Originally posted by Peter_JDH I see a number of retailers in Canada are listing both the K-70 and KP as discontinued - unavailable for order........
...... I also see the DA 18-135 lens listed as discontinued in places.
Neither the K-70 nor the DA18-135 are discontinued:
Products | RICOH IMAGING Products | RICOH IMAGING
The KP can still be ordered, but ranges under "discontinued models":
Originally posted by Mistral75 Considering only mid- to high-level cameras.......
IMO the K-70 is missing. Introduced in 2016 it is now the 5th year in production!
I don't see it at all as entry-level, it has much more to offer but of course that is relative!
Entry-level to me were: *ist-DL, K100/110D, K-m, K-x.
Between entry and mid: K200D, K-r, K-S1 (K-S1 as an effort to produce a small fully equipped KAF body, quite an achievement after the almost similar sized and quite inferior K-01)
The aperture-block-problem is almost solved, I am pretty sure they can solve that fully.
Pentax DSLR with solenoid built since Dec. 2015 range within the 2% failure-rate (not all due to a stuck solenoid though!)
That is quite an achievement because failure-rate of pre-2015 models with solenoid was high.
Every Pentax DSLR with solenoid pre-12/2015 owned by family, friends and collegues developed ABF!
Every without any exception (That includes K30/50/K-S1/K-S2).
And every of them was repaired by myself with the Japan-Solenoid and works perfectly since.
The culprit is only that tiny solenoid which was modified, works now much better and could even be bettered.
The demand, to use the stepper-motor of the high-level models in the mid-level bodies instead of the solenoid is based on (understandable) wishful thinking but (understandable) lack of knowledge. I have added information
HERE which explains the why.