[Rondec]

All depends on the new processor and AU,because the sensor is the best available.I think the performance will be exceptional(i may even buy it!).

I suppose. I just think that a lot of the inherent slowness of Pentax auto focus has little to do with the fact that they make SLRs.

[surfar]

That is not the future, that is the present,

Presently phone photograhy is quite good,THE future is the where it becomes mindboggling.AI at present is only scratching the surface.

---------- Post added 11-29-20 at 11:10 PM ----------

I suppose. I just think that a lot of the inherent slowness of Pentax auto focus has little to do with the fact that they make SLRs.

Older components are in the past,as are lower prices so it seems.

[Cerebum]

Regarding AF, am I the only one who is happy with what I have? The difference between Sony and Pentax (unless you are using the 55-300) is a split second. I take 12k shots a year and I can't remember missing more than a handful (mostly when birding with the 55-300) because AF was too slow. Every camera has strengths and weaknesses and trying to be the best in every category is like tilting at windmills. If you want video and fast AF, buy a Sony, but don't if you want a decent menu then maybe Canon, if you don't mind the overheating issue and the cost of grips and teleconverters. What about Fuji, they have ibis now, on the new model, but to get the full whack it is reliant on specific lenses, away from those it works to a degree, except with non Fuji, when you have nothing. Now Leica, surely they are perfect, but don't you need adapters for the viewfinder, depending on the lens. Panasonic, ..... , you're a body builder, right? And the buttons on the new £2k S5 are supposed to be plasticky, Nikon, no controls on the battery grip and all this is just off the top of my head. Every camera is very good. I would LOVE an X-T3 or an X-Pro, a Leica monochrom oooooh lordy! I would be very happy with a Nikon Z6 or a Canon RP, I would live with a lumix (lol), my friend has an A7iii and an A9, they produce beautiful results but they both have foibles! Me, I love my Pentax! I know its shortcomings and I live with them. If the K3iii has incredible AF, great, if the battery life gets up towards that of Nikon DSLRs, brilliant, but if it doesn't it won't change my opinion. Pentax delivers.

Footnote: I did a shoot in a sculpture workshop. My KP was up against an A7iii. The Sony user said my images were sharper and I had more keepers. I shot a sunset against a Nikon D7200, the KP won again! Pentax make great cameras

[BigMackCam]

Regarding AF, am I the only one who is happy with what I have?

No, there's at least you and me! ... and, I suspect, plenty of others. Having said that, I can see where "better" AF and clever stuff like eye recognition has applications for folks who are more demanding than me... and even I would like better AF tracking performance (or perhaps make that easier AF tracking) at times. Still, I'm perfectly happy with what I've got.

One thing I do like about mirrorless is that lens AF fine tuning isn't necessary, as the PDAF points are built into the sensor... though, as we've seen, that can lead to artefacts in extreme circumstances. Since this isn't practical with a DSLR due to the mirror being in the way during composition and focusing, I'd really like to see an assisted / automated AF fine tuning capability in future Pentax DSLRs. Nikon already has it...

[LensBeginner]

People who think "mirrorless is the future" are simply wrong because they assume every photographer wants the same camera design, the same format, the same viewfinder, the same video features, the same ergonomics, the same ... you name it. (Usually such people have a choice that they love and can't see how anyone else could want anything else.)

However, as this thread (and many others) prove, photographers vary substantially on their equipment preferences. Even the argument about simplicity and cost of camera designs is simply wrong -- only some people want the cheapest/simplest camera possible while others actually want the most sophisticated camera possible or are willing to pay more to get exactly what they want. (A few even want the simplest, MOST expensive camera possible ... Leica!)

It may be true that the relative numbers of photographers choosing this or that format/architecture/brand may shift over time like the length of women's skirts (a fickle fad dynamic that benefits the bank accounts of camera and skirt makers!), but that does not imply that every shift is an inexorable trend and that 100% of photographers will converge on identical cameras.

If anything, Nikon's and Canon's turn toward MILCs will benefit Pentax. Those photographers who want an OVF for the many artistic, ergonomic, compositional, and comfort benefits of that architecture will gravitate to Pentax as the only maker of new DSLRs.

One of the key advantages of mirrorless is that much of what happens after the light exits the lens is electronic and digital.

There's no escaping the rules of phisics when trying to get an OVF which has good magnification, good coverage and is not too dark (pick two or strike a compromise), and there's not much to improve in the speed and precision of a mirror or even a mechanical shutter.
There is, conversely, a large margin of improvement in EVF technology, sensor performance esp. related to the quest towards usable global electronic shutter.

When many things are moved from the domain of mechanical items towards electronics, experience teaches us that the improvements we can expect are still in the exponential part of the curve, while mechanical precision during manufacturing is already in the stage where every improvement costs money per part manufactured.

[surfar]

Regarding AF, am I the only one who is happy with what I have?

I'm happy with what i have.

X-T3

X-Pro,

Canon RP,

KP

They all have AF!

[Cerebum]

I'm happy with what i have.


They all have AF!

And? I never said they didn't!

You will find the point I was making was that I don't have a problem with Pentax AF

The cameras you quoted were from an area of the post where I was illustrating that all cameras are good and I would be happy with any, but I love Pentax so will be sticking with it.

