K-3ii marked as discontinued

rawr · 01-10-2017, 04:34 PM

From the DPR camera database, 18-24 months has been the release cycle for recent Pentax APS-C flagship upgrades:

- K-3 II: Announced Apr 22, 2015
- K-3 Announced Oct 7, 2013
18 months elapsed time

- K-5 II: Announced Sep 10, 2012
- K-5: Announced Sep 20, 2010
24 months elapsed time

So the announcement of a K-3 II replacement sometime before April 2017 should not be a surprise.

I hope the K-3 II replacement is more than an incremental upgrade. Be nice to see some significant new tech inside.

pathdoc · 01-10-2017, 04:56 PM

Originally posted by rawr

From the DPR camera database, 18-24 months has been the release cycle for recent Pentax APS-C flagship upgrades:

- K-3 II: Announced Apr 22, 2015
- K-3 Announced Oct 7, 2013
18 months elapsed time

- K-5 II: Announced Sep 10, 2012
- K-5: Announced Sep 20, 2010
24 months elapsed time

So the announcement of a K-3 II replacement sometime before April 2017 should not be a surprise.

I hope the K-3 II replacement is more than an incremental upgrade. Be nice to see some significant new tech inside.

1) When was the K-5 IIs announced?
2) From first-generation K-5 to first-generation K-3 was roughly three years; 2010-2013, then another three years to the K-1, another Pentax flagship but this time in full-frame.
3) I reckon another three years to the next flagship. In the meantime, look to the K-5 II to K-5 IIs gap for guidance?

pakinjapan · 01-10-2017, 04:59 PM - **1 Like**

When I got my K-5 which was on sale at Yodobashi, the sale man also told me that K-5 is discontinued a few weeks before Pentax officially tell the market. and I notice a deduction in new K3II price in MapCamera during the weekend too. Note that, Pentax discontinued K5 long before they have a replacement flagship model in the market.
I think it is a good sign that Pentax will really discontinue the K3II soon (It make sense for ricoh to notify their client, big electronic store in japan first) and come up with a new flagship body announcement to public... hopefully in CP+ which will be on 25-26 Feb. if you are in Tokyo or plan to be here during that time, go get your free ticket at CP+2017 Visitor Registration

mee · 01-10-2017, 05:04 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

Oh ye of little faith . . .

haha not me.. I'm confident we see a K-3 II successor this year and likely within the next 2-3 months.

Winder · 01-10-2017, 05:07 PM

Sony sensor production is finally back to normal. So we can expect to see something new.

BSI sensor? Maybe the Samsung 28MP or the 24MP Sony BSI.
OVF with overlay like the K-1

Most importantly we see a new AF. The Nikon D500 is setting the bar pretty high.

mee · 01-10-2017, 05:10 PM

Originally posted by Winder

Sony sensor production is finally back to normal. So we can expect to see something new.

BSI sensor? Maybe the Samsung 28MP or the 24MP Sony BSI.
OVF with overlay like the K-1

Most importantly we see a new AF. The Nikon D500 is setting the bar pretty high.

Do you think Pentax has access to Sony sensors no one else has used? That is, brand new to the market technology?

I think we get the same sensor that is in the K-70..

Edit: On second thought, perhaps not.. K-3 had the 24MP Sensor, then the K-3II, now the mid-tier K-70 so it would be a way to distance itself from the mid tier and past bodies by introducing a new sensor. That said the 28MP sensor in the NX1 does poorly in DR tests.. around 12.6 EV (or 13.2 EV depending on who tests) at ISO 100... That is good if you're shooting Canon, but poor if you're shooting any other DSLR. So I hope it is a different sensor than THAT one.

**monochrome** · 01-10-2017, 05:35 PM - **1 Like**

I think Sony is all about combined sensor volume and breakpoints. If Pentax is willing to pay for a sensor (at Sony's asking price) I'd bet Sony is willing to sell them. It all depends what Pentax is willing to pay for newer APSc technology.

mee · 01-10-2017, 05:41 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

I think Sony is all about combined sensor volume and breakpoints. If Pentax is willing to pay for a sensor (at Sony's asking price) I'd bet Sony is willing to sell them. It all depends what Pentax is willing to pay for newer APSc technology.

I was under the impression that they got first dibs on their own sensors and there was some breathing room before they'd offer them to other manufacturers.. at least according to shadowy others on the forum. We're probably near the end of 'leaps and bounds' type technology advances as far as traditional crop sensor technology goes, so I wouldn't expect Sony to offer anything substantial that they wouldn't be able to adopt in their own products first.

If they are just willing to offer new tech to anyone who is willing to pay, then that's excellent. OTOH if Pentax is willing to pay (what has to be larger rates) then that is only going to trickle down to consumers.. so expect higher priced body, no?

