Originally posted by HopelessTogger I honestly can't understand what this camera's about, where it sits in the line up, why the ergonomics seem shot to pieces (this was Pentax strong point), the price . . . Who is this for? What is the point of this thing? All seems a bit peculiar.
My take on it - travel, hiking, family photos/portraits, landscapes.
Not birds, birds in flight, fashion runway, sports - buffer is too small for the continuous shooting you would normally do in those photographic disciplines.
So, let's assume I am right for a moment - everyone here grizzles about Pentax AF not been good enough for BIF or high action sport. So, one has to assume that the serious or professional photographers in those disciplines are using systems other than Pentax. Generally observable evidence seems to support that.
Come back to the first part of the list - travel, hiking, family photos / portraits, landscapes. The KP seems well aimed at these activities. Small, lightish, buffer is sufficient for those activities. Offering tethering again for studio type work.
So, just maybe Ricoh has done some feedback research, found what 95% of people who buy their cameras use them for and then aimed a mid-level camera at that market.