[suraswami]

and
reliable fast AF both phase detect and contrast detect
4K video with SR stabilization selectable
10fps+ & big buffer for at least 40 RAW
at least small pop-up wireless flash commander
dot matrix top display
keep front+back IR

Money are ready.. but camera nowhere near.

You mean re-label A7III + add mirror? ha ha joke.

[reh321]

For general shooting, I might even agree...

So the 'accelerator' isn't ideal for certain types of niche photo.

[hitrate]

An option might be, for Pentax to make the image processing user selectable.

Chris

we would be better off without weird additional circuitry... but a better board or SoC as a whole.



So my hope for the K-3II successor is: no more cheap coprocessors but an overall better chipset, that can handle 75-100 autofocus points and 9-10fps bursts with AF hold. or 10-13 with single focus.
Believe it or not, that is NOT unlikely since the K-3 already offered 8.3fps that sometimes felt like 9fps.

You mean re-label A7III + add mirror? ha ha joke.

actually having those features would not be a bad idea... saying "joke" tells me you have doubts about RICOHs ability to build excellent cameras... but actually its very likely if you take a look at the Specs of the K-3II - that they HAVE TO "up" the game a bit from K-3II... to where xmeda meant it should be...
10fps... bigger buffer, etc.



The K-3 and K-3II were excellent cameras of their time, and RICOH would do better to deliver even better, because other releases are close and even the new amateur cameras from Canon get the full monty --- see M50(which is a mirrorless)

The D7100 and D7200 where each direct competitors to the Pentax K-3 and K-3II...
and they had a hard time to "best" it.
- actually the K-3s where the way better Pro-APS-C DSLRs.... (and in no way only semi-pro... despite the lack of tethering support maybe)

The Autofocus of course...was not that good as on the Nikons, but it was PRETTY close, so actually wasnt that bad on both K-3s and according to my experience also performed quite good in dark environments.

both K-3 bodies offered:


better video functionality than its predecessors--- even a dedicated RECORD button- and nearly equally good video
---> Nikon D7200 had to crop the crop to give you 50/60p...

... both should have had log features and more possible options about format and bitrate but OK. both Nikon 7xxx and Pentax K-3* where actually still cameras - but is video seems to get an attractor more and more...
its very likely the K-3II successor will show improvements in that sector.


higher framerate and bigger buffer than its predecessors and competitors...
--> the Nikon 7xxx bodies both only gave you - 6fps bursts in normal and - 7fps in !!cropped-crop!


better writespeeds and connection

both K-3 bodies had USB3.0 - tethering was possible with 3rd party open-source tools.
PLUS Dual-Slots!



So actually the successor should not be that far away from the specs of an A7III... respectively an A6500...
if they really do a hybrid camera like sonys SLTs (like A77)
or
if they stay true to the DSLR and optical viewfinders... HONESTLY?. actually i dont care about that.
(still its possible since every - literally every camera producer seems to go mirrorless... thing is PENTAX could profile itself as the lone survivor in DSLR lens, if they play it right.



So I am pretty sure it will be a camera thats competitive to the likes of A6500/6300, D7500, D500, M50, XT-2, Leica CL, etc. (mirror or no mirror)



but IF it would be a relabeled sony product, it would be a relabeled A6500 ...since A7III is FF.


as a last point, I wanted to note that:
The mood in pentaxland is just like before the presentation/revealing of the K-1!
- no one believed that there could ever be a Pentax FF and wanted to best the predictions of every other old bone...
But in the end... The K-1 became reality.

So will a competitive PROFESSIONAL-APS-C Flagship. PERiOD

[surfar]

but IF it would be a relabeled sony product, it would be a relabeled A6500

So will a competitive PROFESSIONAL-APS-C Flagship.

Not going to happen but thats good trippin you are doing,dont know how that $$$ony is a Pro level without a 2nd card slot?

