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03-03-2015, 10:46 PM   #1
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KS-2 better than K3 ?!

Today I`ve seen a commercial here in Japan, in a magazine, of the new KS-2...
the good news is that will be on the shop shelfs this friday, march 6th ! The bad news is the price.. well not so bad new really, the price body only will be 97.000 yen , but.. the problem is that a new K3 body only now here in Japan is for around 80.000 yen...
so, the question is why someone wants to buy a KS-2 over a K3 now? there is some technical advantage I don`t know? for me now the K3 is still the best K3 on the market so I can`t imagine why I must prefer the KS-2 over it... the difference in price is about 20.000 yen (90 USD)... is normal that the KS-2 costs 90 USD more than the K3? I don`t think so but... and your ideas?

03-03-2015, 10:57 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Vizke Quote
there is some technical advantage I don`t know?
Not really. The K-3 is still a higher-specced camera overall, but it doesn't have the native wi-fi. It's not that the K-S2 is expensive, just that the K-3 is really cheap

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03-03-2015, 11:55 PM   #3
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Agree with Adam... and I am still debating if it's worth to sell my K-01 and K-30 and get a K-S2 as a back-up for my K-3 or just w8 for the FF to be released.
I really miss a tilting screen as I take a lot of macro pictures.
And if you live in Japan... why not get your hands on a used K-3?
Should be plenty bodies up for grab at a good price.
Can't w8 for my next trip to Japan as I will be running around all the used camera gear stores in Tokyo
03-04-2015, 12:00 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by Yos Quote
Agree with Adam... and I am still debating if it's worth to sell my K-01 and K-30 and get a K-S2 as a back-up for my K-3 or just w8 for the FF to be released.
I really miss a tilting screen as I take a lot of macro pictures.
And if you live in Japan... why not get your hands on a used K-3?
Should be plenty bodies up for grab at a good price.
Can't w8 for my next trip to Japan as I will be running around all the used camera gear stores in Tokyo
a used K3 is a good idea.. but just I`m worried about the "crazy flip mirror" issue.. If someone sell a so good camera like the K3 may be there is the crazy mirror behind

03-04-2015, 12:22 AM - 1 Like   #5
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I don't think the "crazy flip mirror" issue is a problem anymore, it's been fixed in a firmware update.
My K3 used to do it but hasn't done it for a few months now.
03-04-2015, 01:36 AM   #6
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The k-3 mirror flop was said to be fixed by firmware update by Ricoh but the owners having mirror flop issues did not see an improvement after the firmware update. However, the mirror flop issue concerned a camera up to a certain serial number. So if someone would buy a second hand k-3 he/she should simply check the serial number.
Regarding the price differences between K-3 and K-S2, it can't be compared. The K-3 has been introduced a while ago , the K-S2 is just being introduced. Sensors are different, features are different etc.
03-04-2015, 01:40 AM   #7
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What a market. as if the K3 is such a dog that it became cheaper than the "entry level...
I wonder if electronics are way overpriced early in their life cycle or whether they are being sold at a loss after a year or more?

03-04-2015, 01:45 AM   #8
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No; until 3200 iso quality is comparable with K3 but 6400 iso kills K2S (based on K1S sensor)
03-04-2015, 01:47 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by grispie Quote
I wonder if electronics are way overpriced early in their life cycle
Don't wonder any more. It's exactly what's happening on the market .... *sigh*
03-04-2015, 02:18 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by grispie Quote
What a market. as if the K3 is such a dog that it became cheaper than the "entry level...
I wonder if electronics are way overpriced early in their life cycle or whether they are being sold at a loss after a year or more?
As long as enough users pay premium price for getting the latest stuff, the manufacturers will price their products accordingly.
03-04-2015, 02:22 AM   #11
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It is a new product, so the price is high at first. Here (EU) a K3 body is 1130$ and a KS-2 is 855...
03-04-2015, 06:13 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by semaca Quote
It is a new product, so the price is high at first. Here (EU) a K3 body is 1130$ and a KS-2 is 855...
Unfortunately it is the truth. Shameful management in our area.

---------- Post added 03-04-2015 at 03:14 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by KX5 Quote
No; until 3200 iso quality is comparable with K3 but 6400 iso kills K2S (based on K1S sensor)
Not kills ... just as it is somewhat noisy.
03-04-2015, 06:15 AM   #13
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Pentax gear is easily 30% cheaper in Japan versus Europe.
03-04-2015, 06:37 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
Pentax gear is easily 30% cheaper in Japan versus Europe.

It was similar versus the States before our currency collapsed. Now we can feel better that's no longer the case.
03-04-2015, 07:00 AM   #15
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In some ways I'm sure the KS-2 is better than the K-3. The only issue is, would it be better for you? Manufactures have to re-cuperate costs, so initial releases have to be priced so that if they don't sell as many as they projected they still have a chance to break even. There was a lot of pent up demand for the K-3. Talking to some dealers, Pentax users they hadn't seen in years turned up and placed orders. People were actually driving to the next town if a dealer had some in stock. Many dealers stopped at 5 orders, and wouldn't even take anymore orders, because they were being shipped 5 at a time, and they'd be ordering two shipments in advance. IN other words, they covered their R&D and the cost of setting up their production line pretty quickly.

Once that happens, you have a paid for production line, you've made some money, and the issue becomes, how much can we drop the price to keep this camera making money for us. R&D is paid for, set up is paid for, all you have to pay for is the actual cost of keeping the line running and materials, so you're actually paying less than the cost of the camera. The early adopters paid for the R&D and setting up the production line.

ON the other hand R&D and set up costs for the KS-2 have not been covered yet so Pentax has to recoup those costs. It's not about which camera is better, it's about where it is in it's life cycle. I paid $1300 for my K-3. The K2-S is now going for around $900, so how much better is the K-3? About $400 better. What you have to pay for it at a given moment is pretty much irrelevant. Wait year an that KS-2 will be cheaper than a K-3 can be made for.

Another thought, the Nikon D7200 is just a minor improvement on the D7100, but according to some of what I've read, it doesn't look like enough improvement for D7100 users to consider upgrading, but maybe good for some D7000 users who are looking at moving up. As long as that K-3 production line is making money, it's possible that it will be the flagship APS-c camera from Pentax for a long time to come, with the next tweak really only being of interest to K-5II or K-5 users. I'm not sure the KS-2 will ever be that class of camera. But I'm thinking of buying one, so I can always hope. The KS-2 in my mind is a second body. Backup for the K-3, so obviously, if I can just buy another K-3 for less...it does have that going against it. But it looks cool...

Last edited by normhead; 03-04-2015 at 07:10 AM.
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