I say this since we have a group on the forum looking to strip the K-1 of many of its features to get the price down even more. Can't have it both ways (cake and get to eat it).

mecrox · 01-10-2017, 05:52 PM

Pentax have a full catalogue of APS-C lenses to sell, so Pentax need a current camera body or two. There looks to me to be plenty Pentax could do. They have pixelshift and astro, for starters, and also that accelerator chip. This made its first appearance in the K70 but I would hope that to be a trial for more ambitious things down the line.

More pressing I suppose is keeping things going in the days of last camera syndrome when folks buy to keep for far longer than they used to. That means fewer folks in the mood for an upgrade each time a new camera is intro'd. How to make something more compelling than just an incremental improvement? It's tough out there.

**monochrome** · 01-10-2017, 05:58 PM - **1 Like**

RE: K-1, a stripped FF and the APSc bodies, IMHO we have and will have:

> 1 FF - no additional bodies above or below
> 1 APSc flagship
> 1 APSc mid-range
> 1 645 crop
> 1 MILC (indeterminate format, but I think the big surprise will be 100MP 645)
> Random single-run 'S' bodies

For a small company that's actually a very broad line of cameras.

Parallax · 01-10-2017, 06:09 PM

Originally posted by monochrome:

> 1 645 crop

The phrase "can of worms" comes to mind.

rawr · 01-10-2017, 06:11 PM

Originally posted by pathdoc

When was the K-5 IIs announced?

Same day as the K-5 II, according to the DPR database. So probably not a good guide to future Pentax announcements.

Overall, K-3 to K-5 was a significant step up in tech - in particular sensor size, 86k metering chip, and AF. A real K-3 II replacement should reflect a similar scale of hardware upgrade.

My guess would be to expect one or two significant 'headline' features - eg lots more AF points, higher resolution and smarter metering sensor (inc real face detection in PDAF?), 4K video etc - plus lots of incremental feature upgrades.

KDD · 01-10-2017, 06:18 PM

Oh really. I think NEW APS-C Flagship is coming next February or April. Hope so.

FantasticMrFox · 01-10-2017, 06:53 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by KDD

Oh really. I think NEW APS-C Flagship is coming next February or April. Hope so.

You mean this February or April, or next (= 2018)?

**WillWeaverRVA** · 01-10-2017, 07:24 PM

I look forward to the announcement of a K-3 II successor with great interest. Hopefully one with better AF.

01-10-2017, 04:59 PM - 1 Like	#63
pakinjapan Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,041	When I got my K-5 which was on sale at Yodobashi, the sale man also told me that K-5 is discontinued a few weeks before Pentax officially tell the market. and I notice a deduction in new K3II price in MapCamera during the weekend too. Note that, Pentax discontinued K5 long before they have a replacement flagship model in the market. I think it is a good sign that Pentax will really discontinue the K3II soon (It make sense for ricoh to notify their client, big electronic store in japan first) and come up with a new flagship body announcement to public... hopefully in CP+ which will be on 25-26 Feb. if you are in Tokyo or plan to be here during that time, go get your free ticket at CP+2017 Visitor Registration Last edited by pakinjapan; 01-10-2017 at 05:08 PM.

01-10-2017, 05:10 PM	#66
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by Winder Sony sensor production is finally back to normal. So we can expect to see something new. BSI sensor? Maybe the Samsung 28MP or the 24MP Sony BSI. OVF with overlay like the K-1 Most importantly we see a new AF. The Nikon D500 is setting the bar pretty high. Do you think Pentax has access to Sony sensors no one else has used? That is, brand new to the market technology? I think we get the same sensor that is in the K-70.. Edit: On second thought, perhaps not.. K-3 had the 24MP Sensor, then the K-3II, now the mid-tier K-70 so it would be a way to distance itself from the mid tier and past bodies by introducing a new sensor. That said the 28MP sensor in the NX1 does poorly in DR tests.. around 12.6 EV (or 13.2 EV depending on who tests) at ISO 100... That is good if you're shooting Canon, but poor if you're shooting any other DSLR. So I hope it is a different sensor than THAT one. Last edited by mee; 01-10-2017 at 05:18 PM.

01-10-2017, 05:58 PM - 1 Like	#70
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	RE: K-1, a stripped FF and the APSc bodies, IMHO we have and will have: > 1 FF - no additional bodies above or below > 1 APSc flagship > 1 APSc mid-range > 1 645 crop > 1 MILC (indeterminate format, but I think the big surprise will be 100MP 645) > Random single-run 'S' bodies For a small company that's actually a very broad line of cameras. Last edited by monochrome; 01-11-2017 at 04:57 AM.

