping it is only something to polish JPGs out of the camera, but the RAW data is left alone.

If they are messing with the RAW files, that would be bad, AFAIC.

As far as RAW files are concerned, I don't think any processing -- whether it is noise reduction, moiré removal, or other artefact suppression should be baked into (not so raw anymore) RAW files. If all these issues are dealt with outside the camera, one will be able to benefit from improving algorithms over time.

One approach to address the absence of a Bayer-AA filter is of course the "sensor shift" technique that has been discussed elsewhere. But this will work for certain shots only, so it is not a general remedy and it isn't a strict "software" solution either.

Overall, though, the K-3 sounds very promising and perhaps we haven't heard everything yet.

[K5_Ltd_User]

Plain and simple: People want a FF.
I have the feeling this will not be such a camera (sorry guys) - it will be an ASPC- doesn' t mean I won' t buy it dough.

[Caat]

It sure is getting interesting around here. Get ready for on-the-street demonstrators and lots of touchy-feely sessions in major American cities. So we have DA Limiteds, WR flashes, some hints about a ZOOM ---- what's missing?

A healthy dose of scepticism?

[Clavius]

A healthy dose of scepticism?

It's the most important item in the Pentaxian survival kit. Right next to daily advised dose of ignorance needed to ignore the frowns and eye-rolling from non-pentaxian shooters.

[fs999]

Oh no not another FF thread... There are enough threads around here for trolling