[Wasp]

Looking forward to the replacement of the long in the tooth K70!

[RobA_Oz]

Yeah, and it's only 100g at that.

'Larger format' and 'smaller bodied' were big claims by the OP!

We're talking, four ounces?

A little less, if you fit the biggest finger grip?

I guess the thing is that the KP looks smaller, by design.

On this basis alone, it’s a big stretch to imagine the K-3iii as the successor to the KP. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve always liked the KP’s design elements, including its looks, but it’s an outlier in the Pentax lineage.

[Digitalis]

but it’s an outlier in the Pentax lineage.

Pentax has a way of working with outliers.

[RobA_Oz]

Pentax has a way of working with outliers.

Well, indeed. It’s easy to make a case that the whole brand is an outlier.

[totsmuyco]

I hope I'll have the funds if they'll make a KP successor in the future. I just love the retro look plus, its performance is excellent.

[Roland Karlsson]

I hope I'll have the funds if they'll make a KP successor in the future. I just love the retro look plus, its performance is excellent.

There is nothing wrong with e.g. the K-70 performance. That K-P should have some magical performance is a myth.

Yes, retro look is nice, but not practical. The K-70 has a very comfortable grip that can contain stuff. The K-P has a small removable grip that is just paper weight.

[kypfer]

There is nothing wrong with e.g. the K-70 performance. That K-P should have some magical performance is a myth.

The KP has several significant advantages over the K-70 … more a/f points, improved tracking, 3 extra stops of low-light sensitivity, smart function, electronic shutter … all features that were included, in a further advanced format, in the K-3iii.
Admittedly, you may not need/want any of these features, but compared to the K-70, the KP's performance is no myth!
The K-70 is indeed a very competent camera … the KP is better yet in most departments.

Yes, retro look is nice, but not practical. The K-70 has a very comfortable grip that can contain stuff. The K-P has a small removable grip that is just paper weight.

The "retro" look is very practical if you use/handle the camera as you would an "old-fashioned" film camera, with no grip.
I made the mistake of fitting the large grip to my KP on receipt, assuming because it looked most like my older cameras that would be the best.
Wrong!!! … With the shutter button "on top" of the body instead of "in front", as it is on most (all?) other Pentax DSLRs, the small grip gives a far more "natural" feel and helps place my index finger over the shutter button with no effort!

[que es tu]

I hope I'll have the funds if they'll make a KP successor in the future. I just love the retro look plus, its performance is excellent.

I agree! As far as I am concerned, it doesn’t get any better than the KP. If I had to replace mine, I would search long and hard for an excellent used one before I got the K3-III. If there was a “KPII”, and it retained the design of the original, but with significant improvements (especially the new pentaprism) I would be all over it!!!

[reh321]

Yes I completely understand that you're sensitive to pricing, as are a large number of standalone would-be and current camera owners. Would you buy a new KPII for $1500?

Just know that the days of cheap mid-range cameras is over. You will never be buying a new one if waiting for that old KP pricing. The closest in size and layout to a KP that I'm aware of is the Fuji X-T4 and that's a $1700 camera. There is no longer a large enough base to take full advantage of economy of scale, so your market is going to be limited to used (and lots of very good and carefully used DSLR's out there if you're looking to upgrade) or none at all.

For anyone looking for a hugely capable and ergonomic new camera you won't find a better bargain than the $600 K-70 from any manufacturer. It's essentially a mid-range stills camera masquerading as an entry-level one. Anything more capable for stills will come in twice the price,

I have said I would pay up to $1000 for a “K-90” if it had K-3iii focusing.
For $1500, I might as well try to find the money for a K-3iii - so probably no.
I should mention again that when I purchased my KP, I assumed it would be my last camera {I was about 71 then}

[reh321]

There is nothing wrong with e.g. the K-70 performance. That K-P should have some magical performance is a myth.

Yes, retro look is nice, but not practical. The K-70 has a very comfortable grip that can contain stuff. The K-P has a small removable grip that is just paper weight.

In general, my film cameras had grips just like the KP’s small grip,
and I use it with the small grip exactly as I used them - same two handed method and all.

added: The large grip built into my K-30 gets in the way of my putting my thumb under the camera and squeezing my shutter finger and thumb together, so I have trouble with slow shutter speeds.

