Pentax has a number of products that should be updated. They should have a dual slot APS-C camera with fast frame rate and decent buffer size. Does it have to be a D500 killer? Of course not, but an upper end APS-C camera with better specs than a K-P is a product that people would buy. The question is what else Pentax will put into such a product and what updated sensors are available. Do they bite the bullet and actually stick 4K video in it? Can they improve AF-C a bit and share the tech between this and the full frame cameras that are apparently to be released next year? Are they planning to update the 645Z? How about the K70?
I think that Pentax is actually saving stuff that they are working on for next year and as usual, I expect there to be sharing of technology across camera bodies.
As for the whole discussion about auto focus, it is neither here nor there. I think a lot of the people who complain about auto focus have not tried it with newest DC motor driven lenses. That really does make a difference. If you are shooting older screw driven/SDM lenses, don't expect auto focus tracking to improve very much, regardless of the body. That said, there is room for improvement in auto focus along with a number of other areas and Pentax can and will make gear to fill some of these holes. I do think next year is going to be a big one for Pentax. Will it make Pentaxians happy forever? Probably not -- we tend to be a gloomy bunch -- but at least for a month or two we'll be a wee bit more cheerful (or maybe just less gloomy)...
Originally posted by reh321 We need to be careful of what lesson we learn from a given situation. In the case of Olympus, are their sales flagging because
(1) they introduced only one new model last year?
(2) they produce only MILC?
(3) as cost of sensors drops, smaller sensors are becoming less popular?
The people of Pentax are studying all the market trends, looking across multiple companies. That may be why they have have been more reticent than usual - their understanding may be shifting as the market seems to shift.
I think the issue is that cameras have gone up scale over the last year or two. Most brands are selling fewer cameras, but making more money on them. The problem, as I see it, is that people don't really want to pay 1400 or 1500 dollars for a micro four thirds camera when they can spend a similar amount and get a camera with a bigger sensor. Not saying its right or wrong, but a K-1 II sells for a similar price to the OMD EM 1 MK II (how do they name these things?) and if you aren't already invested in micro four thirds, I don't know why you would end up going that direction versus one of the other brands with either an APS-C or full frame sensor.
Edit: I think it is important to note that I don't think that micro four thirds is going away. I just think that Olympus has sort of maxed out what they can do with that size sensor and may have difficulty both attracting new users and getting their current photographers to upgrade as fast as they have in the past. This certainly could spur them to add a larger size sensor and a different mount. Even APS-C has slowed a bit and only Fuji seems to be generating top end new cameras in this sensor size.