[monochrome]

Contact for the battery, yes, but not for the SD card, which was what the query was about.

My bad.

[normhead]

The thing I don't understand is the pricing. A four camera line up should be price at something like 550/700/900/1200. And I'm not even sure if this camera is better than the K70. In some ways it is, in others it isn't. It has a grip capability, which hearkens back to the K200 as a mid range camera with a grip capability, but then the buffer and 1/6000 shutter speed seem more mid level.

Then, release it at a little over 1000 dollars price and it feels over price by at least a hundred dollars.

I don't know. Who would get this camera over either a K70 or a K3 III?

Looking at the photos released by Pentax, it still looks , (though it's hard to tell without comparative images) like the KP may match the K-5 at 1600 ISO when pixel peeping which is major given that it's got 50% more pixels. That would mean less noise at the same size.



However it's still behind the K-1 at 3200, I'm not sure this is useful.


A preliminary look brings hope. Someone still needs to test the Dynamic Range. That would be the one thing I trust DxO for.

What were the reasons I didn't buy a K-70?
11 point AF grid- the KP has 27, same as a K-3.
Slower burst rate... the 7 fps on the KP is bearable.

If the DR and high ISO are as expected, this is a camera I'd take over my K-3. You have to remember, I'm not comfortable shooting my K-3 over 640 ISO, getting to 1600 would be huge.

Just to go on a bit more, increasing ISO would enable me to increase both depth of field (1/3) stop and shutter speed (one stop). Since I'm often bogged down at about 1/250 to 1/500, taking my shutter speed to 1/500 to 1/000 would be huge for my favourtie images. So, ya, I'd buy this over K-3 or a K-70 if things turn out to be as good as they look. If the Prime IV coupled with the accelerator turn out to be as good as they look, this will be a better landscape camera than either the K-5 or K-3 as well.

When you are shooting these guys, these things mater.


The Prime IV on the K-1 results are awesome, what are the Prime IV plus Accelerator unit going to be like on the KP? Possibly even better, if you take into account the different sensor size. Personally I think this camera is a break from the traditional Pentax nomenclature system for a reason.

The only draw backs are slightly slower burst rate and smaller buffer (which is actually huge, not minor.) Having only one card slot has never affected my shooting. Not even once.

[boriscleto]

Slower burst rate... the 7 fps on the KP is bearable.

The buffer is only 8 RAW frames...I'll wait a few months and see what the K-3 replacement looks like...

[northcoastgreg]

But the K-3ii costs less and offers more features than the KP..

Is that really true? These two cameras offer different feature sets. Trying to determine which camera is "better" by counting the number features is a useless exercise, as many of the features are, for most photographers, quite trivial, while a handful of features might be very important. If dual card slots, larger buffer, top LCD, and larger battery are important features for you, than the K-3ii is a better fit (and a better value). I, however, would gladly trade those features for the 5 axis stabilization and the improved ISO (and potentially improved DR) of this new K-P. I often find myself shooting in the 1/6 to 1/40 second range, and the IS on my K-5 cameras just isn't good enough. It reduces shake, but it doesn't eliminate it. The 5 axis stabilization on my Oly OMD cameras handles these shutter speeds with ease, providing tack sharp images at the wide FOVs I normally shoot at. If I could have something comparable in a Pentax DSLR, it would allow me do hand-held photography with improved Pentax ergonomics, handling, DR and IQ. So potentially at least (depending on the cameras DR and IS performance), I could see this camera working out for me, which I couldn't say of any previous post K-5iis Pentax APS-C DSLR.

In short, any determination whether this camera is "better" than the K-3ii (or the K-70) and whether it costs too much is entirely subjective and depends on each photographer's specific and unique set of needs and essential requirements. Also keep in mind: most Pentax DSLRs (the K-1 was a major exception) tend to be introduced at rather high prices (i.e., we get lots of complaints and belly aching about it). It's a form of price discrimination (early adopter tax) probably necessary for Ricoh's imaging division to remain above water. It's not a big deal. Over time, the price will come down.

[monochrome]

If your product catalog contains 6 products sharing some to nearly all basic technology (K-70, K-S2, K-3ll, KP, K-1, 645z), every time you introduce a new product with iterative improvements of particular technology components you partially obsolete all the other products in your catalog, regardless of their place on a tiered product list. So KP may not fill the flagship APSc product tier, but it has materially obsoleted some of the K-3ll performance spec's.

Just remember:
Entry level
Experiments
Mid-range
Flagship APSc
FF
645

And where each body is in its life cycle and all will be clear.

[normhead]

The buffer is only 8 RAW frames...I'll wait a few months and see what the K-3 replacement looks like...

And that' a really big issue. Having the same thing on a K-1, I know from experience, there are situations where it's crippling. But if you don't ever fill your buffer.... one of the guys on the deck at the park visitor's centre was telling me yesterday how much he hates burst mode. If I was like him, I wouldn't care.

[monochrome]

And that' a really big issue. Having the same thing on a K-1, I know from experience, there are situations where it's crippling. But if you don't ever fill your buffer.... one of the guys on the deck at the park visitor's centre was telling me yesterday how much he hates burst mode. If I was like him, I wouldn't care.

I once stood next to my daughter, both of us shooting my son playing Lacrosse. I let go a 5 shot burst. She turned to me and said, "Jeez Dad. Spray much?"

[lightbox]

Has anyone been watching the press footage on CNN other US news networks? Specifically whenever there's an event or speech at the White House. You can't even hear the person speaking. All you hear is a sea of machine guns...

"brrrrrrp....brrrrrrrrrrrrp...brrrrp....brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp."

I posted this in another thread, too, because it's a good example:

You Tube

You Tube

(Starting at about 1:10)

Once Pentax has a buffer and fire rate like that, then we know we're in 'pro' camp

[normhead]

Once Pentax has a buffer and fire rate like that, then we know we're in 'pro' camp

[stevebrot]

Once Pentax has a buffer and fire rate like that, then we know we're in 'pro' camp

Naaahhh...there are no cameras...the Whitehouse just plays that sound sort of like the laugh track on situation comedies on TV.


Steve

[GeneV]

I look in my cabinet and see 8 Pentax DSLR bodies going back to the K10d. For me, the price will need to come down and I will need to sell something. Still, it is an interesting concept.