[Roland Karlsson]

The KP has several significant advantages over the K-70 … more a/f points, improved tracking, 3 extra stops of low-light sensitivity, smart function, electronic shutter … all features that were included, in a further advanced format, in the K-3iii.

Of Course, the K-P was the successor to K-3 II. It was meant as the high end alternative and K-70 as the low end one. So, making K-3 III and K-P II at the same time is not an option.

Pentax never intended to make the K-3 III. It was the fan base that convinced them to change their mind as the fan base did not like K-P.

Some few people do not like big deep grips and want a more classical look. They want a K-P lookalike flag ship. But, Pentax cannot make both.

[mikesbike]

All this effort to make the K-3 III the same size as the KP- which it is not! 1/4 pound between models is a lot! It's like saying the K-3 III is really about the same size as the K-1 II. Most of those who have both would certainly disagree. But "it is 'only' another 100grams". (!) Depending on one's carrying style and needs, these figures can be very meaningful.

---------- Post added 05-06-22 at 03:39 PM ----------

Very similar, although the KP avoids the "shoulder hunch" of the K-3iii, and the K-3iii is noticeably heavier. What surprised me with this comparison is that the body thickness of the K-3iii (excluding protrusions, as the comparison says) is actually slimmer than that of the KP.

In this visual comparison, the two are not actually lined up. Look across the bottom. The shoulder height is greater on the K-3 III, which reflects the actual body size, although the numbers say nearly the same- but this is due to the KP's flash housing coming to a point at the top- but the K-3 III does not even have a built-in flash!

My K-5 IIs is actually slightly smaller than the KP for the reason its flash housing is flat across. But even its shoulders are the same height. I just sat them side-by-side. They are also about the same width. Due to its larger built-in grip, the K-5 IIs is still bulkier than the KP. And being significantly lighter than the K-3 III, it is still about 2 oz. heaver than the KP. This weight does not seem like much on paper, but when one is in need to carry as pared down as possible, but still with as much capability as possible, even this can make a difference. Just in handling, I can even feel this difference. I appreciate the additional dedicated on-body controls of the K-5 IIs instead of the dual-use buttons of the KP, including its readily-available DOF preview lever, but the new controls of the KP are brilliant, and unlike the K-5 and K-3, once again have bracketing control at fingertip. I have absolutely no issue manipulating the controls of the KP. I do not have a K-70, but those of my K-S2 are quite a bit crammed together, and the thumb rest is quite small, unlike the well-designed thumb rest of my KP.

Where these differences can be brought to bear for comparison is in the differences in practical usage, as well as in features offered for this usage.

---------- Post added 05-06-22 at 04:11 PM ----------

Would love to see a KP-II. The KP controls and ergonomics are excellent. With the medium grip attached, it’s very comfortable and reminds me of the MZ-S in the hand. The third dial is a great, unique way to provide tactile access to more exposure controls - it’s a very Pentax-like experiment and succeeds as a response to Fuji-style traditional controls.

When shopping for the KP I spent a lot of time at a camera show handling mirrorless competitors - and the KP was just as small while still offering an optical finder. The live view experience is also pretty good, making the use of the KP as a defacto mirrorless camera (i.e. rear screen shooting) not terrible.

It’s since buying a K-1 that I have come to appreciate just *how well* sorted the KP is. It’s quicker and handles better.

Here is a good example of the KP prevailing over the mirrorless crowd. I love my K-1 II, which has its own usage and imaging advantages, but I agree with this assessment.

What we need to do is stop making comparisons between the KP and the K3 III. The KP is a mirrorless killer. I can install its smallest grip, put on it a compact lens, and put it into carrying spaces not possible with ANY other DSLR I have. Certainly not possible with the K-3 III. Yet, I can install a different grip to better match up with larger lenses for better all-around handling, as needed. I can even install its battery grip for gobs of battery life, and gobs of gripping surface, making it "grow" into a form accommodating a much larger lens for better-balanced handling- not possible with a K-70. I like to use the built-in flash sometimes for grab shots and fill- it is there for immediate use. I find the pull-out screen sometimes useful for high or low shooting, and for use on a tripod at certain heights so I don't have to bend over. I like its feel and ergonomics. For some, even here in this thread, it is the KP having the "superior ergonomics". It's imaging performance and capability are exceptional. These features and incredible versatility are important for my usage.

