Originally posted by ytterbium IMHO it's the golden middle road. If k-7 is expensive almost-pro and K-(whatever) cheap and limited entry level i'm neither. Well K-x may change this (at least it's specs are good), but still it is heavily based on entry level body.
Absolutely.
Entry-level models are poor at up-selling after-market accessories and lenses. And likely why Pentax has marginally lowered the specs on the kits lenses and variant 55-300 to bundle and move product, keeping the assembly lines moving. That's still not going to help the primes and pancake market where Pentax shines (Oly is bundling a pancake prime with the Ep-1, why not Pentax?). We get really expensive lenses now (DA*55 has an awful price) from Pentax but affordable bodies? Hmmmm....
But that $600-$800 price gap between the K-x and the K-7 is the meat of the market and is too vast to compete.
The ideal situation is the K-7 should come down in price. If it gets into the D90, body-only price range, it will smack serious volumes sales. It's got terrific press and is the exact kind of camera prosumers will buy up to, especially when bundled with a quality WR kit lens. But it has to get below US$1,000—tough to do with the Yo-Yo Yen right now.
Until that happens, the price/model gap will keep Canikon, Oly, and Sony really happy as they have one less competitor to worry about.