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01-10-2017, 04:34 PM	#61
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	From the DPR camera database, 18-24 months has been the release cycle for recent Pentax APS-C flagship upgrades: - K-3 II: Announced Apr 22, 2015 - K-3 Announced Oct 7, 2013 18 months elapsed time - K-5 II: Announced Sep 10, 2012 - K-5: Announced Sep 20, 2010 24 months elapsed time So the announcement of a K-3 II replacement sometime before April 2017 should not be a surprise. I hope the K-3 II replacement is more than an incremental upgrade. Be nice to see some significant new tech inside.

01-10-2017, 04:56 PM	#62
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	Originally posted by rawr From the DPR camera database, 18-24 months has been the release cycle for recent Pentax APS-C flagship upgrades: - K-3 II: Announced Apr 22, 2015 - K-3 Announced Oct 7, 2013 18 months elapsed time - K-5 II: Announced Sep 10, 2012 - K-5: Announced Sep 20, 2010 24 months elapsed time So the announcement of a K-3 II replacement sometime before April 2017 should not be a surprise. I hope the K-3 II replacement is more than an incremental upgrade. Be nice to see some significant new tech inside. 1) When was the K-5 IIs announced? 2) From first-generation K-5 to first-generation K-3 was roughly three years; 2010-2013, then another three years to the K-1, another Pentax flagship but this time in full-frame. 3) I reckon another three years to the next flagship. In the meantime, look to the K-5 II to K-5 IIs gap for guidance?

01-10-2017, 05:04 PM	#64
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by monochrome Oh ye of little faith . . . haha not me.. I'm confident we see a K-3 II successor this year and likely within the next 2-3 months.

01-10-2017, 05:07 PM	#65
Winder Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 6,617	Sony sensor production is finally back to normal. So we can expect to see something new. BSI sensor? Maybe the Samsung 28MP or the 24MP Sony BSI. OVF with overlay like the K-1 Most importantly we see a new AF. The Nikon D500 is setting the bar pretty high.

01-10-2017, 05:35 PM - 1 Like	#67
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	I think Sony is all about combined sensor volume and breakpoints. If Pentax is willing to pay for a sensor (at Sony's asking price) I'd bet Sony is willing to sell them. It all depends what Pentax is willing to pay for newer APSc technology.

01-10-2017, 05:41 PM	#68
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by monochrome I think Sony is all about combined sensor volume and breakpoints. If Pentax is willing to pay for a sensor (at Sony's asking price) I'd bet Sony is willing to sell them. It all depends what Pentax is willing to pay for newer APSc technology. I was under the impression that they got first dibs on their own sensors and there was some breathing room before they'd offer them to other manufacturers.. at least according to shadowy others on the forum. We're probably near the end of 'leaps and bounds' type technology advances as far as traditional crop sensor technology goes, so I wouldn't expect Sony to offer anything substantial that they wouldn't be able to adopt in their own products first. If they are just willing to offer new tech to anyone who is willing to pay, then that's excellent. OTOH if Pentax is willing to pay (what has to be larger rates) then that is only going to trickle down to consumers.. so expect higher priced body, no? I say this since we have a group on the forum looking to strip the K-1 of many of its features to get the price down even more. Can't have it both ways (cake and get to eat it).

01-10-2017, 05:52 PM	#69
mecrox Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Pentax have a full catalogue of APS-C lenses to sell, so Pentax need a current camera body or two. There looks to me to be plenty Pentax could do. They have pixelshift and astro, for starters, and also that accelerator chip. This made its first appearance in the K70 but I would hope that to be a trial for more ambitious things down the line. More pressing I suppose is keeping things going in the days of last camera syndrome when folks buy to keep for far longer than they used to. That means fewer folks in the mood for an upgrade each time a new camera is intro'd. How to make something more compelling than just an incremental improvement? It's tough out there.

01-10-2017, 06:09 PM	#71
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,332	Originally posted by monochrome: > 1 645 crop The phrase "can of worms" comes to mind.

01-10-2017, 06:11 PM	#72
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by pathdoc When was the K-5 IIs announced? Same day as the K-5 II, according to the DPR database. So probably not a good guide to future Pentax announcements. Overall, K-3 to K-5 was a significant step up in tech - in particular sensor size, 86k metering chip, and AF. A real K-3 II replacement should reflect a similar scale of hardware upgrade. My guess would be to expect one or two significant 'headline' features - eg lots more AF points, higher resolution and smarter metering sensor (inc real face detection in PDAF?), 4K video etc - plus lots of incremental feature upgrades.

01-10-2017, 06:18 PM	#73
KDD Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 403	Oh really. I think NEW APS-C Flagship is coming next February or April. Hope so.

01-10-2017, 06:53 PM - 1 Like	#74
FantasticMrFox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Munich Posts: 2,339	Originally posted by KDD Oh really. I think NEW APS-C Flagship is coming next February or April. Hope so. You mean this February or April, or next (= 2018)?

01-10-2017, 07:24 PM	#75
WillWeaverRVA Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Richmond, VA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,071	I look forward to the announcement of a K-3 II successor with great interest. Hopefully one with better AF.