For those who also share my kind of usage needs and likes, in this versatile, lighter style of well-appointed body, yet of professional-grade construction with advanced controls, the KP is the answer.

For those whose idea of "superior ergonomics" is more in line with the K-3 II style, have little or no need for the special features offered by the KP, but do need the advancements and features offered by the K-3 III, that model is the answer for them. It is these matters which surface in usage, which do define the fact that there are two very different design philosophies here, two very different models. The K-3 III is the logical upgraded successor for the K-3 II. The KP is not. It is the Pentax answer as an alternative to high-end APS-C mirrorless in a very advanced DSLR. The testimonials here, including from those who own both it and the K-3 III, prove that the KP is still alive and well, and that both fulfill their respective advantages admirably.

[RobA_Oz]

All this effort to make the K-3 III the same size as the KP- which it is not! 1/4 pound between models is a lot! It's like saying the K-3 III is really about the same size as the K-1 II. Most of those who have both would certainly disagree. But "it is 'only' another 100grams". (!) Depending on one's carrying style and needs, these figures can be very meaningful.

---------- Post added 05-06-22 at 03:39 PM ----------



In this visual comparison, the two are not actually lined up. Look across the bottom. The shoulder height is greater on the K-3 III, which reflects the actual body size, although the numbers say nearly the same- but this is due to the KP's flash housing coming to a point at the top- but the K-3 III does not even have a built-in flash!

Much of the height differential appears to come from the thinner bottom plate of the KP, which is obvious from looking at the lens mount flange. I have no idea of the reasons why, but it does contribute to the shoulder height of the K-3iii, by comparison.

Anyway, the post that sparked a lot of this was the suggestion that the K-3iii was the successor to the KP, and I think that one’s been put to rest by now. I always liked the KP. If they’d introduced the mobile link at the time, so I could record the GPS location data easily, I would have bought one, and they’d probably have had one fewer K-3iii buyers (not that I’m unhappy with mine).

[gatorguy]

All this effort to make the K-3 III the same size as the KP- which it is not! 1/4 pound between models is a lot!

Thats very roughly the weight of one Pentax D-LI90 battery which is good for twice as many shots as the smaller one in the KP, 800 vs 390. If you have to carry an extra one for the older camera because of the limited shots with it you're really not at all far off from the weight of the K3III. It's the lenses you use that make a difference.

Since the very good compact KP can no longer be purchased new the next best option from Pentax would be the K3III. It is slightly heavier just as you noted, but mostly due to the larger battery which many will appreciate and some KP owners would have preferred. By the time you hang the 3/4 pound grip on the KP to bring the battery life up to a more reasonable 800 shots, and needed to improve ergonomics with larger lenses that don't balance well with the body alone, you end up with a much larger and heavier kit than the K3III.

So the new Pentax is a great camera, a significant upgrade from the older KP in all most all respects, without a big hit in added size and weight. While price may be a reason not to choose it, imagining it to be big and heavy is not.

I get the love KP owners have for their cameras. They're unique in the Pentax universe, very capable, well built, and holding their value used, but it's end of the line for them. I don't think there will ever be another KP design. Take care of what you have and when ready for more or it fails there's a very worthy and significant upgrade in the K3III that's neither heavy or huge which was the presumption made in the very first thread post.

Oh, and regarding the price, it's now available new at $1699. Factory refurbished is even less. For what you get with it over any APS-C Pentax has ever offered is a brand bargain IMHO.

[JPT]

Pentax has some lines that are more or less constant:
- Low-end APS-C (Kx, Kr, K-30, K-50, K-S2, K-70)
- High-end APS-C (K10D, K20D, K-7, K-5, K-5 II, K-3, K-3 II, K-3 III)
- Full frame mid-range (K-1, K-1 II)
- Medium format (645d, 645z)

But then they also have a tradition of coming out with one-off cameras to target people with a particuler perceived want or need. I don't think these are necessarily seen as a new line, but just an individual product.
- K-01 (youth, design, mirrorless)
- K-S1 (simplified controls, lightweight, fun)
- MX-1 (retro charm, cool design)
- KP (retro design, companion to limited lenses)

I think when viewed in these terms, the line-up makes more sense, and a bit of naming inconsistency notwithstanding, it is easy to see what they are doing in hindsight.

So my opinion is that Pentax will not necessarily do a KP. but they might do another take on retro in APS-C one day. Also, they might try the KP concept with a full frame model.