[Pheo]

Lenses lenses lenses! Seriously, now that Pentax may be in Canon/Nikon territory when it comes to autofocus, the slowness of the micromotor-type SDM is all too obvious. Yes, Pentax lenses are somewhat cheaper. But I suspect they won't be able to compete on just that for very long.

For a start, give the 16-50 an upgrade. Rework the optics, implement ring-type autofocus and it will sell, even if it is 3 times the price of a Tamron 17-50. Apply HD coating as a bonus. This will also help clarify plans as to a professional (fka DA*) line.

I fed exactly this point back to the Pentax rep - he asked me what I was missing - A replacement for my Tamron f2.8 17-50mm with WR - "what about the 16-50mm DA*" - Informed him I wouldn't touch it due to its bad rep with SDM motor failures, and that SDM not being fast enough. We talked for some time about the possibility of adding the DC motor to more lenses, he seemed as perplexed as me as to why this couldn't be done.

[Ray Pulley]

I fed exactly this point back to the Pentax rep - he asked me what I was missing - A replacement for my Tamron f2.8 17-50mm with WR - "what about the 16-50mm DA*" - Informed him I wouldn't touch it due to its bad rep with SDM motor failures, and that SDM not being fast enough. We talked for some time about the possibility of adding the DC motor to more lenses, he seemed as perplexed as me as to why this couldn't be done.

If the in-body motor is fast and silent, why even bother to continue in-lens focus motors of any kind?

It is clear to me that screw-drive lenses are extremely reliable versus in-lens motor designs (of any brand, and yes, there have been issues with in-lens focus motors of other brands), and you pay for only one focus motor versus one with every lens. Pentax has a quick-shift design that works just fine with the screw drive as well.

The screw-drive lenses I have are faster than any SDM lens I have owned, and while they might not keep up with a ring-motor design, they have to be far cheaper to make.

Putting a motor in the lens also means that the lens will never perform any differently than the day it was designed. While you are stuck with the gear ratio chosen for a screw-drive design, with the motor in the body, you can improve it with every generation and all lenses will benefit.

You have to have an in-body motor anyway to keep the backwards compatibility that Pentax is known for, and the main knock I hear against screw-drive lenses is the noise (which I am sure is mainly the motor in the body), so a fast and silent in-body motor is a simple and brilliant solution.

I hope that Pentax continues to think out of the box and doesn't listen to the folks that want the brand to "me too" everything CaNikon does, as that will leave only one way to compete: price.

I was holding out for the discounted K5II, but I may have to scrape up enough for the K3 if the IQ looks good.

Ray

[7samurai]

I'm suspecting the DA Limited were upgraded with the new coating because it was simple compared to adding DC or SDM II to the lenses.With the quieter screw motor on the K-3 (rumor), that would really help.
I'm suspect the DA Limited are also a good source of profit for Pentax/Ricoh, so return on investment is higher.

I'm hoping for SDM II, but I'd be really surprised before we see anything until Photokina. I suspect 645II might be next since both Canon and Nikon are going to be showing off medium format cameras soon. This will be interesting to see Canon and Nikon trying to invade Pentax's territory for a change.

If the fabled full frame is going to happen in 2014, maybe Photokina?, then I would be surprised that they release any new lenses except for new full frame compatible lense.

[MouLaG Ôfr]

That's my hope...but there has been absolutely no rumors that it is coming anytime soon
Then again there wasn't anh rumors regarding the Limited Lenses refresh nor tbe 55-300mm WR, so wbo knows. I'd be shper happy with a 16-50mm HD & DC motor

This is what I heard from someone from Pentax.
(And it was the same for the 55-300, 4 days before the announcement)

[cali92rs]

This is what I heard from someone from Pentax.
(And it was the same for the 55-300, 4 days before the announcement)

Didn't knos you had inside info. I hope your source is right

[mee]

Maybe Rebadge the K-500 as a K-300, discontinue the K-50, and 'bring back' the K-30..

[Pheo]

I wonder how much they could bring the 645D price down by. If they got it to £3k surely the FF Brigade would have to pipe down

[bossa]

A K-3F (FF) and the 645D MkII (mirrorless). As much as I want a TC I'm not sure how useful one is going to be when diffraction will be kicking in at f/5.6 on the new 24MP sensor and where the main lens candidate is already starting out at f/4.

[starbase218]

A K-3F (FF) and the 645D MkII (mirrorless). As much as I want a TC I'm not sure how useful one is going to be when diffraction will be kicking in at f/5.6 on the new 24MP sensor and where the main lens candidate is already starting out at f/4.

I think the lens would have to be of exceptional (i.e. unbelievable) quality for diffraction at f/5.6 to be the limiting factor. I'm not sure any of today's lenses are that good.

[Schraubstock]

...I just emptied the bank account for a K-3

Was that your Swiss bank account ? Wasn't much in it, was there.

Greetings

[Col]

So what do we think about this picture that was supposed to be of the K-3?

The mirror box and shutter release mechanism are plainly different from the K-3 we now know.

Well that was a K5 with a slightly misaligned front mount from a K-01

[cheekygeek]

Now that they have the new PRIME III and the new SAFOX XI AF system plus some other hardware bits and pieces the R&D department could very well spent some time on that 645DII. Only thing we could be guessing about is who will deliver the sensor now that Kodak has gone belly up.

Agreed that this is what the 645DII has been waiting for (the Fujitsu Milbeaut version 7 ... AKA PRIME III) . The sensor? My bet is on this one:
KAF-50100 - TRUESENSE 6.0-micron Full Frame CCD Platform - Technologies - Products - Full Frame CCD (formerly Kodak's sensor division) although it could also be this one: http://image-sensors-world.blogspot.com/2012/09/teledyne-dalsa-announces-60mp-medium.html

[mecrox]

It's quite hard to see what any 645D would be for. What is the point of this camera? What is its market? As the present camera stands, it must represent a tiny marginal business to Ricoh. New FF sensors are starting to impinge at the lower end, while there are noises of Canon and Nikon making moves at the higher end. So at the moment, the 645 project looks a bit of an awkward 'tweener between FF and the PhaseOne/Hasselblad crowd.

Maybe this is a great business to be in, with a rosy future. I just don't know which is why I am asking. I'm assuming Ricoh would like to concentrate their efforts in areas with a good return and a good future. I mean, no doubt the 645D is an excellent landscape camera, for example. But at so much more than a Nikon D800E which has a simply huge accessories catalogue and pro support network behind it? Hmmn.

[RuiC]

I'm not waiting for this one: too big and heavy for me. For my purposes the 60-250 f4 is better for APS-C. Maybe they'll bring the 70/80-200 out for full-frame, though again I don't think I would buy one. I sold my Nikon version because of its weight, but it was a cracking lens.

They have a 70-200 on the works!

[mamethot]

It's quite hard to see what any 645D would be for. What is the point of this camera? What is its market? As the present camera stands, it must represent a tiny marginal business to Ricoh. New FF sensors are starting to impinge at the lower end, while there are noises of Canon and Nikon making moves at the higher end. So at the moment, the 645 project looks a bit of an awkward 'tweener between FF and the PhaseOne/Hasselblad crowd.

Maybe this is a great business to be in, with a rosy future. I just don't know which is why I am asking. I'm assuming Ricoh would like to concentrate their efforts in areas with a good return and a good future. I mean, no doubt the 645D is an excellent landscape camera, for example. But at so much more than a Nikon D800E which has a simply huge accessories catalogue and pro support network behind it? Hmmn.

I'd says it's a statement more than anything else. It says: Hey, we are serious about our stuff. YMMV