Originally posted by mecrox
Well, to get back to the original topic ... I don't see much point in waiting for anything. The world is awash with second-hand or heavily discounted camera equipment, probably enough to rival the Great Barrier Reef as a natural er unnatural wonder. Most of it offers stunning quality compared to what was on offer in, say, 2005-2010. Just buy what you want when you want. The Japanese companies' incredible overproduction and blindness to what was coming at them (smartphones, saturation) is now your feast. New items receive a double whammy: a high sales tax on new and early-adopter pricing. If Brand A doesn't have what you want on discount or segundo mano, then buy Brand B - they'll be remarkably similar under the plastic anyway, likely using the same or very similar sensors and shutters. The same is true of a lot of lenses, imho. Brand-new Pentax DA 16-85mm far too expensive? Then buy a Sigma 17-70mm at half the price of the Pentax. The difference between the two won't be so large, if any at all really, that you cannot live with one until the price comes down to sensible levels on the other.
I'll likely buy a K3 next now that its price has come right down here. But then since the yen has depreciated against the dollar substantially over the past couple of years, Ricoh probably aren't doing too badly at lower prices anyway. Ricoh can lower prices a bit without so much impact on their bottom line, a useful marketing tool to have. Since the K3 is good for a quarter of a million actuations, a staggering number, I can well afford to keep it (and benefit from Ricoh's over-engineering) until something really new and very clearly better comes down the pike. A K3 Mk II might be a nice iteration but it isn't likely to be $1000 better than the K3 Mk I. As for the unicorn Pentax FF camera: 90 per cent of camera-buyers won't be in the market for it, and those that are will need to answer the tricky question "Why Pentax?" in the absence of a credible lens catalogue compared to the competition.
There are always rumours about the new best thing and they are always wrong. The new best thing is always a few months off - it never arrives.
I am with you 100%. I switched from Canon after 12 years for nostalgic reasons and looking for a better system. I am longing for a camera that will give me a focusing system that is quick and locks on quickly. Mid range Canons which is what I could afford did not do that. I thought Pentax might and that was not the case either. The other thing I wanted was a good flash system that I could rely on without suffering through every click. Pentax came up short there too. Am I unhappy with the K3 overall. Not by a long shot. I love the K3 with my three amigos. They are a joy to use but have the flaws I mentioned earlier. When the focus locks on, the results are stunning.
I am still looking for a fast focusing camera. The flash issue, I can deal with manual settings if I have too. The only recently added requirement is lots of pixels for nature and landscape photography. I know the pixel issue can be solved with the 645z but it is out of my range for some time to come. Would I switch systems again? If promised 50MP Canon body shows up I may do so. After all I miss my Tamron 24-70 and 70-200 vC lenses. The two lenses alone are worth switching for. Too bad they are not offered for Pentax.
For now, K3 has delivered in assignment situations. So I am a happy camper. I am interested in Pentax FF if it is well north of 36MP, otherwise why bother. Or worst do the switcharoo again. Oh no, can't part with the three amigos!