[surfar]

Footnote: I did a shoot in a sculpture workshop. My KP was up against an A7iii. The Sony user said my images were sharper and I had more keepers. I shot a sunset against a Nikon D7200, the KP won again! Pentax make great cameras

Could it be that the operator of the Pentax knew how to use it better than the 2 other operators?

In a horse race a good jockey can get the best out of his mount via his skill and experience.As you said

Every camera is very good.

...So what would have happened if you had swapped gear?...plenty of people do.Would the results have been different?

---------- Post added 11-30-20 at 12:44 AM ----------

maybe Canon, if you don't mind the overheating issue

You are referring to the FakeNews about the R5 i take it.Canon firmwared the correction already,there are plenty of workarounds even before the firmware arrived.

What about Fuji, they have ibis now,

Fuji has had Ibis for over 2 years,they have 4 bodies with sensor stabilisation.

Nikon, no controls on the battery grip and all this is just off the top of my head.

Look on the bottom of your head,the latest Nikon battery grip has all the controls.

If you want video and fast AF, buy a Sony,

Or a Canon,Nikon,Fuji or M43...They all do video and they all focus fast.

[Cerebum]

Could it be that the operator of the Pentax knew how to use it better than the 2 other operators?

In a horse race a good jockey can get the best out of his mount via his skill and experience.As you said ...So what would have happened if you had swapped gear?...plenty of people do.Would the results have been different?

She is a wedding/model photographer and frequently shoots in challenging light. I shoot street, inside churches, ambient light. If we had swapped gear we would probably have had similar results. The KP is renowned for its low light capability. If it had been a model shoot her A7iii would have been significantly better, but then it should be, its full frame and the retail price is double that of the KP. As for the Nikon, CTE brought tones out of the sunset that the Nikon just didn't get. But if we were on a bird shoot, with his better AF, he would get better results. Once again, I was illustrating the fact that Pentax, in its element, more than holds its own.

[surfar]

Pentax, in its element, more than holds its own.

Ofcourse,As do most current digital bodies.

The KP is renowned for its

TERRIBLE ergonomics( not only my observation,lots of others have remarked about it) YMMD though.

[Cerebum]

Could it be that the operator of the Pentax knew how to use it better than the 2 other operators?

In a horse race a good jockey can get the best out of his mount via his skill and experience.As you said ...So what would have happened if you had swapped gear?...plenty of people do.Would the results have been different?

---------- Post added 11-30-20 at 12:44 AM ----------




Look on the bottom of your head,the latest Nikon battery grip has all the controls

Petapixel

"One of the major complaints about the first generation Nikon Z6 and Z7 was the lack of a proper battery grip—not just lack, Nikon didn’t even include the connections for one. But as it turns out, you can still get a proper vertical grip for both of these cameras including a shutter button.

As Nikon Rumors discovered earlier today, a quick search on eBay reveals several listings for a 3rd-party grip that pulls it off by using an external cable to power a second shutter button. It’s not the most elegant solution, but it gets the job done and opens up the possibility of shooting the Nikon Z6 and Z7 vertically without contorting yourself."

I WAS WRONG! I clearly misunderstood what I had read but as I don't give a **** about Nikon I didn't read chapter and verse. Unlike you i dont know everything about every brand. Also unlike you i was trying to have a light conversation and i was guilty of generalising! ONCE AGAIN YOU MISSED THE POINT! I was trying to say no brand is perfect but as you evidently want to argue with me I am going to leave it there

[surfar]

as you evidently want to argue with me

Not at all,just trying to give you the accurate information.

[ZombieArmy]

Is it truly your contention that Sony, Nikon and Canon had little R&D to perform in creating their mirrorless cameras, simply because they no longer required a mirror - and perhaps, then, Panasonic had even less to do since they already had no mirror and simply changed the mount from micro 4/3 to L?

Would it be more R&D per camera than for a new DSLR? I'm not saying they spend nothing on RND, I don't think I ever implied that. What you implied is a little absurd that they spend so much on RND that operations cost cut by removing the mirror and other components would take an eternity to be worth it financially.

The difficulty that Canon and Nikon are running into are not because of RND, the difficulty is the stagnating market and people not flocking to the new systems like they thought. Not selling things is what invalidates RND budget.'

I'd like to ask: Do you think Canon and Nikon as companies are just plain stupid? Do you think they'd both put "so much" into RND into an already slowing market if there wasn't some other benefit to go with it?

With respect, I think you grossly under-estimate how much R&D is required for even the smallest improvements, let alone a completely new system (whether mirrorless or DSLR)...

You can use a little deductive reasoning here. How much money is in the ILC market? Spoiler alert, not a whole lot. You can't spend more RND budget than you could reasonably recover, you're not going to suddenly create a new market because you made a mirrorless lol.

[reh321]

The KP is renowned for .

TERRIBLE ergonomics( not only my observation,lots of others have remarked about it) YMMD though.

I’m sorry, but I totally disagree with your opinion, Surfer.
It is not only my opinion - lots of others of us are totally satisfied with the KP’s ergonomics.

[surfar]

I’m sorry, but I totally disagree with your opinion, Surfer.

surfAr...roh...your mileage may vary!

I have to use it with the battery grip which is the least uncomfortable of the 4 configurations.The positive of that is I put the big battery in and it lasts a looooong time.Its an excellent camera apart from the ergos.ive owned towards 100 in my life.Its the only one i havent liked the feel of.

So I;m looking forward to K3x3,hoping it feels good.