K-5 discontinued?

Rumours have started over on the other Forum regarding the end of the K-5.

As usual the source is 'someone who knows someone in Pentax' regurgitated by RiceHigh.

http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2012/01/hearsay-and-rumour-k-5-has-been.html

Against the rumour is that no new cameras have been announced. For the rumour is the recent price reduction plus the opportunity for new camera announcememnts offered by upcoming photographic/technology shows and the average Pentax camera life-cycle of 1.5 years.

As I said in another thread earlier, there could difficulty in sourcing parts following the earthquake/tsunami. Just one major component being unavailable could be a show stopper.
If supply of several manufacturing jigs has gone they may have thought it best to abandon the K-5 and K-r prematurely and come up with a replacement. But that would take time. .........All speculation mind.

John

I would be more concerned if any of the lens range was being discontinued. I just see this as Ricoh clearing the way for their offerings. Bodies come and go especially with manufacturing life cycles of 3 - 5 years, its inevitable.

Bet they will replace it now I have bought one! That said the replacement will be about £1200 for a good while.

PMA is 4 days away. Not a single rumour of a new model to be announced there. (yet :wink

The K-5 is only just over a year old, so unless Ricoh were planning a new model before buying Pentax from Hoya or Hoya had a new one in the pipeline which they sold onto to Ricoh it seems unlikely a new model will come now.

Until Pentax Ricoh actually announce what is going on I'll assume it is just RiceHigh stirring again.

Tsunamis and flooding in the area of production will undoubtedly have had a major affect on numbers.

But even if it is discontinued it doesn't mean our K-5s all stop working or are any less wonderful. I am very happy with it and have no plans to buy a new model no matter how many bells and whistles it may have.

Well if it follows the pattern it will be due 18 months after the K-5, I'll put a bet on a new body design:

K10D then K20D new sensor, more MP, some more features/fixes, same body.

K-7 then K-5 new sensor, more MP, some more features/fixes, same body.

Maybe we'll get a body that gets rid of the shutter induced blur that was a issue in the K-7 and to a lesser extent the K-5.

John

All you say is spot on Gwyn, and there's no reason for any new K-5 owners to do anything except enjoy their cameras.

My K20D is still doing everything I need, despite having been discontinued some time ago. I've pondered buying a K5, and even went to SRS on their Pentax week-end, but came to the conclusion that I'll continue to wait and see if Pentax bring out a camera that replaces me in the equation, as I'm the cause of the bad photos I take, not the kit.

JohnX, Well said. Only such remarks (I'll continue to wait and see if Pentax bring out a camera that replaces me in the equation, as I'm the cause of the bad photos I take, not the kit) help me save my money and not go in for the k-5. I have a k-10d and k-7 and i am presently happy with them.

Regards,

jeeess

there ARE rumours!
ff evil, and evil class medium format.
stands to reason that if Pentax goes ff there will be two versions... one k5 class d-slr, and one evil class to replace the kr...

my guess is Pentax won't announce anything until current stock inventories are sold off..

another reason to believe the kr will be replaced by an evil...

I did hear from a very reliable source that they (Ricoh) were bringing
out a Pentax camera with a built in ram-tam titivator just like
they had planned for an up-market Ricoh DSLR which they have
been prototype testing for a year or so now.

Don where are the rumours? There aren't any in your linked article.
Are you sure it's not just wishful thinking on your part?
Can you really see them coming with a FF EVIL in the very near future - which they would need to if they have discontinued the current top two cameras they make?

they've been posted by myself and others over the past few weeks..
ricehigh, photoromors, mirrorless rumors and others have had them..
eg:
link

Pentax/Hoya would have been developing the Kr & K5's successors before the takeover, there's no reason to believe that Pentax/Ricoh would abandon that.

It has been reported that Ricoh bought Pentax for its DSLR technology, I think it will be a while before we see any advancement over what Hoya/Pentax were already working on.

PS: I've just discovered my istD is now discontinued it's now useless, it the end of Pentax

And in Apple fashion I present to you... the Pentax Ricoh K5S. S stands for Super, like the K200D Super! Then bam they hit us with the K3Z which is a full frame camera.

Well theres my contribution to the rumor mill!