[mecrox]

Just about acceptable for a long term investment?
The Canon 400mm f4 DOII is 6799,- in Europe. The DA560 is 5699,- in Europe. The Canon of course still needs a 489,- 1.4ext.
For me, it is possible to trade in the DA560 + HDDA1.4tc. So I am not starting from scratch. Honestly, the few thousand that I will lose on the DA560 trade in, will have been more than worth 5 years of images that only such a lens can get you, and let's not forget the satisfaction that using such a lens brings. So it is a bit different than with more regular lenses.
Ultimately though, portability and BIF AF are the decisive points. I cannot e.g. take the DA560 on a plane in hand luggage, and I am planning to go on various trips in coming years.
I know Pentax does not make such specialty lenses, they would only sell a few, and the DA560 itself was somewhat of a surprise. But chosing such a lens also has some very practical considerations. A compact 400/4 lens that takes converters very well is definitely a niche lens.

Chris

If portability and airline carry-on are major concerns, have you looked at M43 and their 100-400mm zoom and 300mm prime lenses? They seem made for that particular scenario and could be used on the occasions when the big stuff is just too big for convenience.

[jpzk]

Hoping .... that this thread will one day confirm that there is an "upcoming" K3/K3II replacement/upgrade.

[BigMackCam]

Hoping .... that this thread will one day confirm that there is an "upcoming" K3/K3II replacement/upgrade.

Well, we know Ricoh is now working on one, if we believe what the rep said in the CP+ interview (and I choose to). We just don't know when it'll arrive.

I submit that this thread will have imploded long before any official announcement. That's got to be some time in 2019, and I wouldn't bet on the early part of it either...

[Chris Mak]

If portability and airline carry-on are major concerns, have you looked at M43 and their 100-400mm zoom and 300mm prime lenses? They seem made for that particular scenario and could be used on the occasions when the big stuff is just too big for convenience.

Yes, but I used Olympus for 5 years in the 4/3 days, and for me personally, the m4/3 sensor system is not a system that I would contemplate again. I value the APS-C system.

[jpzk]

I submit that this thread will have imploded long before any official announcement.

Hardly no doubt about that!

[rod_grant]

That's got to be some time in 2019,

Mike, is that the imploding or the announcement?
You can't just make a statement that is subject to several interpretations and leave us wondering!

[JPT]

There is a Pentax event going on in Nagoya today. According to a tweet from someone in attendance. There was some talk about the "K-3 II successor".
- It isn't going to be the "K-3 III"
- It will be evolutionary, and not be incongruous for those used to the K-3 series.
- However, there seem to be changes to the UI.
- They would not be drawn on the timeframe.

[totsmuyco]

There is a Pentax event going on in Nagoya today. According to a tweet from someone in attendance. There was some talk about the "K-3 II successor".
- It isn't going to be the "K-3 III"
- It will be evolutionary, and not be incongruous for those used to the K-3 series.
- However, there seem to be changes to the UI.
- They would not be drawn on the timeframe.

Thanks for the info, that's good news JPT. By evolutionary means there will be some major changes in the system. I'm hoping for a much much much better AF. Probably an APS-C sensor that can produce better image quality than the K-1 and the KP. I hope what I'll say next won't stir up arguments.

I hope it won't be mirrorless.

[Kunzite]

By evolutionary means there will be some major changes in the system.

Don't we call those "revolutionary"?

Yes, improved AF would always be neat - if it's "evolutionary" the possibility of a new AF module seems less likely though. The advancements already implemented on the KP - better image quality, SR, etc. - are a given.
It certainly won't be mirrorless.

[Rondec]

If portability and airline carry-on are major concerns, have you looked at M43 and their 100-400mm zoom and 300mm prime lenses? They seem made for that particular scenario and could be used on the occasions when the big stuff is just too big for convenience.

I think wildlife photographers tend to gravitate towards bigger sensors over time. In good light micro four thirds is going to be fine, but unfortunately the light isn't always adequate to keep the iso low, particularly not when you are shooting with a long lens that is f5.6.

I also think reach is overstated by smaller sensor folks. A 400mm lens is a 400mm lens. The question is how much additional "reach" shooting it on a 20 megapixel micro four thirds sensor would give you over shooting it on a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor -- some, but it is not the additional 50 percent that some people seem to think it gives. The same is true for full frame versus APS-C. If you are shooting with a K-1, there is no additional reach gained by shooting with a 16 megapixel APS-C camera, while a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor does give some additional reach, once again it is no where near the 1.5 additional reach that the crop factor would indicate.

I like crop cameras. They have faster frame rates, tend to be smaller, and are cheaper for what you get, but they do have their limitations too.

[JPT]

This the danger of reading too much nuance into a translation. The word is “shinka” and it means evolution.

Evolutionary/revolutionary is used to contrast modest and large changes in English, but it’s unlikely to have quite the same sense in Japanese. It’s only my translation, so don’t read too much into it.

My reading of this is that it’s going to be a full model change, like the K-5 II to K-3 but it will still feel like a high-end APS-C Pentax. I think a new AF unit is likely for such a camera.

I remember commenters saying at the time that Ricoh would not be able to better the K-5. Actually, virtually everything on the K-3 was new from the K-5.

[Kunzite]

Thanks for the clarification, and my bad for assuming it was the western-style "evolutionary" rather than a translation.

So we're talking about a new camera, but still a traditional Pentax. Something beyond a minor update of the K-3.
So far so good.

[mecrox]

I think wildlife photographers tend to gravitate towards bigger sensors over time. In good light micro four thirds is going to be fine, but unfortunately the light isn't always adequate to keep the iso low, particularly not when you are shooting with a long lens that is f5.6.

I also think reach is overstated by smaller sensor folks. A 400mm lens is a 400mm lens. The question is how much additional "reach" shooting it on a 20 megapixel micro four thirds sensor would give you over shooting it on a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor -- some, but it is not the additional 50 percent that some people seem to think it gives. The same is true for full frame versus APS-C. If you are shooting with a K-1, there is no additional reach gained by shooting with a 16 megapixel APS-C camera, while a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor does give some additional reach, once again it is no where near the 1.5 additional reach that the crop factor would indicate.

I like crop cameras. They have faster frame rates, tend to be smaller, and are cheaper for what you get, but they do have their limitations too.

Yes, swings and roundabouts. But smaller formats often do have advantages when it comes to travel especially here in Europe where airlines impose more and more restrictive carry-on rules. Or for longer trips say to India or the Far East where you want to keep things light, maybe with a backpack rather than suitcases/grips et al, and not too scary in terms or carrying around $$$ worth of top-end FF lenses. Etc.

[str8talk83]

I think that every sensor size comes with a series of compromises and we have to look at our budget and needs and determine the best set of compromises.

[Rondec]

Yes, swings and roundabouts. But smaller formats often do have advantages when it comes to travel especially here in Europe where airlines impose more and more restrictive carry-on rules. Or for longer trips say to India or the Far East where you want to keep things light, maybe with a backpack rather than suitcases/grips et al, and not too scary in terms or carrying around $$$ worth of top-end FF lenses. Etc.

Of course. I finished my statement saying that I like crop sensors because they tend to be cheaper, smaller, and have very nice specs. I just get a little aggravated when someone mounts a 400mm lens on a micro four thirds camera and then claims they have an 800mm lens. No, they have a 400mm lens on a smaller sensor. That's fine, but not exactly the same as having, an 800mm lens and a D810.