[Frogfish]

Referring to Elho Sid's list above: €1,449 for the K5 AND the new 18-135 WR ? That seems to be an excellent price if we are comparing it to the D 7000. Just €200 more than either the D7000 kit or the K5 & 18-55 - but a much better lens.

[chalion]

Pentax' marketing is just dozing off. I don't know if they were caught off-guard by Nikons D7000 announcement and price, but to not be able to set a CLEAR MSRP is beyond me.

i only hope by this christmas, the k5's price will have stabilized and gone down to a more "realistic" level

+1

I can wait a couple months after release to get the K5.

[Rupert]

If the K5 enters the US Market at $1599. it is Dead On Arrival.......no doubt about it. $400 above the Nikon D7000 is insane, and given all the other insanity being played by Hoya it would even force me to take another look at my Pentax affiliation.

Nikon has a worldwide reputation, a complete support system, including service and tons of accessories...like Flash, TC, and almost any lenses you can dream of........and at $400. less than the Pentax, is there any doubt where new buyers will turn? Hoya is just not too sharp in business, as demonstrated in the blown announcement of this camera. They have openly stated that they are looking for a buyer for Pentax....let's hope they find one, and soon. Pentax has great potential, but they need a management team that understands the camera business, and it clearly is not at Hoya.
Regards

[jgmankos]

Really kids, until the camera is released, these places are pretty much pulling numbers out of their asses.

I agree. We'll have to see when it actually starts shipping what it's gonna drop for.

If it's $1399 or less body only....I just *may* be an early adopter. If not...not a big deal to me...I'll wait until it drops. While I'm intrigued about the new camera...I'm just too darn happy with the images I'm getting right now that it's not gonna be a big rush for me. The biggest draw for me is the large ISO range, especially if it translates to dramatically improved performance above ISO 800 over the K7. The "improved" af will be a nice addition but since I use mostly manual focus lenses it's not a huge deal....to me anyway

[WerTicus]

$1380 AUD in Aussie land

Pentax K5 Body (Australian Warranty)

i see bonovox beat me but i just noticed this fine print also:


"The price and specifications are not confirmed yet, however we are taking pre-orders as we expect the initial demand to be high. Should the final price be higher that our anticipated price we will advise you prior to shipping. If the price is lower you will be invoiced accordingly."

[brecklundin]

$1399 is a perfectly reasonable MSRP opening price but not a street price...but only if it gives you the features you want. Right now I hate to keep on it, but the D7000 offers the features I need, one feature to be specific. But I am loathe to go to Nikon simply because I have never used the brand and was comfy choosing between staying with Canon or switching to Pentax as I shot with an ME Super for years a long time ago. And I had used Canon gear a few times after that...plus there are is the Nikon personality and I don't have that, it's not in me to be a Nikon kinda guy... Plus if I go back to canon I have access to a lot of the best Canon lenses thanks to a couple pro pals who shoot Canon. I am not above buying hand-me-downs either.

I am in wait and hover mode on the K-5 as we have no idea what the exact feature set will be let alone a price. And given I am close to Gravy Train or Alpo as a daily cuisine I am not buying anything in the next 6-months at minimum. Too many medical bills.

[JayR]

$1380 AUD in Aussie land

Pentax K5 Body (Australian Warranty)

i see bonovox beat me but i just noticed this fine print also:


"The price and specifications are not confirmed yet, however we are taking pre-orders as we expect the initial demand to be high. Should the final price be higher that our anticipated price we will advise you prior to shipping. If the price is lower you will be invoiced accordingly."

sweet!
Thats not much more than what i bought my K7 for in January

[Lampo]

Where is that?? I have only spotted the K-5 at FotoB. in Amsterdam, and they only list K-5 and K-5 + 18-55 (without any hint on it being L or WR) with the prices you give, No 18--135 to be found there

I have found another (besides the store in Amsterdam) store (in Urk) which lists the K-r and they are € 110,00 cheaper on K-r body and € 120,00 on K-r + DA 18-55.

Those are the MRSP's communicated by De Beukelaar in their announcement of the K-5...

I have not spotted the K-5 in a Dutch webshop, did you? I am curious what the street price will be, especially now the nordic countries (Finland, Norway) seem to have very competitive street prices.

[janneman]

Those are the MRSP's communicated by De Beukelaar in their announcement of the K-5...

I have not spotted the K-5 in a Dutch webshop, did you? I am curious what the street price will be, especially now the nordic countries (Finland, Norway) seem to have very competitive street prices.

Dutch stores:
Pentax K-r body price no. 1

Pentax K-r body price no. 2

[melander]

If i remove tax and convert to dollah, the opening price here in sweden are around $1280

And remember that the dollah is at its lowest sence quarter 4 2008 and no sign of it stopping its downfall

[dylansalt]

Sorry Pentax - you are just tooooo slowed up

[rawr]

$1380 AUD in Aussie land

Pentax K5 Body (Australian Warranty)

In comparison, Vanbar also has the Nikon D7000 listed for $1799 body only...
Nikon +D7000 Body (Nikon Aus warranty)

So the K-5 is a relative bargain.

[elho_cid]

I'm sorry for you guys in the US that this time you didn't get the camera cheaper than rest of the world as usually. I believe it is difficult for citizens of such a poor country to pay the same price as we do in the rich Czech republic.
But try to understand Pentax: They produce let's say 20000 of K-5 each month and they can sell it with $500 margin here or with $200 margin in the US. Keeping in mind that smart americans will sell their cheap cameras to europe using the ebay, making money that the manufacturer lost by serving the most spoiled market worldwide.

And buy Canons or Nikons. If someone stays with Pentax only because it is cheaper brand, than it is not a valuable customer. I'm ready to pay a bit more for Pentax camera - for the better handling, better service (here we have it), better lenses and light rugged bodies.

[Rondec]

I don't think anyone really knows what the K5 will sell for in the US. In general, list prices are pretty useless on Pentax products. Just go to B and H and browse the DA limiteds. Half of them won't even show a price -- the ones that do show prices that are significantly higher than what they really sell for (eg the DA 40 is listed at 499, but then when added to the cart it drops to 339).

Amazon is covering themselves that they aren't offering a price that is lower than what they will get the camera and end up selling at a loss.

In the end, early adopters always pay a higher price.

[janneman]

I'm sorry for you guys in the US that this time you didn't get the camera cheaper than rest of the world as usually..

I often had the idea that prices is US were so low , and then with silly rebates, that for Pentax to make any profit at all, they made "us"pay dearly.