My few cents - and maybe nobody cares. (And I won't have a K3 until after February 10th)
- We're all captives of our past experience with Pentax, in that this AF improvement would be the last. best effort Pentax would make for many years. Consequently we view the K3 vs. (competitor) argument as static and binary. We want to compare and contrast, pick a winner and close the book, as follows:
- This AF is either revolutionary or evolutionary
- This AF is either better than or not better than (competitor)
I contend head-up competition shouldn't be the point of reviewing the K3. I contend this AF is much better than what we had in prior Pentax cameras. Whether objectively (as tested for) or subjectively (as reported by users) or personally discovered (when I get mine), this camera can perform focus functions differently than and better than any camera branded Pentax has ever done before. And I contend this won't be the last AF improvement we see from Ricoh.
I further contend the
big change Ricoh brings to the table will be (later seen to be) constant, iterative change, as opposed to infrequent, disruptive change.
- This AF isn't static, it is dynamic. The next generation of Pentax cameras will have better AF - perhaps faster, perhaps more precise, perhaps eye-recognition, perhaps tracking.
- This AF (may well) pair with new lens designs to further improve final performance, which we cannot know until the entire range of lenses is refreshed with an as-yet-unrevealed technology - and brand new designs are released.
The same principle applies to many other systems
- flash technology - the new ones are better, but not yet as good as Nikon
- Shutter - the new one is better, but not yet up to 1/250 sync capability (see flash)
- WB - we haven't really seen tests yet, but the new multi area WB is probably better, but not yet revolutionary
- Metering - same as WB
- Buffer - faster but perhaps not world-class
- Processor - faster - possibly best-in-breed
- Sensor and conversion algorithms - jury is out, but it will get better
- Ongoing Firmware improvements - iterative improvement, and the sky's the limit
And so on.
The K3 is a very very good first effort for Ricoh (total Ricoh design). It probably isn't head and shoulders above anything, and maybe a bit behind competitors' best efforts in some areas. It isn't the last step and needn't be reviewed as a once-a-generation, standalone device. It is a step in a constant progression of change and improvement - that's the good and big news.
We'll have to wait and see whether Ricoh releases similarly evolutionary or completely revolutionary lens designs, some complementing accessories and makes the beginnings of some credible distribution structure investments.
At the end of the day, though, the K3 is an excellent chioce, and probably good enough to satisfy the needs of any but the most demanding users. That should be the conclusion of EVERY review.