As a relative outsider I have a few thoughts.
I`m currently shooting Nikon but I`m almost certainly moving over to Pentax in the new year.
The main reasons for coming to this decision were.
1) I held a K5 in Jessops before they went bust and I liked the feel of it
2) The build quality of the body, the weather sealing, the in body stabilisation
3) The compatibility of the bodies with old lenses
4) I`d been reading about these Ltd`s which were good quality but also decent prices. ( Admittedly on US websites )
The first 3 reasons still apply but the fourth one has all but disappeared.
I`ll probably still buy a K5ll ( maybe a kit 18-135 ) but I`ve been buying up some old manual stuff on ebay to use with the body.
After all a lot of the old stuff still has good glass and I don`t mind manual focus too much anyway.
Photography reminds me of the way motocycling went many years ago. It`s turning into a seriously rich man`s hobby.