[thibs]

Aperture rings can be electronically controlled. Pretty sure any mirrorless less with aperture ring is not mechanical.
That would make them not compatible with older bodies though...

[reh321]

The last thing on earth the Limiteds need IMHO is DC autofocus. Why? Because their strong suit is not just the image quality but also their lightness and compactness. You ruin that if you put the AF motor inside the lens body.

You are entitled to your humble opinion, and I'm entitled to have a different view. My K-30 came with a 18-55 lens, but shortly thereafter I bought the 18-135. Why? I didn't need the added reach, but I switched away from Pentax to Canon 20 years ago because of auto-focus, and when I came back to Pentax I found that I disliked the body focus motor as much as I had thought I would. Comparing the 18-55 to the 18-135, I don't believe that there is a noticeable difference in weight, but there is a very very noticeable difference in noise.

[Nicolas06]

You are entitled to your humble opinion, and I'm entitled to have a different view. My K-30 came with a 18-55 lens, but shortly thereafter I bought the 18-135. Why? I didn't need the added reach, but I switched away from Pentax to Canon 20 years ago because of auto-focus, and when I came back to Pentax I found that I disliked the body focus motor as much as I had thought I would. Comparing the 18-55 to the 18-135, I don't believe that there is a noticeable difference in weight, but there is a very very noticeable difference in noise.

The ltd tend to focus quite fast and don't make much noise.

[rawr]

DC focus motors don't have to add noticeable bulk to a lens. The Sigma E-mount primes (19/30/60) are very compact yet have silent DC AF motors. Some Sony E-mount lenses are also quite compact, yet manage to fit DC focus motors AND vibration reduction in them,

I have no doubt that if tomorrow Pentax decided to add silent AF motors to lenses like the 31/44/77 Ltd's, their designers could do it without necessarily supersizing the lenses.

[Nicolas06]

DC focus motors don't have to add noticeable bulk to a lens. The Sigma E-mount primes (19/30/60) are very compact yet have silent DC AF motors. Some Sony E-mount lenses are also quite compact, yet manage to fit DC focus motors AND vibration reduction in them,

I have no doubt that if tomorrow Pentax decided to add silent AF motors to lenses like the 31/44/77 Ltd's, their designers could do it without necessarily supersizing the lenses.

The question to me would be the durability of the lenses. We know that many FA lenses and F lenses still survive to theses days. If you spend high money on a lense and you incomporate small motor inside, the question will be if the lense will be as durable.

I brought a FA77 new not long ago, I can expect it to work for at least 10 years, likely 20 years... I expect it to have a longer life that maybe I be willing to use it.

I'am not 100% sure for DC lenses.

[Mistral75]

The question to me would be the durability of the lenses. We know that many FA lenses and F lenses still survive to theses days. If you spend high money on a lens and you incorporate small motor inside, the question will be if the lense will be as durable.

I brought a FA77 new not long ago, I can expect it to work for at least 10 years, likely 20 years... I expect it to have a longer life that maybe I be willing to use it.

I'am not 100% sure for DC lenses.

Do you really think that, taking into account the increasing number of motorised lenses over time, modern cameras in 10 to 20 years from now will still encompass a motor dedicated to focussing screw-driven lenses?

[Zygonyx]

That would be for sure a "no buy" for me, if PR did issue K-2 in KAF3 compatible mount only.....

[Franc]

K2? new name?

[pathdoc]

K2? new name?

It's what some people are expecting the full-frame to be called. The even numbers seem to have been carefully reserved (K-7, K-5, K-3 etc), which may indicate that they were setting them aside for future full-frame developments. It would be a nice salute to the flagship K2 back in 1975, released when Pentax shifted to the K mount. What better name to apply to the camera with which Pentax shifts to digital full frame?

Personally I'm not believing anything until the official release.

[Zygonyx]

K2? new name?

Supposition only (btw, not mine, i do prefer K-F1)

[Mistral75]

K2? new name?

(...) It would be a nice salute to the flagship K2 back in 1975, released when Pentax shifted to the K mount. What better name to apply to the camera with which Pentax shifts to digital full frame?

(...)

What you wrote

+ 1975 - 2015 = 40 years

+ a nice way of witnessing that Pentax issuing a 24x36 digital camera was like climbing a hell of a mountain :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K2

+ a nod to the MR-52 / MZ-D prototype or rather its successor the K-1 (which was publicly shown in 2011), a MZ-D shell covering the 24x36 prototype camera deriving from K-7 on which Pentax was working in 2008-2009 in parallel with a medium format prototype camera with a 33x44mm sensor which eventually became the 645D.

[pathdoc]

SO is this then the original prototype full-frame DSLR? Did it ever see the light of day outside displays/photo conventions? Or was it so prototypical as to be unfit for commercial release as a full-frame? I have to say, it's ugly as sin.

Given what Pentax has done in the medium-format digital field, it may be that they backed the right horse in the long run. If the Full-Frame is to FF cameras in general what the 645Z is to MF - if they've crossed all their T's and dotted all their I's and got all the foreseeable bugs out - it will blow SoCaNikon out of the water, whatever its initial imperfections.

[Mistral75]

SO is this then the original prototype full-frame DSLR? Did it ever see the light of day outside displays/photo conventions? Or was it so prototypical as to be unfit for commercial release as a full-frame? I have to say, it's ugly as sin.

(...)

As I wrote, it's an MZ-D on the outside but packed with the entrails of one of the 2007-2008 prototypes: sensor (prototype of Kodak KAF-18500, eventually sold to Leica for their M9), imaging engine (prototype of Prime II) and so on.

As far as I know, it never saw the light of day before this "touch and try the new Pentax Q" gathering in Tokyo on 16 July 2011, where it was presented with other Pentax cameras meant to symbolize the heritage of Pentax Q.

(from left to right: Q, K-5, K-1, 645D with a 'special decoration' , a rare 645J and 67)

[IOO]

K2? new name?

At the Japanese Pentax/Ricoh site they are selling these items: | RICOH IMAGING

Why should they promote the K2, and not other cameraes in the K-series, if the new ff camera's name wasn't K2? I have predicted that a Pentax ff should be callled K2* since the K10D was introduced! *Or K2DMD like the top model in the film area.

By the way the prototype is just a bit larger than K3.

[Nicolas06]

Do you really think that, taking into account the increasing number of motorised lenses over time, modern cameras in 10 to 20 years from now will still encompass a motor dedicated to focussing screw-driven lenses?

It will in fact highly depend when the screw drive lenses stop being made. If some are offered new for a few more years, yes I expect it. Many people are there because they can use their MF lenses. Many people will want to use their screw drive lenses too. If screw drive is no longer supported, as of now, no ltd except the DA zoom will work anymore... And the DA ltd have been replaced just 1-2 years ago, they may sell for 5 more years at least and it a type of lense the brand will want to support for a long time, not like a kit lense that is bundled with the camera for 50-100€.

In 15 years, if they decide to stop supporting screw drive (+10 years after the last screw drive) you'll be always be able to buy the last screw drive camera or in 20 years to buy one used. That would limit you to maybe 30 years of life span true.

But if the some new model are still made with screw drive, like new FA ltd then it might not be dropped at all. We will have more element of response when thy renew the lenses!