[eric3929]

Since so much has been made of the sturdier prism housing, it might be referring to that. I for one would like to see Pentax take leadership in the area of weather-sealing back from Fujifilm and Olympus, and Ricoh is really an ideal partner for that, with their specialised cameras for clinical environments and so on. (Iirc they have one model you can just drop into bleach or something to that effect, to disinfect it - perfect COVID camera!)

Ha, so this is why Pentax has made us wait so long. They wanted to make sure we were all ready to really appreciate the bleach-bath camera

[Kunzite]

That's about the only area where I've seen no particularly strong claims of improvement, other than the increase in focus points and area coverage. We've seen this before - everybody hyping themselves up for some amazing AF revolution that then doesn't arrive.

"We gotta be extra careful
That we don't build our hopes up too high"
- Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert

Whatever they'll talk about after AF will be perceived as unimportant and will be mostly ignored. It makes sense to talk about these details, in a teaser campaign.

[Kunzite]

I for one would like to see Pentax take leadership in the area of weather-sealing back from Fujifilm and Olympus

When did they lost it?

[zapp]

There are certain things that you start to appreciate after you tried them. Large and clear finders, decent shutter release, mirror lock up, viewfinder blinds, ... these features are standard in high-end cameras. Pentax just shows that the K3lll is positioned right there. Nothing cheap about it.

[jumbleview]

I recently accrued PZ-20 and found that shutter button is better compare to Pentax K-5ii and Pentax K-01. It provides very distinctive feeling at which moment camera focuses and which moments shutter starts to work. So yes, shutter button is important.

[Breakfastographer]

When did they lost it?

If you look at the range of WR lenses available for Fujifilm, you'll realise. Pentax still hasn't sealed any Limiteds other than the new zoom. They've re-released the Limiteds with new coating, but without weather sealing. I thought they were doing well when they slowly re-released a number of lenses with seals (18-55, 50-200, 55-300, 100 macro), but they stopped doing that for some reason, and never really got to work on sealing their primes. With the slow release of new, sealed lenses it'll be 15 years before we have a decent range of sealed primes.

Also, Imaging-Resource has done a fair amount of testing, and seems to consider Olympus' weather sealing the state of the art. I can't say how much testing they have done of Pentax, but Olympus apparently isn't shy to make noise about the engineering of its seals.

---------- Post added 12-11-20 at 10:52 AM ----------

I recently accrued PZ-20 and found that shutter button is better compare to Pentax K-5ii and Pentax K-01. It provides very distinctive feeling at which moment camera focuses and which moments shutter starts to work. So yes, shutter button is important.

If I've understood correctly, that's more or less the opposite of what the leaf switch provides. Some early adopters of the K-1 complained that they couldn't feel that point of resistance, and accidentally fired the shutter on a few occasions because of this. On the other hand, that feedback may now have been incorporated.

[Kunzite]

If you look at the range of WR lenses available for Fujifilm, you'll realise. Pentax still hasn't sealed any Limiteds other than the new zoom. They've re-released the Limiteds with new coating, but without weather sealing. I thought they were doing well when they slowly re-released a number of lenses with seals (18-55, 50-200, 55-300, 100 macro), but they stopped doing that for some reason, and never really got to work on sealing their primes. With the slow release of new, sealed lenses it'll be 15 years before we have a decent range of sealed primes.

Also, Imaging-Resource has done a fair amount of testing, and seems to consider Olympus' weather sealing the state of the art. I can't say how much testing they have done of Pentax, but Olympus apparently isn't shy to make noise about the engineering of its seals.

Pentax - last non-WR camera in 2014, the entry level K-S1.
Fujifilm - last non-WR camera in 2020

Pentax - last new non-WR K-mount lens in 2012
Fujifilm - last non-WR lens in 2020

Yeah, I can see how Fujifilm wins!

Image Resource AFAIK didn't test Pentax' weather sealing at all. We know Olympus had a very aggressive marketing... but I though we were talking about weather sealing!

