[NZ_Ross]

just a little observation - I've been asked half a dozen times if I'm a professional photographer when I'be got the K-1 (and usually 70-200) on a tripod: I don't think I ever was with the K-3, even with my older (bigger) film days lenses. there is some sort of cut off point in people's minds still

I think big DSLR or MF camera with big lens still equals 'professional' in the public's mind. Which is not all that surprising as that is what they see at sports and political events being covered by the media.

Which means a small DSLR like the KP with the Limited primes or zoom is going to be looked on as a 'amateur' camera. Which is great, it means you can get places with the camera where a professional is restricted, and people just ignore you when taking photos.

[RobA_Oz]

I think big DSLR or MF camera with big lens still equals 'professional' in the public's mind. Which is not all that surprising as that is what they see at sports and political events being covered by the media.

Which means a small DSLR like the KP with the Limited primes or zoom is going to be looked on as a 'amateur' camera. Which is great, it means you can get places with the camera where a professional is restricted, and people just ignore you when taking photos.

I guess this doesn't cut it, either (no big zoom) :

[ffking]

I guess this doesn't cut it, either (no big zoom) :

nah - just some poser with a hat and beard - what could he know about photography! ;D

[Kuzma]

Well, definitely, I will not buy this camera as I have recently bought K-70 and KP isn´t way much better.
But for me the announcement of this camera is very good news. Because it means that Ricoh\Pentax is expanding its range of products and is determined to compete with other brands. So in future they could improve their service and make products more available outside Japan and USA. So I didn´t make a mistake when decided to stick with Pentax.

[NZ_Ross]

So I didn´t make a mistake when decided to stick with Pentax.

You definitely haven't. Right here on PF you basically have the nicest and most helpful photography forum on the internet.

You have access to a wide range of very nice and perfectly adequate Pentax and third party autofocus prime and zoom lenses.

There are millions of old K-mount and M42 lenses that fit well, and meter on Pentax DSLRs. Being in Russia, I assume you also have good access to the old Russian made M42 lenses, many of which are quite interesting and unique.

With Leitax adaptors you can easily mount old Leica R, Contax, Zeiss Nikon ZF mount, and Olympus Zuiko OM lenses to K-mount. Again they meter well, and are very useable.

Pentax have a well earned reputation of getting a lot of image quality and dynamic range out of the Sony sensors they use.

About the only thing where Pentax is genuinely considered 'weak' compared with competitors is high action tracking auto-focus and very long focal length (and very expensive) exotic prime lenses. If that is your photography requirements, then you won't be using Pentax cameras already.

[house]

Big "flagship" cameras should become a smaller and smaller niche. There are so few people whose requirements are best met with that type of gear.

It's like buying a sports car and only driving to work in it never using its features. It's a personality flaw, we all have flaws and that's fine but to pretend it's not is ridiculous.

Few reach the max rated exposures before upgrading their camera still people obsess over it. Is a mag alloy body really better than plastic? If you drop the gear it's not the casing you're worried about. It's that German ww2 helmet all over again.

[Mistral75]

Beautiful camera, even if it does look a little like the Nikon Df...

i would say that, like the K-1, it derives its inspiration from the stillborn MZ-1.

[NZ_Ross]

I guess this doesn't cut it, either (no big zoom) :

Very funny. That was a while ago . One of last centuries greats...

[Mistral75]

Where do you see the announcement K-3ll is discontinued? I'd like to see that - do you have a link*?

* EU says KP and K-3ll will be sold together until later this year, when K-3ll will be replaced.

Just imagine the following scenario:

- Following the Kumamoto-related delay in announcing both KP (pre-Photokina 2016 --> pre-CP+ 2017) and the K-3 II successor (pre-CP+ 2017 --> who knows, may be sometimes in June) and the K-3 II --> KP shift in manufacturing (which probably took place sometimes in November/December, once Kumamoto had gone back to nominal level of production and could deliver the new sensor), there are no K-3 II any more in Ricoh Imaging Japan's inventory.

- Large Japanese retail chains such as Yodobashi use to buy their K-3 II directly from Ricoh Imaging Japan -their purchase volume allows them to do so and, in doing so, they avoid the distributor mark-up.

