[Fogel70]

Pure speculatiom.

Sony has a new 150MP BSI MF sensor (IMX411) in development for release in 2018. If that would be cut down to 35mm sensor it would be approx 54MP. Which is the same pixel pitch as 24MP APS-C sensors.
This also gives the option of a 645Z mk II with 100MP, and a new BSI 24MP APS-C sensor for K3 mk III.

As Pentax has ran out of numbers for FF they might have to call K1 mk II, even if sensor and other hardware is going to change. Naming a new camera K1/2 does not seem right.

It could maybe also be an advantage in sensor production if the same wafer was used for all large sensors.

The 36MP sensor night have reached end of life.
Is there any one but Pentax still producing cameras using 36MP Sony FF sensors?

Application Image Sensor for Camera | Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

[ogl]

CP+2018 CAMERA & PHOTO IMAGING SHOW 2018 We will have more info on March, 1.

https://translate.google.ru/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=ru&ie=UTF-...tml&edit-text=

They say about sensor more than 40 MP

[ogl]

The 36MP sensor night have reached end of life.
Is there any one but Pentax still producing cameras using 36MP Sony FF sensors?

Application Image Sensor for Camera | Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation

I think they made so much 36 MP sensors that K-1 could be on the market at least till the next summer with lower price as cheaper FF camera for Pentax users.

[quant2325]

You guys are looking at this the wrong way. What would make someone want to buy another Pentax (or anything else)? If the IQ is "good enough" for the intended user (and we agree it will always get better with a Moore's Law kind of thing going on), it comes down to features and price. Pentax offers more features and a better relative price because it has to in order to compete. That is what Pentax does. The features that are missing include an autofucus that tracks the eye so those F/1.4 lenses (or a 200mm @ 2.8 for an outdoor headshot) is always in focus) and some syncing issues. A few years ago all the photo blogs and magazines were jumping on astrophotography and Pentax became innovative in that space (pun intended). The average owner of a DSLR has gray hair, so Pentax became innovative in that space (with the screen so old people like me don't have to contort our bodies to look through it). Now the rage is fast primes, so Pentax will become innovative with eye-tracking focusing. This isn't something new and it doesn't work for others that well now, but Ricoh can figure it out.

[ogl]

I think we could see new kit for sale - K-1II + DFA*50/1.4

[Ascencio]

Don’t see any advantage with more MP. Will make the FA limiteds look worse. Only one DFA prime in the near future without third party lenses not a camera i would get. I always thought Pentax should have made a small 24mp DF style camera to use with FA limiteds.

[normhead]

I'm looking at what I use my K-3 for and the Canon 1dx on sale used from Henry's for $3k CAD, and I'm thinking, no new APS_c? Really? That 1Dx and a 150-600 would be an amazing package. I'm not interested in another K-1. But hey, I'm just one guy.

8 FPS, Pentax AF and the 23 shot buffer are the biggest limitations I face right now. I'm not complaining, I get along, but those are the only things I'm looking to see improvement with right now.

I don't need 1Dx performance, but I'd like better than my K-3 if possible.

I'm happy with my K-1, I can work with my K-3, if Pentax is going to sell me another body before those two break down, FPS , AF and buffer are pretty much all they can sell me. Other wise I'll just keep plugging along with what I have.

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Last edited by normhead; 01-26-2018 at 09:15 AM.

[Ontarian50]

It would make sense to move to the 42mp sensor because the 36mp is probably EOL. I know of no camera's apart from the K-1 that still uses it. Sony would either have to keep producing it in small numbers or just give Ricoh access to the newer 42mp sensor. The latter is probably much cheaper. It is not like they really fear competition from Pentax anyway. Good news if they can implement the sensor pdaf. It is not really much faster than the K-1 (4.4 vs 5fps) But capable of 4K. That would mean a new Prime V in the K-1 II.

I would agree the K-1 might have to come to an end if Sony ends production of the 36mp sensor type. If K-1 sales aren't enough to justify keeping those chips in production, then Pentax has to take what's available.

My guess is the Q came to an end because there was not enough demand to keep 12mp BSI sensors in production. And those of us in the "know" (Q fans) realize that dropping a 20mp sensor in a Q body was only going put even more diffraction limits on the lenses. Besides, it didn't play music, have apps, or make phone calls!

[biz-engineer]

8 FPS, Pentax AF and the 23 shot buffer are the biggest limitations I face right now. I'm not complaining, I get along, but those are the only things I'm looking to see improvement with right now.

