(Yes, I know that there is no K3iii and that it may not be called that when there is.)
(Yes, I know that doomsayers have predicted total brand demise in advance of it's release.)
Those things aside, I hate threads like this, but here I am starting one anyway. I have owned and loved a K5ii since shortly after they came out. Honestly, can't tell you how great it's been to be back into photography for real. I do not aspire to be a professional, but am motivated to be good and am starting to use some of the photos that I take. What type of photos? Well, I photograph bands, usually in poor lighting. Mostly friends of mine who might use the pictures and I would welcome them to. I also like street photography, but not necessarily random people in the street, so much as fire escapes, benches, interesting doors, etc. walkaround. I hike a bit and occasionally point at landscapes or domestic/semi-domestic animals. I also have a 10 year old son and in addition to being a dad with a camera, I photograph his baseball and school plays and who knows what he get into at some point. I own a flash, but don't use it all that much...probably should and will get to it, but I've been focusing on natural light photography.
My K5ii is getting a little bit parsnickity. I need to probably send it away for cleaning and general service. It's tough when the best estimate I can get from Precision is $330, without having actually told them what I am sending it to them for. I assume $500 before we're done. A really nice, clean K3 from a respected forum member just sold for $350...
When the KP came out, I said to myself "This is EXACTLY what I want". Pentax was having a demo day, so I went to check it out, but didn't connect with it. I did connect with the K1, which felt great in my hand and I was surprised at how big and heavy by comparison it WASN'T. So, I did nothing, but started wondering. Now my K5ii is acting up a bit, so I went again to check out both a KP and a K1ii and had the same reaction, I got excited about the K1 and didn't feel a connection to the KP. It's not the full frame thing, it's the ergonomics, top LCD panel, that sublime shutter and generally the quality. Same reasons that I bought my K5.
So, the KP is not for me, but I can't bring myself to consider a K3 knowing that they've already improved upon the ASP-C format significantly. K1 is tempting. There is also waiting for the K3iii* or getting my K5 cleaned up and going back to shooting. I'm likely to do that anyway, but sometimes, there is gear in the world.
Top 3 priorities for me are:
- Image quality
- Build quality
- Ergonomics/usability
I have 1 DA lens that I care about. The rest are FA or older full frame, so there's not a huge lens investment issue for me. As for size and weight, sometimes the one I have is heavier than I feel like bringing, but not usually. I was excited about the KP for that reason and I'm leery of the K1 for that reason, but handling the K1 doesn't really scare me off. I know that's different than living with it. I generally feel that I have a cellphone like everyone else. I'm interested in owning and carrying a dSLR. I don't want it to be more unwieldy than it needs to be, but its going to be heavier than a phone or a point and shoot and that's just part of the deal. I also still shoot film (MX), so sometimes that's my light option (and it's "full frame"!)
So, talk me down, egg me on, tell me it's a stupid question. Whatever you've got for me, I'll listen. Would love to stop thinking about it so much, though.