[JPT]

I still think this camera is waiting for a new sensor to become available. Recent APS-C cameras have still been built around variants of the 24mp non-BSI sensor in the K-3. The fact that there is so little difference in image quality between the K-70 and the $2,000 flagships from other brands is a sign to me that APS-C has kind of stagnated. There were rumors of higher resolution sensors before the 2016 earthquake, and I think at some point they must have gone back to the drawing board. Some recent rumors on the leaky Fuji side indicate either a 26 or 28mp coming later this year. Fuji usually uses variants of the same sensors that Pentax, Nikon and Sony use, so that could be it. Note that Sony has also been very quiet with APS-C bodies recently. I think they are all waiting for the same thing. Given the current trend, it seems likely that a new high-end APS-C camera will be Ricoh's platform for the next 4-5 years, with I and II models. It makes sense to build this around a new sensor, and not one that is so similar to the K-3.

Pentax is also pretty much alone in not having a high end APS-C / MFT camera at a $1,500-2,000 price point. This is strange considering their historical commitment to APS-C while the Canon, Nikon and Sony were treating it as a stepping stone to full frame.

Actually, I noticed that the Canon 7D is even older than the K-3 II. While Nikon's models are newer, the D7500 has lost some features (a bit like the KP) and the D500 took so long to arrive that many people had given up. Fuji is the one coming out with frequent updates to their APS-C cameras, but I'm not sure how they justify cramming so many similar models into their line-up. They all seem like repackaged versions of the same camera. On the MFT side, the cameras have been stuck at 20 mp for a long time too. So I don't think Ricoh is alone in slowing down with APS-C releases. It's the new normal.

I think Hitrate is right that when it comes, it will have a lot of new-to-Pentax features. It has to to surpass the K-3 II as it's predecessor; it has to surpass the KP as a lower model in the line-up; and it's likely to adopt a lot of the improved body features of the K-1. To be competitive with the competition it needs 4K, better AF, better wi-fi and so on. It's going to be a true top-end model, I think.

[surfar]

I still think this camera is waiting for a new sensor to become available.

Fuji side indicate

26

The 26mp sensor is available, the Fuji announcement is just before or @ PhotoKina.

Fuji is the one coming out with frequent updates to their APS-C cameras, but I'm not sure how they justify cramming so many similar models into their line-up. They all seem like repackaged versions of the same camera.

Fuji do what there customers ask, Xt100 announced in a couple of weeks.Its a XA5 with a viewfinder,meaning its a 24mp Bayer array.

They all seem like repackaged versions of the same camera.

Yes,all very similar...trickle down economics.They have a price and shape to appeal to most.2 with Bayer array and 5 with Xtrans 3 will offer lots of choice and value.All having access to reasonable glass that ranges from excellent to superb.

To be competitive with the competition it needs 4K, better AF, better wi-fi and so on

Yes,but i'll be surpised if 4K comes along.CaNik have it but its not anywhere as good as in M/L systems.Canon M50 crops at 2.5X better than none i suppose.

I think that the next Pentax Apsc will be a baby brother to K-1ii.Excellent stills capability with dated moving pictures.

[RonHendriks1966]

A bigger mp sensor should not be a problem. Turn the 20mp m4/3th into aps-aps-c and you have a 33 megapixel sensor for aps-c. Sony could make it. Apperrently there is no interest in such a sensor by the camera makers.

Pentax never had the high end expensive models in the past. Finding customers for a new model more expensive then 1499 euro could be very difficult in K-mount and aps-c.

[clackers]

A bigger mp sensor should not be a problem. Turn the 20mp m4/3th into aps-aps-c and you have a 33 megapixel sensor for aps-c. Sony could make it. Apperrently there is no interest in such a sensor by the camera makers.

Pentax never had the high end expensive models in the past. Finding customers for a new model more expensive then 1499 euro could be very difficult in K-mount and aps-c.

I don't think high end APS-C makes a lot of sense when the prices approach or even exceed base level full frame.

[surfar]

Sony could

Make many sensors but what is in the parts bin that RI can utilise?

---------- Post added 05-12-18 at 07:27 PM ----------

I don't think high end APS-C makes a lot of sense when the prices approach or even exceed base level full frame.

Well with K-1and ii for landscape shooters,A7iii for Hybrid fan$$$, its tough for Fuji/Panasonic/Olympus to justify their top end 2000 U$ bodies.