Looking at achievable print sizes (if the goal is printing) 36Mp only allow to print 22% larger than 24Mp. But 24Mp offer 50% more speed at half the cost. I feel like maybe in 5 to 10 years from now, it will be possible to have 36Mp and 10FPS, but at the moment, the state of the art is such that either we use a 20+Mp camera for speed of operation or we have to deal with 40+Mp kind of camera that are slow.

[Nicolas06]

Full-Frame is where there is profit to be made in camera bodies and lenses. I think it's reasonable Ricoh continue to pursue this higher margin business since their market share is so small anyway.

Agree on the short term. A K1-II would be brought by existing Pentaxians.

But if you have to rely on Canikon entry level models and lenses for people to get they foot in photography, they may never actually decide to switch to Pentax when wanting to upgrade to FF.

[Fogel70]

The upcoming Sony 150MP MF sensor coming later this year is 8K capable (32MP) at 16FPS
4 fps at 150MP.

The smaller 100MP MF sensor can do 8K at 18 FPS.
6 fps at 100MP.

If they cut a 54MP FF sensor out of it would probably be 20-22 FPS in 8K.
10-12 fps at 54MP.

https://www.sony-semicon.co.jp/products_en/IS/sensor2/application/index.html

The 20MP sensor in Panasonic G9 can do 60 fps in full resolution.
A FF sensor with that tech would theoratically be 80MP at 15 fps.

[Nicolas06]

My honest opinion: forget the pro world, revive APS-C with a new high end body, and some fast, reliable lenses to go with it. There is a large, large enthousiast crowd that wants more than a smart phone, to win over with a compact body like the KP but with serious specs, a single grip, and a few anno 2018 lenses.
It kind of stings that Pentax seems to want to go after those that will most likely not be swayed, and seems to be forgetting those that could keep the brand going if they see the right products appearing.
Just my honest opinion...

Chris

People that go for high end APSC DSLR (= $1500-1800 by today standard) with expensive/big f/2.8 APSC lenses are quite similar to people that go FF. There are FF like the K1, A7, A7-II, 6D, 6D-II that are the same price or even quite cheaper. So I am not sure that so interresting you get far less sharpness, worse high iso, same body size and could just get an f/4 lens is size of the lens matter for you.

I think most sales are still APSC and are still in the bellow $1000 segment. Most of theses people buy nothing else or a 50mm prime, & maybe 55-300 or 17-50 f/2.8 from tamron.

I agree there are many high end APSC lenses sold but that because in the past FF was much more expensive and there many people invested in ASPC. And for Pentax, it was because there was no choice.

Now that there is choice, I am not sure so many people in Pentax would follow the ultra high end APSC route instead of mid-end FF route for similar price. In particular if the technology for the ultra high end APSC is not really there, but the price the same (think D5 AF in D500 for example...).

[Kunzite]

If Pentax want to get more seriously into the pro market, the question is: which pro market segments? And then we might see some solutions
Obviously, they're not going to target Olympics. They would target something closer to their core competences, and not precisely the things they're bad at.

2 years ago, people believed that all FF users had gone, and the potential customers "could not be swayed" towards a Pentax.

[Nicolas06]

Who knows... I'm saying there might be reasons to release another FF before an APS-C flagship, even though the latter is sorely needed.
I don't like to speculate, while having no information. Even just the price, which would give a hint about the product's positioning. In about a month we should start seeing more serious leaks.

To me a K1-II is great, it would provide justification to down price the K1 to maybe $1000-1500 in the mid term and make ot more competititive/attractive. it would provide the entry level FF offering that Pentax is really lacking. There the 28-105, if a 70-300 is released, there a complete cheap FF offering a user can even get an FA35 or FA50 on top.

This could justify a K1-II in the $2000-3000 range, allowing Pentax to make quite some money on the latest greatest and provide some missing feature of the K1 like:
- Better burst (FPS, buffer)
- 4K video, mandatory theses day if only as a check box (I don't care and we don't care, but that a check box you need).
- Bump the pixels to have as many as the others, say 42MP (I don't care and we don't care as 36 or 42 is the same anyway, but many care)
- Maybe improve other things like the AF (I think many care there).
- Overall ensure the like of D850 or A7RII / A7RII don't look that much better than the K1-II in critical areas.

An APSC body could come shortly after as APSC flagship providing the extra feature of the FF flagship to the APSC world... A bit like D5 vs D500.

[starjedi]

@nokishita_c tweeted: リコーが次に発表する一眼レフは「PENTAX K-1 Mark II」になるらしい。いつ頃発表されるかはまだ不明。 #噂
Twitter

Why not making a different name and keeping K-1 as a budget FF DSLR with a lower price? Marked as as K1-II, everyone will know K1 is out-dated...