[Boris]

I drive a WRX for a daily driver so....

PM coming your way.

[Zav]

PM coming your way.

So... when are we going to create this Subaru/Pentax club?

[Boris]

I drive Kia C'eed...

[Pål Jensen]

We do not yet know the price of the thing but I don't think there are any reasons to suspect it isn't worth what it cost wether that is $1200 or $10 000.....

I think that OP should pass on K-5 and buy FA 31. No brainer.

[pcarfan]

I have been a Pentax user for a long time and I own most of the Ltd lenses with the sole exception of the FA31mm. I owned all the DSLRs since *ist DS and I recently bought a Kx over a K-7, price being the main factor. I preferred the more bang for the buck of Pentax over Canon and Nikon. I also own a Hyundai sonata for over 7 years now and in the world of Camrys and Accords, I opted for the value for money option-and it paid off. I seriously have doubts over people investing upwards of $1500 for a Pentax APS-C Digital SLR when they can have better options with a Canon or Nikon. Pentax positioned itself as a cheaper but better alternative to similar priced rivals, and this sudden jump into the 'Premium' segment may not work well for it. But then I could be wrong- I recently read that for the first time ever, the sales of the 2011 Sonata would exceed that of the mighty Honda Accord...!!!!!

Hyundai should come with a luxury division (Like Acura or lexus) and sell some of their cars as such, and I bet the US sales will sky rocket. They have improved so much, and currently are making some fabulous cars, but the name/stigma spoils it for them.

When they say "Lets do to lexus what they did to Mercedes", they mean it and they have the goods to carry it through....but, they need a luxury divison.

P.S: I am most likely skipping the K-5 as well....happy with the K-7.

[Netsoft]

Hyundai should come with a luxury division (Like Acura or lexus) and sell some of their cars as such, and I bet the US sales will sky rocket. They have improved so much, and currently are making some fabulous cars, but the name/stigma spoils it for them.

When they say "Lets do to lexus what they did to Mercedes", they mean it and they have the goods to carry it through....but, they need a luxury divison.

P.S: I am most likely skipping the K-5 as well....happy with the K-7.

They do have, ok this is getting out of topic. Stick back

Just a hint: EQUUS

[Entropy]

Hyundai should come with a luxury division (Like Acura or lexus) and sell some of their cars as such, and I bet the US sales will sky rocket. They have improved so much, and currently are making some fabulous cars, but the name/stigma spoils it for them.

When they say "Lets do to lexus what they did to Mercedes", they mean it and they have the goods to carry it through....but, they need a luxury divison.

P.S: I am most likely skipping the K-5 as well....happy with the K-7.

I drive a 2009 Subaru Outback, and when my (now ex) girlfriend was car shopping, I was like "oh my god she's looking at Hyndais" - However, the more research I did, the more impressed I was with the 2006+ Sonatas. The Sonata she bought in the end was a very nice solid car. I just drove a 2010 or 2011 Sonata as a rental last week, and I was very impressed with it. The new GDI engines (200HP from a 2.4l engine) and 6-speed transmission make for a very drivable sedan. (Apparently in 2012 or so they will have a turbocharged GDI engine to replace the now-gone-from-Sonatas V6).

It seems like the future for vehicle engines is GDI (turbocharged or not) - Ford EcoBoost, GM's High Feature V6, the new Hyundai GDI engines.

I'm looking forward to GDI making its way into the Subaru line.

As to K-5 - If the original price estimates ($1600-1700 MSRP, probably meaning 1300-1500 street) are correct, I'll be holding off. If the newer ($1399 MSRP, probable $1100-1200 street) estimates are correct, I'll be upgrading immediately - I skipped the K-7 because it was a major failure in the "value" department compared to the K20D and especially the K10D.

[Ken T]

I have been a Pentax user for a long time and I own most of the Ltd lenses with the sole exception of the FA31mm. I owned all the DSLRs since *ist DS and I recently bought a Kx over a K-7, price being the main factor. I preferred the more bang for the buck of Pentax over Canon and Nikon. I also own a Hyundai sonata for over 7 years now and in the world of Camrys and Accords, I opted for the value for money option-and it paid off. I seriously have doubts over people investing upwards of $1500 for a Pentax APS-C Digital SLR when they can have better options with a Canon or Nikon. Pentax positioned itself as a cheaper but better alternative to similar priced rivals, and this sudden jump into the 'Premium' segment may not work well for it. But then I could be wrong- I recently read that for the first time ever, the sales of the 2011 Sonata would exceed that of the mighty Honda Accord...!!!!!

Is there any place now selling K-5 for $1699 ? Also what are the better options of which model of Canon and Nikon over Pentax K-5 ?

[indy]

So... when are we going to create this Subaru/Pentax club?

Can Saab 92x Aero owners also join :-)?

[sagiboy]

If they had priced K-5 at 999.99, then it could have eaten into the mid level canon (60D, D90, and the new Nikon). I do not understand the logic behind their move. Also, they should have a few more dependable SDM lenses. Cameras come and go, lenses stay on and make the best investment.

[sagiboy]

Also, Im drooling over the new Eqqus, but may never be able to afford it. The Turbo Sonata could be my next car. I heard they are launching it later this month.

[omega leader]

If they had priced K-5 at 999.99, then it could have eaten into the mid level canon (60D, D90, and the new Nikon). I do not understand the logic behind their move. Also, they should have a few more dependable SDM lenses. Cameras come and go, lenses stay on and make the best investment.

They have to make money. If they sell it at $999, but they only make $200, vs. selling it at $1299 where they can make $500 dollars they need to sell 2.5x more.

Plus they know it will reduce so by starting higher they can react to a changing market reality.

[Anastigmat]

The k-5 has weather sealing and shake reduction and faster fps over the d7000, the d7000 has a likely better autofocus... and that is all.

That is not all. The D7000 has an aperture coupling ring. That means AI and AI-S manual focus lenses will meter with the camera. Pentax took away the aperture coupling ring years ago when it introduced the *ist D, and it has not put it back in any of the DSLR cameras to date. The K5 would be a good place to start. The D7000 also has GPS connectivity, something only Sony has matched with its new cameras. Both Canon and Pentax are lagging far behind.

Also does Nikon have any primes comparable to your limited? With VR in them to compensate for it lacking in body?

You have a point. The in body shake reduction is an attractive feature that many Nikon users openly envy, but Nikon does have some sharp lenses for those who can afford them, such as the 400mm f/2.8. Nothing like that in the Pentax catalog.

And i agree with Pal Jensen, the Sonata and Camry handle like crap, accelerate like crap and stop like crap. (I've not driven an Accord)

Americans buy these cars because they are status symbols for the middle class, not because they are sporty. The Mazda 6 and its predecessor the 626 are geared more to the enthusiasts, but they sell poorly in a market dominated by Toyota and Honda.

[ionutmar]

in Romania, D7000 body was just listed with preorder at 1100 EUR (incl. VAT). but this doesn't matter.

The K-7 is 1200 EUR body, here there pentax prices are not reduced for loooong time, if ever. Thery still have k20 kit on stoc at discount at 700E

So i hope k-5 will have a low starting price because is not likely to drop here.