Originally posted by CptDibble Personally I'm a little bit disappointed that the features of the new mid range camera KS-2 (articulated screen and nfc/wifi) haven't made it into the top of the range refresh. I'm sure Pentax didn't want to devote a whole lot of engineering time to the K3-II while working on the FF.
What we have here seems to be the body that Pentax has been using to prototype new features going into the FF. The pentaprism hump on this camera matches what we've seen on the FF mockup.
It seems like a lost opportunity but if you're a K5 owner, this is a nice jump. As a K3 owner, I'm not sure I'd notice a whole lot with the same 8.3 fps and super resolution only available for landscape/tripod work. I'm losing a flash that I rarely/never use for a GPS receiver that I'll probably never use either.
Apparently I am unusual around here. I see two markets for APS-C cameras - "enthusiast" (like me) and "pro", and I see certain features as being more appropriate for one than for the other. The main distinguishing feature is the amount of money available. For example, I have never spent more than $700 on a camera (that was 20 years ago, so because of inflation, I should be willing to spend more than that now). Thus, although I might be very interested, you won't see me buying $2300 lenses (in fact, my rule of thumb is that I seldom buy a lens that costs more than my camera). The relevance here is that I also see certain features as fitting each market. In particular, I have always viewed the built-in flash and flippy screen as fitting into the "E" market, so I wasn't surprised to see both excluded from this camera. I also expect a "P" camera to be black, so you can recognize a pro when you see one (which is why I think an other-colored camera can cause people to ignore me when I'm trying to take discreet pictures). I
was surprised to see WiFi lacking - as I indicated on an earlier comment, I'm guessing that their engineering team had their hands full, and there is only so much room inside a camera body. Yes, modern electronics seem to be small, but they add up over time, and they have to be arranged to they (including antennae) don't interfere with each other. I am certain there was also someone whose job was to watch heat build-up and someone else who was watching power usage.
Originally posted by CptDibble Once feature that no one ever mentions, but would be a bit of a game changer, would be to integrate a flash radio trigger in the body. Put in Pentax specific PTTL remote flash triggering via a built in radio and sell a hotshoe stand with a built in receiver for the existing flashes. Or maybe emulate/support the most popular transmitters like Pocketwizard, Cactus and Elinchrom inside the camera and offer a camera bundle with some matching receivers. The functionality in the body could be enabled by buying a code unique to your camera's serial no. and out of the box, you could trigger studio flashes. My Elinchrom studio lights have built in receivers and it's so handy. When you have to set up a white screen, lights, a tripod etc, every step that you eliminate makes the camera desirable for mobile photographers. The people who spend their days going out to schools taking group photos or baby shots for a living.
I'm sorry - I tried to mention RF every time someone else mentioned flash. If I understand correctly, Canon has their own RF protocol, and their newest cameras can all be a master for that, apart from the built-in flash; that is why I was surprised at the Pentax users who depend on the tiny point-source flash to trigger optically-aware flashes. Yes, Pentax should either develop their own system or (because of their size) license one from someone else, and then stuff that inside the camera shell also.