But then it does come down to specialised areas and accessible lenses to do specific jobs i suppose.Its a difficult choice right now!

[RonHendriks1966]

Make many sensors but what is in the parts bin that RI can utilise?

Those sensors get more and more expensive since they have a lower production level. So a generic 24mp sensor may cost 100 $ while a new 33mp sensor maybe would cost 250 $. Then it is easy to choose the generic one.

[surfar]

it is easy to choose the generic one.

Like in the K-1, but the KP is a new sensor.

[Reed]

I'm preety sure they wait, or are working over with new CPU. And that is much more challenging than implementation of new sensor. That is the main drawback for Pentax DSLR. Not the sensors. Currently their "newest" is Prime IV, that is probably same, maybe slightly tuned over, but still same technology as Nikon Expeed 3, used in for example D4 or D810. And that unit dates it back around 2010/1. Ricoh was never willing to buy newest tech- they used trusted platforms etc. New KP sensor used was bold move, they never done that before.
There is plenty of talk how caring for their users Fuji today is, giving them such a good firmware updates with new features etc. I don't buy that marketing talk. Those features are available from the start for the CPU's. Fuji release their new models in amazing speed, but some features are not ready/implemented fully on initial release, so only thing the new firmware do- is to enable some embedded technology that is already there. But people love that approach. They adopted the "Kaizen" philosophy here, and it works for them. But there is no magic- if hardware does not support somthing, it can't be done by simply software upgrade.

[reh321]

Like in the K-1, but the KP is a new sensor.

With all the uproar over the 'accelerator', Pentax will have to decide whether to continue down that path. People seem to have ignored the 'accelerator' on the K-70 and KP .... I really wish "serious users" had been introduced to it via a K-3iii then via the K-1ii, but that is what did happen, and now management needs to decide whether to continue pushing it {the OnBoard Flash was first omitted on the K-3ii, and the uproar had ended by the time the K-1 came out}

[Chris Mak]

With all the uproar over the 'accelerator', Pentax will have to decide whether to continue down that path. People seem to have ignored the 'accelerator' on the K-70 and KP .... I really wish "serious users" had been introduced to it via a K-3iii then via the K-1ii, but that is what did happen, and now management needs to decide whether to continue pushing it {the OnBoard Flash was first omitted on the K-3ii, and the uproar had ended by the time the K-1 came out}

Pentax should absolutely offer a menu entry to bypass raw image pre-processing. In the case of the KP, it may also be the different sensor (to the K3 series). In my view, it is useless to artificially try to up the performance of the current 24mp sensor to make it seem better than it really is. Rather, it is time for a BSI 24mp sensor, or for better supporting hardware.

It was a dubious return from the KP to the K3II for me, as the AF was really much better with the DA560. I am now back to the K3(II) trials of mirror runaway, AF lock-ups, much AF hunting, especially when the battery drops below half charge.
Exactly the same issues that I had with my former K3 mk1. The KP drove the DA560 seemingly effortlessly, also on near depleted battery. No hunting and good AF accuracy.
So short of a system switch, I would really hope Pentax makes a worthy K3 successor.

Chris

[surfar]

There is plenty of talk how caring for their users Fuji today is, giving them such a good firmware updates with new features etc. I don't buy that marketing talk. Those features are available from the start for the CPU's. Fuji release their new models in amazing speed, but some features are not ready/implemented fully on initial release, so only thing the new firmware do- is to enable some embedded technology that is already there. But people love that approach. They adopted the "Kaizen" philosophy here, and it works for them. But there is no magic- if hardware does not support somthing, it can't be done by simply software upgrade.

I suppose you can look at things from that perspective but here are the facts.Earlier this year i read an interview with some Fuji officials.
One question was about developing individual camera models,they said that usually they listen to their user base for around a year then it takes another year to get the camera body into the market place.The interviewer then asked about lenses,the answer was "that takes longer"!

As Fuji develop new bodies their advancements get passed to their existing ones where possible.New stuff comes along with each model so why not share it.