[THoog]

We could make a drinking game out of how many times a PF thread digresses into: (1) the difference between FL vs FOV; (2) the correct way to test/calibrate a lens; (3) whether there will ever be FF and if it's even necessary; (4) whether the Pentax name will disappear; (5) bacon.

When I get tired of reading post after post attempting technical one-upmanship, I go read the Clickin Moms forum.

What do you have against bacon?

[tvdtvdtvd]

Nazi!

Does that still work?

Honestly, I recall Godwin's law coming into play many a time on usenet, but haven't seen a Nazi drop
on an interweb forum in many, many years.

[VE2CJW]

In my case, I.d like to have a mirrorless K30 with a tilt screen that still supports using the OGPS1 for astromomy. I, think I'll keep dreaming.

[jatrax]

(1) the difference between FL vs FOV; (2) the correct way to test/calibrate a lens; (3) whether there will ever be FF and if it's even necessary; (4) whether the Pentax name will disappear; (5) bacon.

You forgot cheese.......

[VoiceOfReason]

You forgot cheese.......

You forgot lutefisk

[JibbaJab]

^ This is true.

What do you have against bacon?

I am not now, nor have I ever been, opposed to bacon. Heil bacon!

Anyway, back to the merits of tilt screens...

[Raffwal]

OK, we got it the first 8 times.

[JibbaJab]

Wow, sorry about that! I don't know what happened and why that posted so many times! Deleting now.

I noticed some other double posts around the same time, so now I don't feel as awful (though mine was probably a new record for repeat posts). Must have been a glitch in the Matrix.

[THoog]

Pentax! Ricoh! Why not just call it Sam?

As long as it has a K-mount I'm still interested.

Didn't that already happen?

[Rondec]

You guys argue and discuss the same 5 or 6 things in each thread.. have you noticed this?

Yes.

We could make a drinking game out of how many times a PF thread digresses into: (1) the difference between FL vs FOV; (2) the correct way to test/calibrate a lens; (3) whether there will ever be FF and if it's even necessary; (4) whether the Pentax name will disappear; (5) bacon.

When I get tired of reading post after post attempting technical one-upmanship, I go read the Clickin Moms forum.

Oh dear, you brought up bacon...

What do you have against bacon?

I just read Charlotte's Web to my kids, but fortunately, I don't think they took it to heart...

You forgot cheese.......

Can't say no to cheese.

Slightly more seriously, as long as Ricoh continues to support and invest in the k mount, I will be happy. I can't see the brand on my camera when I'm shooting anyway, so why should I care?

[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.

[btnapa]

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!

[Belnan]

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!

The good news for you is that Pentax will likely release a 70-200 lens that would be just as good as the tamron in the near future. The 24-70 probably wont be far behind. I suspect that the new 70-200 will satisfy your need for speed.

[LensBeginner]

The good news for you is that Pentax will likely release a 70-200 lens that would be just as good as the tamron in the near future. The 24-70 probably wont be far behind. I suspect that the new 70-200 will satisfy your need for speed.

Mmmh... that could also mean a reduction for the price of used Tamron & Sigma 70-200 2.8 in Pentax mount...
Maybe I'll find a good deal and finally get it...

[mrNewt]

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.

That is good thinking and very good advise in the same time... problem is the die hard fans... this won't stick to them very well .

Also, some will argue that even if the hardware might be the same under the skin, the software usually is quite different from company to company and that is what matter the most. And sometimes even the skin is important (plastic-fantastic vs metal-chill + ergonomics).