[josera]

Any chance to use a new sensor with a higher resolution than the 26 MP?

[The Squirrel Mafia]

^ I highly doubt it.

[Serkevan]

Do you have any evidence that this was the case? My understanding is that they only have one apsc line and can only produce one camera at a time. There was never an option of running kp and k-3 Iii side by side?

So the new KF means the K-3iii will be discontinued?

I'm more inclined to think that the KP was relatively expensive to produce and, since it didn't sell particularly well until it dropped in price a fair bit, it just wasn't too profitable.

[house]

So the new KF means the K-3iii will be discontinued?

No, but as I understand it they won't make new K-3III's while the KF is produced. It might be that the plastics are a different line from the premiums but the KP and the K-3 (III) were supposed to be the same line and couldn't be produced simultaneously. Going back to KP after K-3III doesn't make sense spec and performance wise as the KP is to old anyway.

[UncleVanya]

No, but as I understand it they won't make new K-3III's while the KF is produced. It might be that the plastics are a different line from the premiums but the KP and the K-3 (III) were supposed to be the same line and couldn't be produced simultaneously. Going back to KP after K-3III doesn't make sense spec and performance wise as the KP is to old anyway.

Is there a source for this?


What APSC DSLR camera newer than the KP besides the k3iii is more advanced in a meaningful way?

[luftfluss]

Do we know that Pentax, while under Ricoh's auspices, has ever produced multiple camera lines simultaneously?

[Rondec]

Do we know that Pentax, while under Ricoh's auspices, has ever produced multiple camera lines simultaneously?

I have to imagine that they produced the KP and K-70 at similar times. The K-1 and those two APS-C cameras were all manufactured and sold at similar times.

[luftfluss]

I have to imagine that they produced the KP and K-70 at similar times. The K-1 and those two APS-C cameras were all manufactured and sold at similar times.

What I mean is, were there actual simultaneous production lines, or was it a case of having a batch of K-1's produced, and then a batch of KP's produced? That sort of thing would be invisible to the consumer.

Or maybe there was one production line for K-1, and one production line dedicated to an APS-C model, but never both "active" APS-C models at the same time.

I think it would be more cost-effective for small quantities to be done in batches rather than parallel, and that would certainly fit with Pentax's new model release schedule

[Paul the Sunman]

Do you have any evidence that this was the case?

I was told this directly by the Australian distributer, CRK.

Hi Paul,

It caught us by surprise as well. We would have rather seen the K-70 go, but Ricoh Japan thought that having the KP & K-3 Mk III competing would confuse the market, while the K-70 has a bigger feature gap that makes the upgrade more relevant.
They are very wary of not falling into the Canon trap, where cameras are so closely positioned to each other that it confuses the market. – 4 March 2021

[JPT]

I believe they have three lines able to produce:
- Full Frame (metal)
- APS-C (metal)
- APS-C (plastic)

When you look at it this way, the discontinuation of the K-3 II to make way for the KP and the subsequent discontinuation of the KP to make way for the K-3 III makes sense.

I think there is a tendency for the internet to focus on the high end stuff, but a lot of people still want a good enough camera. It’s a bit like shows like Top Gear focusing on the cool expensive cars that people lust over, but most people continue to by cheaper cars that get the job done. The internet can be a bit of an echo chamber of similar opinions.

The price point of 800-1,000 USD is still a popular one that the main makers target. Pentax also has a lot of budget lenses that they want to sell, so that means having an affordable camera to sell alongside.

So this is why I’ve always thought a budget camera would come out, but at the same time I don’t expect them to add a camera line, unless it is a successor or variant of an existing camera.

[Serkevan]

No, but as I understand it they won't make new K-3III's while the KF is produced. It might be that the plastics are a different line from the premiums but the KP and the K-3 (III) were supposed to be the same line and couldn't be produced simultaneously. Going back to KP after K-3III doesn't make sense spec and performance wise as the KP is to old anyway.

Did they ever say they couldn't produce them simultaneously? In 2017-2019 they were running not two, but three simultaneous APS-C models in the then-current lineup. Unless they produced all the K-70s in a single batch in 2016 and then magically rebuilt them to fix the solenoid issue a year or so later... so I'd rather think they just didn't see any value in producing more KPs.

Retooling is certainly a pain, but if they keep the relevant parts it's not too crazy to think they could alternate batches of cameras with a single production line.

[OoKU]

Don't have any illusions about KF...

[Serkevan]

Don't have any illusions about KF...

Is it a rehash like the Theta Z1 that had to be re-released because of wifi regulations in Japan?

[TwoUptons]

Clearly, the KF is for all 28 of us who have held on to the amazing 35-70 f2.8 AF lens, and KF means it will autofocus with it (though it still needs green button metering)

Only a little more seriously, I also like the colored body caps. That's fun, if only a rendering...

But good news, I think, that Ricoh hasn't abandoned the entry-level... especially with a similar sensor to the K3iii, even if it skimps a bit on the frame rate, buffer, and the prism.
I hope they give it 4k, though... even as a rudimentary thing with few fancy modes and such... to appeal to folks who don't need a dedicated video rig but who would like to shoot movies of their kids on stage or something...

-Eric

[OoKU]

No hope, no despair.