K5 Replacement/Equivalant

I think I've convinced myself to go ahead and purchase The K3 from MPB.
Keep your eyes open as there could be a K5 for sale in the classified adds.

Oh dear dilemma dilemma
After reading all comments I'm now not sure about the K3. It is a great camera and I'm sure I would be happy with it.
The main reason for the K3 was firstly the cost then the on camera flash mainly for convenience, also not having the hassle of an external one.
That said in all honesty I can’t think of a time when I last used it, or when I’m likely to.
Is on camera flash that important ?.
Looks like It's back to the drawing board.
decisions, decisions.

just to throw another spanner in the works i would go for K3ii, had one for a long time. A third party flash can be picked up if required and not hat much of a problem to use. Only reason i no longer have the Pentax is due to health reasons and had to reduce weight but if things should improve at any point i will be straight back looking for a K3ii , unfortunately K3iii out of my price range. Still have the little IR converted Pentax 1st DL and a couple of small lenses.

You said earlier on that your interests were landscape, anything a bit quirky and thinking about street photography. On that basis, the answer to the question "Is on-camera flash that important?" is "No". I've very occasionally used the K3's flash for filling in shadows and for family snapshots indoors, but that's about all. If it didn't have it I wouldn't miss it.

Steve

One of my favourite features in the K3ii is the convenience of built in geotagging. Knowing the precise location of one's landscape photos is a feature that I really enjoy. It works well in Lightroom and I have seen it in other programmes. For me this is the main advantage over the original K-3 because I don't use a built in flash.

Another consideration is what size you like to print at and the extent to which you crop your photos. There is an argument that a 16mp apsc sensor is good enough for A4 or possibly A3, so pixel count might not be an issue with the lovely K-5. There is a benefit, however, in upgrading to a K-5 ii s for sharper photos.

You make a good point about an alternative approach is to invest in a lens. If you let people here know what you currently have, I'm sure many suggestions will follow regarding how you might find particular lenses suitable for landscape photography. I found that the small Limited lenses offered better resolution than the standard zoom lenses. The diminutive sizes of the 21mm, 40mm and 70mm can be worth considering for street photography. Usually these delightful lenses are as good as new because prime lenses have a far greater lifespan than digital cameras (and zoom lenses).

I hope you find what you're looking for!

You make a good point about an alternative approach is to invest in a lens. If you let people here know what you currently have, I'm sure many suggestions will follow regarding how you might find particular lenses suitable for landscape photography. I found that the small Limited lenses offered better resolution than the standard zoom lenses. The diminutive sizes of the 21mm, 40mm and 70mm can be worth considering for street photography. Usually these delightful lenses are as good as new because prime lenses have a far greater lifespan than digital cameras (and zoom lenses). [/quote]My Lenses are based on symplicity for me, see equipment profile below.

Hopefully one last question.
I'm in the process in getting either a K3 or a K3ii, but if you are not intersted in GPS, Astro Stacer or Pixel Shift. What really is the difference between K3 and K3ii. Apart from the flash.

Allegedly slightly improved shake reduction, improved continuous auto-focus, possibly/probably a few other improvements. But these are small and may not be noticeable in practice. The big improvements came with the K3iii.

Sooo... if I were in your shoes, I'd base the decision only on price and condition of the camera. Then, if you've still got a few pennies spare, and after getting used to what the new-to-you camera can do, look at lenses.

Steve

Maybe consider a used KP if you may be interested in street photography and a bit of quirkyness. It’ll likely be a noticeable upgrade from your K5 (resolution, no physical AA filter, improved high ISO performance, improved AF, pixel shift, tilting screen plus WiFi onboard) and can be set up with the small grip and a compact prime lens so that it barely looks like a DSLR. With a larger grip or battery grip it’s more like a K5/K3 size. Some people don’t love the ergonomics, others do, if you buy used without trying it’s best if you have the right to return it. The used prices I saw from reputable dealers are around £500-600 so whilst not cheap it’s a far cry from a K3iii and seems like quite a lot of camera for the cash. I might be biased as I just bought one btw. (though I plan to keep my trusty K5iis for now as well, it’s also a great camera for the price they go for used).

After everyone’s much appreciated input and reading and watching numerous reviews. I’ve decided on the K3ii , ordered from Park Cameras.
There will be a K5 up for sale very shortly.

Enjoy! You won't be disappointed. Looking forward to seeing some photos from it .

Steve