This all sounds like music to my ears. I have a K100D Super and I sometimes wonder about upgrading, but I think the K-7 is perhaps more advanced than I need, and also a little expensive for me. With many of the K-7's features perhaps being not so expensive anymore as they were a year ago, I think Pentax has spotted an opportunity, being able to provide some of them in a lower-end body.
IMHO, this so-called K-5 should have these features:
Adopted from the K-7:
- Body (with a top-LCD and weather sealing)
- Li-ion battery
- SAFOX VIII+ autofocus
- Rotational SR, allowing for horizon correction
- Pentaprism viewfinder (although this may be wishful thinking)
Adopted from the K-x:
- Shutter, providing speeds up to 1/6000
- Image processing
- Same number of fps
- APS-C sensor, maybe increased to 14MP (noise similar to the K-x)
- Movie mode (not that I need it, but if the K-x has it, so should the K-5)
-
Colors! Not that I want them, but apparently they boosted K-x sales
Other wishes:
- More controls than K-x: two wheels (front and back), drive mode, dedicated RAW button, and please bring back the SR button
- AF points illuminated in the viewfinder
In other words, a K-7 Light. I think I'd buy this camera.
Speculating is fun. A waste of time, but fun
.