[repaap]

Pentax - last non-WR camera in 2014, the entry level K-S1.
Fujifilm - last non-WR camera in 2020

Pentax - last new non-WR K-mount lens in 2012
Fujifilm - last non-WR lens in 2020

Yeah, I can see how Fujifilm wins!

Image Resource AFAIK didn't test Pentax' weather sealing at all. We know Olympus had a very aggressive marketing... but I though we were talking about weather sealing!

And just to add about these primes. Do wish Pentax had any decent WR primes. Next should be DFA 21 limited and recent ones are AW 85&50 and there will be 35 soon too. But they are not decent I’m afraid. Decent should be older 100/2.8 WR macro and older DA*55. But yeah. Let’s not go DA* territory much more..

actually EDIT: so thi is new crop body. DA* lenses do count as well as normal WR lenses. So. soon. 21, 35, 50, 55, 85, 100, 200, 300, 560 WR/AW sealed primes. Some older, some brand new. Cheap? some of them, yes. Premium, all of them. And there must be more. also DA* 11-18, 16-50(soon PLM), 50-135(soon PLM), and also cheaper 18-55 and 55-300(latter very very good). Not sure why someone think Pentax has lost anything. 11-18 is very good, and I think they'v said new 16-50 and 50-135 will have refresh too. ..forgot 20-40 limited..

[stevebrot]

All about the shutter button.

Strange as it may sound, this is a big deal. I may yet get a Mini Soft Release for my R3M simply because the button is not handy to my finger.



FWIW...I am fine with the button on my K-3.


Steve

[MMVIII]

If you look at the range of WR lenses available for Fujifilm, you'll realise. Pentax still hasn't sealed any Limiteds other than the new zoom. They've re-released the Limiteds with new coating, but without weather sealing. I thought they were doing well when they slowly re-released a number of lenses with seals (18-55, 50-200, 55-300, 100 macro), but they stopped doing that for some reason, and never really got to work on sealing their primes. With the slow release of new, sealed lenses it'll be 15 years before we have a decent range of sealed primes.

Also, Imaging-Resource has done a fair amount of testing, and seems to consider Olympus' weather sealing the state of the art. I can't say how much testing they have done of Pentax, but Olympus apparently isn't shy to make noise about the engineering of its seals.

---------- Post added 12-11-20 at 10:52 AM ----------


If I've understood correctly, that's more or less the opposite of what the leaf switch provides. Some early adopters of the K-1 complained that they couldn't feel that point of resistance, and accidentally fired the shutter on a few occasions because of this. On the other hand, that feedback may now have been incorporated.

i don't know about Fuji.

Roger Cicala disassembled a 10.000$ Fuji GFX100. I am stunned at the amount of plastic that is used on this MF camera. Still worse, quoting from his lensrentals blog:

The seals between the various plastic shell pieces aren’t what I call robust weather sealing. I’m aware that several people have called it a great weather resistance camera. I am not joining those several people in claiming that. The top assembly looks quite resistant to water falling on it from above, that’s about it.

The K3 III is in a completely different class constructionwise; so is the K1 or 645Z...

[beholder3]

I guess the guy responsible for implementing the new SD card protocol was an intern, he only spec'ed 1 UHS-II slot. State of the art - 5

Pentax again is lightyears ahead of Sony you wanted to say.
The latest Sony APSC includes a whopping ZERO UHS-II slots. Just the same as their APSC „flagship“.
Sony only has interns in engineering.

The same ones which are 5-10 years behind the curve in IBIS tech.

[pentaxus]

Trying to save up enough money in the meantime.

[rr1736]

I have been wanting to replace my K3 the new camera will be a welcome addition when it get here

[Kunzite]

Pentax again is lightyears ahead of Sony you wanted to say.
The latest Sony APSC includes a whopping ZERO UHS-II slots. Just the same as their APSC „flagship“.
Sony only has interns in engineering.

The same ones which are 5-10 years behind the curve in IBIS tech.

Or Fujifilm. 3 of their 4 cameras announced these years were "made by interns" - UHS-I support only.

[shyrsio]

Kinda disappointed for the lack of the GPS unit.