[biz-engineer]

What are the sensors most likely to make it into the next Pentax full frame model (K-2?)?
- 42Mp sensor used in Sony A7RIII?
- 45Mp sensor used in Nikon Z7?
- 62Mp sensor used in Sony A7RIV?
- or 24Mp used in Nikons, Sonys, Panasonics FF cameras?

[Lord Lucan]

It will not be fewer Mp than the K1, not for the market niche Pentax is going for. 45Mp sounds about right. Beyond that is really getting into diminishing returns and undermines the 645.

[Pål Jensen]

Depends on whats planned for the FF K-2. It might be that the K-1 is moved upmarked. I'm pretty sure that they are planning a second FF body in the line-up at some stage....

[mannyquinto]

A lower model K2 should be made in my opinion. The K1 iii can have the 45mp sensor. A 24 mp K2 can be the light affordable FF w/ the K3iii tech. It just make sense in the line up.

[Pål Jensen]

I'm sure it won't be 24mp sensor. Doesn't make sense in the Pentax line-up. Need to be significant jump from APS.....

[Winder]

It will not be fewer Mp than the K1, not for the market niche Pentax is going for. 45Mp sounds about right. Beyond that is really getting into diminishing returns and undermines the 645.

If Ricoh is going to continue to build the 645 line, then going with the 62MP in the next K1 and 100MP in the next 645 makes the most sense. Like the sensors used in the current K1 and 645, the 62MP and the 100MP share the same silicon which makes has some cost advantages. It doesn't appear that the 62MP is a sensor that Sony currently sells to 3rd parties though. It appears that they only FF sensor that Sony sells to other camera manufactures is the 24MP.


The 55MP IMG409 is a BSI sensor, but it's not stacked so it should have a lower cost, but it's not on Sony's list of commercially available sensors.

[mannyquinto]

I'm sure it won't be 24mp sensor. Doesn't make sense in the Pentax line-up. Need to be significant jump from APS.....

Well, if there is just going to be one model for FF, then a higher MP sensor will make sense but if they have plans for a lower model FF then it should have a lower MP sensor. Though Pentax past default camera naming scheme does not make any sense, the naming of K1 for high end FF, K2 for low end FF, K3 for high end APSC and K4 for low end APSC makes a lot of sense.

[texandrews]

A couple of things have come out in all these interviews:

• Several instances of comments inferring that the next camera will be a new FF model, with K3III tech moving up to this new model. Given what product cycles are, I'd wager Pentax is already into, maybe well into, the design of this new body. This could mean they have already negotiated which sensor they will be able to put into it, undoubtedly from Sony. This might mean the currently available to third party ones, so ones in the 40mp range. I hope they are able to make the leap to one in the 60mp range, because by the time this camera actually rolls out from Pentax a 40-ish mp model will look a bit backward.
• OTOH, the gains in high iso ability that seem to be coming with this new K3III camera are pretty amazing----if that could get milked out of one of the 40-ish mp sensors we'd be getting an amazing camera---especially with the other new things and the upgraded video.
• There was a cryptic aside in one of the interviews when it was asked how the naming came about for the new camera, and whether K2 had been considered. There was some slightly awkward chuckling, Cheshire Cat smiling, and a sly comment that suggested that perhaps there's something else being considered.
• There's been no news about a new MF camera, but the last public comments explicitly did not rule it out. Again, here I think what has to be considered is what sensor might be available (the above comment about the 62 & 100 mp sensors is hopeful in this regard), and how the current lens lineup will be able to perform (no one knows is the fact of the matter!). But with the K3III tech in such a body, with a 100mp sensor, that would be an incredible camera. Forget about the comparisons with Fuji (excellent cameras), just consider that such a camera would be great on its own terms. I'm wagering that most of the current lenses will be just fine, and the example of the new Limiteds and what the coatings may help with suggests that easy upgrades might be possible within the current manufacturing process.