- Following the lack of K-3 II available from Ricoh Imaging Japan, Yodobashi could not sell the K-3 II at the same conditions, either for their clients (price) or for themselves (margin). Therefore they decided to stop selling the K-3 II.

- However, there are still plenty of K-3 II available in importers, local distributors and retail outlets inventories (especially since K-3 II sales took a hit after the launch of K-1).

- KP and K-3 II can therefore be sold together until later this year, especially since K-3 II sales will further drop after KP being announced and Ricoh Imaging admitting there will be a successor to K-3 II soon.

[kenspo]

Don't worry. Ricoh has a plan.

Exactly

[Mistral75]

(...)

I firmly stand behind my assessment.

Alternative facts are everywhere...

[redpit]

Exactly

The big question is when Ricoh's plans will cover our special interests...

That noone in here knows it.

[Foxbat]

Ricoh has a plan.

Sorry, my inner nerd forced me

[kenspo]

The big question is when Ricoh's plans will cover our special interests...

That noone in here knows it.

What plans are that? To make Pentax doomed?

[mecrox]

I don't think anyone knows the answer to that, the camera companies included. There are a range of questions to be answered:

1. Where is the bottom of the market in terms of sales numbers?
2. How do you sell new cameras when most enthusiasts have 'good enough' cameras already - my case my K3 is good enough, why change?
3. What pricing structure is right to get people to buy?
4. Who is your market - soccer mums (use phone cameras), enthusiasts, professionals?

I don't think there are any answers to this, for any of the camera companies. Samsung would be an example - nice, well featured cameras, but couldn't sell enough of them.

There is always lots of marketing hype around certain brands/cameras and with website reviewer boosters. In the end though if you can't make a profit selling cameras then you will be out of business sooner or later.

Camera makers attached to larger imaging concerns - Canon, Ricoh, Sony, Fuji probably have a much better chance of long term survival than the others - as there are cross company advantages in research, development, patents etc. Also deeper pockets to fund the capital to get cameras to market.

We are in very tough times for camera companies - in shrinking markets the direction is typically to quality, mass numbers (although camera phones have knocked that option out), brand or niches.

Pentax have quality, brand and niche in their favour, plus a deep pocketed business imagining owner.

I remain happy they are producing quality new cameras, that are reasonably well featured, at reasonable prices.

In a very tough business environment Ricoh seem to be executing a logical, reasonable and sensible business strategy well.

I suspect that over the next few years we are probably going to see a shift in the kind of cameras the industry offers.

The reason is that significantly higher prices, which are inevitable, will force a rethink of what cameras do and what cameras need in order for a buyer to think a 2000-note camera is still really worth buying. Simply jacking the price of last year's camera by 50 per cent isn't going to work. Folks won't bite but they might well bite if the whole thing is presented in a way that makes the much higher price actually seem worth it. There is nothing wrong with asking 2000 notes for a camera but you do have to go about it in the right way.

Oly and Panasonic's new flagship cameras both have "super features" most won't need but which will certainly act as powerful attractors. And then there are much-improved warranty terms, new "pro" support programs (really aimed at consumers, in fact) and all the rest to help ease the hit to the bank account. With this also go things like regular firmware updates to add or improve features and enough spare capacity in the camera's electronics to accommodate them. Companies can moan at the associated costs, but the canny ones could persuade a lot of their users to sign up for a whizbang new "pro" support program at, say, 100 bucks a year and everyone will be happy. Canny companies will also note that they've just locked a raft of customers in for five years not two or three, thus reducing churn and offering many more opportunities for lens and equipment sales.

In fact, buying a 2000-note camera once every five years is roughly the same expenditure as buying a 1200 camera every three years. But for the camera-maker, you have to present the 2000-noter in such a way that you can get over the initial hump of a big lump sum out. Offer little more than the usual mix of features with a one-year basic warranty and no firmware goodies but with a swingeing sticker increase and consumers will stay away, quite rightly.

Companies which adapt their products to meet to the new market will probably do OK. Lazy ones which just knock out the same stuff on the same old basis will probably feel the pain. Thing is, after years of industry overproduction there is a pile of reduced-price end of line, refurb or good second-hand equipment out there the size of the Great Barrier Reef. Folks have options beyond just paying up 50 per cent more.

Just a guess.