[bobbotron]

What do you want on a camera body in place of the pop-up flash?

Ideally nothing, would make for a lighter body. That said, the gps is pretty neat.

(I would much prefer to be forced to use my real flashes too.)

I've always wanted a k1000 digital equiv, where the body has no features (no video, SR, etc), but I'll never see it.

[clackers]

What do you want on a camera body in place of the pop-up flash?

Yeah, I'd use the fill or catchlight flash far more often than the Astro GPS module.

[monochrome]

I so rarely use OBF that this argument is trivial for me. But those who do use it are quite passionate. If Pentax made a small flash with Z coding for triggering (AF201FGZ) the question would be moot.

[jeverettfine]

Pentax surely will continue to produce an ASP-C body, there are too many very good lenses made for them. I could see it being only mirrorless, reserving optical SLR for FF cameras. I still enjoy my K-3 very much and have no plans to move to something else.

[PentaxRev]

I don't get it. If you don't like the pop up flash on a camera like the K-3 don't use it. But even some of us who are pretty serious photographers simply don't always want to carry an external flash and in those situations the little pop up comes in really handy. I have a nice external flash and if I'm shooting a wedding or taking lots of flash pictures I will use it, but on other occasions the pop up is great. I cannot imagine anyone not buying a K-1 or K-3 II because it has a pop up, but there will be a few of us who will seriously consider not upgrading to a camera that doesn't have this nice little convenience.

---------- Post added 03-30-2016 at 11:19 PM ----------

Yeah, I'd use the fill or catchlight flash far more often than the Astro GPS module.

I couldn't agree more.

[panonski]

All i know to tell you is that Canon is considered a leader in flash technology in their DSLR system and NONE of their professional cameras have a pop up flash- doesn't seem to have hurt their pro photographers much.

yes, you may say so, but these volks, are not in same boat where I'm, and Canon is suffering from lacking the compact size of their cameras.
If someone think that I will always using three lenses, and two heavy bodies, instead of one smaller with flash and for example some qualitY zoom lens, he's depply wrong, and that's why Canon, and Nikon also loose their market so quickly.
Pentax and Ricoh, shouldn't even think in that way, because it's wrong old fashion direction

[charchri4]

I just hopped over shutter count 10,000 and used the on board flash once. I just grabbed the cam rather than the whole bag so didn't have my Metz with me. So I have used the flash way more than the GPS or head phone jack.

[Rondec]

I am not a big fan of built in flash. Not sure if I will use a GPS or astro tracer unit either, but to me it is no big deal either way. There are definitely plenty of top end cameras that do not include flashes and I assume most folks either (a) stick an external flash on their camera as a controller or (b) use a radio trigger.

The K-1 isn't going to have a trigger and as far as I can tell, it hasn't affected its preorders one iota.

There are a few passionate people out there that will not, under any circumstances, purchase a camera without a pop up flash, but most folks will cave and purchase such a camera, if the rest of the package is great and the price is right.

[gaweidert]

Well, it nothing else, maybe this news will stop that other thread that dominates this sub forum.

As to add a pop up flash or not, the Ricoh XR-m had a very elegant solution that I found just as handy as a pop up flash. A simply little element that clipped onto the left side of the camera that had a small flash that you could pop up or leave in it;s stowed position. It worked great and took up very little room in you bag, or pocket. I have one for each of my XR-m bodies.

[beachgardener]

aps-c K-4, may announcement for an october release?

perhaps the K-70 or K-S3

[RobA_Oz]

…What comes next or are they throwing all there eggs into the K-1 and the K-3 II models ?

There's still the K-S2, or were you only asking about the top models in each range?

Of course, the K-1 is the only model in its range (ie 35FF).

[totsmuyco]

I don't think there will be a k-3II replacement by October being barely a year old. Probably by 2017 we will see a replacement. This time with it will probably be major improvements.

[panonski]

All i know to tell you is that Canon is considered a leader in flash technology in their DSLR system and NONE of their professional cameras have a pop up flash- doesn't seem to have hurt their pro photographers much.

yes, you may say so, but these volks, are not in same boat where I'm, and Canon is suffering from lacking the compact size of their cameras.
If someone think that I will always using three lenses, and two heavy bodies, instead of one smaller with flash and for example some qualitY zoom lens, he's deeply wrong, and that's why Canon, and Nikon also lose their market so quickly.
Pentax and Ricoh, shouldn't even think in that way, because it's wrong old fashion direction

---------- Post added 03-31-16 at 05:08 AM ----------

[Fogel70]

I don't think there will be a k-3II replacement by October being barely a year old. Probably by 2017 we will see a replacement. This time with it will probably be major improvements.

Mk II model usually don't last that long, as they are usually only small revision on the original model done to extend the life a bit.

If K3 II replacement is announced in May, it will follow the standard life length of an "mk II" model.
But I doubt it will take as long as 6 month to be available after announcement. When a replacement camera is announced it will usually be available within weeks.

K5 II was replaced by K3 after 13 month
K100D super was replaced by K200D after 15 month.
*ist DS2 was replaced by K10D after 13 month
*ist DL2 was replaced by K100D after 4 month

K1 was announced much earlier than normal as it is in a brand new segment and not a replacement of an existing camera.

[normhead]

I still have the AF200T and Soligar 14s slave, that I owned when I got my Program Plus way back when in the 90s. I do use the built in flash from time to time. But a GPS would be better for me.

I find it interesting that people now have to have stuff that used to be optional. I guess for those of us for whom flash was always an ad on, its sounds kind of silly. For those of us who grew up with on board flash, they expect it. But for folks who lived in the 80's and 90's, only the cheaper cameras had on board flash. So there's bit of a great divide here.

The advantages of a separate flash are pretty much endless. Separate batteries, so your camera battery isn't drained by the flash, bounce flash, much more powerful flash. My AF 200T recycles much faster than my on board flash does. Even my $19 Soligar 14s does, and it's powered by 2 double As. And I can carry the Soligar in a pocket of my camera bag or s shirt pocket. There is a power adjustment on the back of the flash. I see no need to adjust it in camera. But maybe that's because that's what I'm used to.

From my perspective, I find it odd that some one would pass on a camera that's $1000 cheaper than it's closest real competition, over an issue that most of us learned to deal with years ago, and have dealt with stress free most of our lives.

So, ya, I agree with the salesman. If you want to consider yourself to be a pro, get used to dealing with off camera flash, for about a thousand reasons.

Go ahead, laugh at me, while I'm laughing at you. We can laugh together, just at different things.