We're all just reading tea leaves at this point, but interesting info is coming in from different angles all at once. I am guardedly optimistic. More so than in other areas of my life!

[Fogel70]

A lower model K2 should be made in my opinion. The K1 iii can have the 45mp sensor. A 24 mp K2 can be the light affordable FF w/ the K3iii tech. It just make sense in the line up.

I do not see how that would be possible. As then they probably have to have lower price on K2 than on K3 III.
The only way for them to release a cheaper FF DSLR is if it would be based on older tech like a K-70 with FF sensor.
The tech they have for K3 III is going to be used for top of the line FF and 645.

But the lineup they have today seems already to be too much for them to handle. They probably have to shrink the lineup to max 4 cameras. One 645, one FF and two APS-C.

Releasing a new camera every 18-24 month is probably what they are capable of. So they can release a new version of every camera in the lineup every 6-8 years, with maybe a minor update in between.

[gylfimag]

If Pentax wants to stay in the FF field then a successor to the K-1 with a sensor with roughly 50 megapixel or more would make sense. A fullframe camera with fewer megapixels than K-1 makes little sense unless it is a considerably less expensive model aimed at a different audience. Pentax has seemingly all but abandoned the 645 series (and certainly abandoned the Q series) so competing with the 645z is hardly an issue. Of course Pentax could reenter the 645 market but it would take quite an effort since Fuji has spent a ton of money on developing medium format lenses and bodies since the 645z came out. It would actually be easier to resurrect the Q series since nobody else is competing in that niche (except smartphones indirectly of course). They would really only need to put a modern sensor into the Q-S1 for that.

[ffking]

Probably when they started work on the K-1 they chose the highest Mp sensor in current use, - though it wan't by the time the camera was released. I don't know when planning started for the next FF, but, by the same logic, I'd assume they'd have gone for the 45Mp, of the options listed by the OP - and that seems to be the most popular choice here

[Dan Rentea]

What are the sensors most likely to make it into the next Pentax full frame model (K-2?)?
- 42Mp sensor used in Sony A7RIII?
- 45Mp sensor used in Nikon Z7?
- 62Mp sensor used in Sony A7RIV?
- or 24Mp used in Nikons, Sonys, Panasonics FF cameras?

42mp or 45mp would be "ideal" for the majority. 45mp already require much more attention when shooting and also great lenses to get the most out of the high resolution sensor. Going to 62mp will make the camera a niche product for many in my opinion. I understand the resolution for certain photographers, but it's not as fun as people may think to shoot with high resolution cameras. Just my 2 cents.

[repaap]

I’m going to say 45 mp . Propably not too much to get more out of it than others. High ISO performance seems to be what they need to pull out nice. And accurate colours. It would be responsive enough still I believe

[pschlute]

A lower model K2 should be made in my opinion. The K1 iii can have the 45mp sensor. A 24 mp K2 can be the light affordable FF w/ the K3iii tech. It just make sense in the line up.

Nonsense. The sensor is irrelevant to the weight.

So you expect Pentax to announce a brand new FF camera with....wait for it... less MP than the K1 ? Not going to happen.

I don't know if you print your images, but I do frequently. I like to print at 24"x16". I can do that fine with the K1 image files 7360x4912 at 300ppi. A 24MP FF sensor would be the last thing I would consider buying.

[11GTCS]

I think 45mp would be the most I'd enjoy. I'd prefer ISO performance over straight resolution, especially when I don't feel like I'm missing much with the existing 36mp sensor. I'd rather they focus some of the BOM cost on those silicon and AF improvements a la K3iii and maybe some other software-side improvements... maybe some more computation photography work on the MC to make handheld shots and those with motion a little better? They don't suck now, but other brands (olympus) have shown some elevated potential is possible with a handheld high res mode.

All that to say that even if they kept the 36mp sensor I'd not be upset, I don't feel like that's the short straw in the K-1 by a long shot.