Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 SAFOX is a design by Pentax, so they could turn that out. I do think that will be around Photokina 2018. Most of the progressief is probably coming from the processor inside the camera and that will have a new generation maybe end next year to use in 2019.
Engineering opinion among developers is that CPU isn't a bottleneck, it is the sensor signal acquisition that is much slower than the capability of a CPU (sensor acquisition time is in the mS range, CPU processing is done in a few uS), even a small low power CPU such as ARM based controllers (Socionext purchased ARM sometimes ago). It shows two things: 1) current Pentax phase detect sensor and collimator are too small to provide -3ev sensitivity and high number of AF points... with the current Safox as it is, it's either -3ev or more points with even slower AF. Basically, the modules used in the 7DII, D500 and fast AF camera (mirrorless excluded) are significantly larger than the Pentax module, and 7DII and D500 are about the size of a full frame DSLR of the same brands (guess why current DSLR are all larger than former film SLR..). C & N designed their AF module for full frame bodies and then made it into a aps camera, Ricoh Safox was never sized for full frame, Ricoh used the K3 module into the K1, exactly the same as Canon did with the 5D and 5DII: reuse of aps sized module of the 20D. IMO, Ricoh need both to re-engineer their AF sensor into a larger one to fit into a larger cavity, re-work the processing that goes with it, basically a complete redesign , or you won't see anything but tiny improvement (which was the case for the last 10 years). Then, we won't see small and fast AF Pentax DSLRs, fast and small is reserved to mirrorless with phase sensor on the image sensor itself.
---------- Post added 04-04-17 at 21:17 ----------
Originally posted by Tatouzou Experienced photographers already shot sports and birds in fly in the film era, even before AF was available.
That's true. Someone posted a video link of a interview of a photographer having done photographs of aeroplanes in flight with a film camera remote controlled (without Wifi) here
Shooting the Red Arrows in '77 with film - PentaxForums.com
I found the photographs to be the best I've ever seen, better than anything I've seen taken with recent fast AF DSLR.
---------- Post added 04-04-17 at 21:28 ----------
Originally posted by distudio Lower noise/better DR, slightly deeper buffer, improved AF and I'm ready to go. One of my K3 bodies has 215k shots on the shutter now so I'm keen for the replacement.
Perhaps should take your K3 for a revision at the mechanics to tighten the bolts of the shutter curtain, or you risk having the k mount spit it out with springs at one of you next shots
Bad news is if you exceed the max shutter count given by Ricoh, you can't ask for a refund in case of shutter block failure