Originally posted by anu l Ricoh-Pentax seem to be reserving some of the pro level features exclusively for the K-3 & K-1 series, even when including those in K-Sx & K-x0 wont cost anything extra (probably because having it adds a lot value to the product).
Having said that it must be appreciated that they've included the Pixel shift & 4.5 stops SR in K-70.
I think this is the most likely case. It's kinda like Disneyland. They nearly always have the same number of attractions. Whenever there's something new you can almost surely bet that something old is going away.
Pentax may not want to just give more and more features with each new mid-level or beginner camera release. Sure memory increases, screen resolution goes up, and other things keep up with the times, but features are a different story. The features define the camera and the features sell the camera.
If they sell camera 1 with features A, B, C, and D, then sell the follow-up camera with features A, B, C, and E and it sells more units, they may then sell camera 3 with features A, B, E, and their exclusive new technology, feature F.
We need to remember that these are business decisions. If a few generations of mid-range cameras missing your favorite features have poor sales, they very well may put the feature back in future models.
Unfortunately the only way we can really sway Ricoh is with our wallets.