I tried checking to see if I could find a similar thread on this forum but couldn't find it, so apologies if its a repeat.
this was posted at dpreview earlier today, source follows:
Arrgh!
What I do know, I cannot post, if I did, I would never be trusted again.
I am in the process of sifting through the questions that I can answer, it's a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. :-(
I can say that a great many (but not all) of the requests will be answered by the new models, mainly with the top one of course.
The engineers are "very aware" of the desires of us users, they do read this forum, so be careful! ;-)
What can be upgraded by firmware in the existing K10D and when/if it will happen is a difficult question to answer. My own view is that some firmware improvements to the K10D will be made after the new model is launched, as most of the engineering time is currently spent on the upcoming models.
Apparently the engineers are very passionate about their designs, they have a deep respect for the Pentax tradition of image quality and reliability with affordability and don't loose sight of these ideals. The designers approach (i.e. traditional Pentax) is very much slanted towards the landscape, outdoor and wildlife shooter who needs reasonable compact ruggedness, weather sealing, and also the studio/portrait and candid street/people photographer, both of whom are generally more interested in very high IQ, with low noise at the lower to mid ISO's and colour fidelity rather than the outright photo jounalist (PJ) and sideline sports photographers who requires a high fps, high ISO unbreakable machine gun with matching bazooka ultra fast lenses.
The lens situation is a very sensitive and high priority issue and they are painfully aware that there is a huge requirement at the longer end. Enough has been said about the challenges of the new factory, but they say they are past those issues now and with Hoyas help are catching up with demand, but it's been a tough road.
APS-C is still the main thrust, FF (or a lesser crop) is certainly not being dismissed, but is still very much on the back burner. I think it is okay to say that the D3 and Sony's anticipated FF sensor in the near future has created a hightened "awareness", but the 645D project is still the engineers preferred camera project.
I can say that the new bodies will have many of the "expected" features for their price points, plus some interesting un-expected ones. They certainly won't be the "me too, Johnny come lately" products that some pundits have unkindly predicted. I think the K10D proved that Pentax are past that scenario. Not everyone will be satisfied of course, but that's a given fact, there will always be dissenters!
Apparently a small number of beta units are now around in the hands of a few respected individuals, so the anticipated early 2008 release seems to be on target, and no, I don't have one!
It seems that the Hoya takeover has brought much to the table, not just with cash, but with genuine enthusiasm for the photographic and optical business. Certainly my contact at Pentax UK is very enthusiastic about the current state of affairs and he has been with them a long time. Also, considerable attention is being paid to the internal structure and levels of service and support issues as well as dealer coverage, which should improve matters considerably in this direction. The Pentax Pro Centre initiative has proved very successful with dealers here in the UK and I've been told there are now around 70 in the UK! I shall be asking for a list!
Please be patient a little while longer, I will do as detailed a report as I'm allowed as soon as I can. It may be a week or two yet.
--
Richard Day - 'Carpe Diem!'
Gloucester UK
source:
Re: you have an update for us Richard? )n/t): Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review