From: Marnie aka Doe
Thanks guys for all the information. I read every reply.
I basically like Pentax cameras better than Canon -- which probably won't
surprise you lot. It's why I first found this list, and I have had 3
Pentaxes.
But the reason I switched, years ago, was because
1.) It was taking soooooo long for Pentax to come out with new cameras.
That problem seems to be solved.
2.) It was taking them sooooo long to come out with new zooms.That problem
may not be solved, although there are more than there were.
I could sell all my Canon glass and probably afford the K-5, but it may be
too big for me to comfortably hold (or wear around my neck). So I am going
to have to find one (somewhere) to hold. And hold the K-r. Even though I
haven't been paying a lot of attention this last year, I was still hearing
good stuff about Pentax.
I believe the K-5 is the most compact & light weight Pentax DSLR to
date. I remember the K-7 was more compact than the K20D when I got to
preview it at Grandfather Mountain in 2009. I think the K-5 is supposed
to be even more compact.
I really like one of my Canon lenses, but I bought another one with
somewhat of the same focal length because the first was too soft. And oddly I
never "warmed up" to the second although it is quite sharp. Some lenses one
never gets a "feel" for or feels good about, and a lot of you probably know
exactly what I mean. So there are not a lot of Canon lenses in my kit that I
love.
Or I could wait until the K-3? (someone mentioned a new camera is in the
pipeline) comes out, and get a K-5 at a reduced price. Unless Pentax takes a
long time coming out with that. Unsure if they are actually turning out
things faster now, or just releasing things in clumps which makes it look
better, but isn't faster.
The K-3 is pure speculation on my part. "K-3" is just the next odd
number in the sequence K-7, K-5, ...?
It's based on the assumption that in order to remain competitive Pentax
will eventually offer a new top of the line camera & that it will offer
at least as much improvement over K-5 as the K-5 offered over the K-7.
I am not aware of any information from Pentax that they actually *are*
working on a K-5 replacement, but based on past performance I think they
are or will be.
Or they may go in a completely different direction and leave those of us
who use Pentax DSLRs (& the lenses that fit them) orphaned. I don't
expect them to do so, because they have not done so in the past. They do
seem to value their established customer base. But that is just what I
think.
*IF* they introduce a new high end DSLR on the same "schedule" they've
been following, I expect a "K-3" sometime from mid-2012 onward.
AND *IF* they follow form, it will cost about $1500 ... which is what my
budgetary planning allows for. I expect to have $1500 (more or less)
saved to spend on Pentax's next generation DSLR by mid-2012.
That's what really drives my speculation about a "K-3". If my logic
chain holds up, it will become available about the same time I have
money to buy one.
The 17-45 zoom looks good, but getting one with a longer focal length
might be a tad tricky.
Pentax offers an 18-135 zoom. It's a variable maximum aperture (f/3.5 at
the short end & f/5.6 at the long end), but I don't think anyone has a
comparable zoom with a fixed maximum aperture, so that's moot.
Anyway, thanks again, you've given me a lot to think about. So I will.
And, Bruce, I got a big kick out of the below. Heh.
Marnie aka Doe
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