K5IIs, how good then?

I think the answer to the original question is very much dependent upon the photographic situations in which you find yourself. My personal priority far and away is image quality at low iso. I'm not too fussed about autofocus, less still auto metering and couldn't care less about in camera processing. So I can see no reason to upgrade from a K5,although I can understand why others feel it is a worthy upgrade, especially low light af. Had my first Pentax been a K10 then the K5 would have been the first temptation to upgrade. I think it will take at least the apsc model after next to tempt me to upgrade from the K5. I just think there are very many things one can do to improve before changing cameras.

I've been thinking about this.

I have a K-r at the moment, and will upgrade to a K5, but which version is still undecided. I can get a K5 MkI at a very good price now, but, from what I have seen, the IIs looks like a greater leap. it just seems that way to me. Given that any upgrade will be a while in the future, perhaps the IIs will have come down in price to something which makes more sense for me, but, as usual for me, I can't make up my mind!

Keep making up your mind for a couple of months and the K-3 will out to tempt you.

What might a K-3 offer to us low ISO shooters?

Lighter pockets due to all the ff glass needed for it

But then the 5IIs will fall to an affordable price

Nah!!

But, whatever, it'll be more than a couple of months before I have the money anyway!

I'm assuming the K-3 ( or whatever it's called ) will be the K-5 APS-C upgrade and there'll be a seperate FF Model

More dynamic range? Better AF? Bigger buffer? GPS tagging?

[quote:3496ace15f="Smeggypants] More dynamic range? Better AF? Bigger buffer? GPS tagging?[/quote]It just keeps on getting better & better ! Is it the case that the 4 will be dropped because of the 'bad luck issue' in Japan? Then the 3 will want to offer a significant shift away from the K7 / K5 range, which has maintained the same body since 2009.

I hope we see a break in the trend towards ever reducing body sizes - I'd love to have a camera alone that matched the dimensions of my K7 including its battery grip, with all the features of the battery grip (controls and extra power) incorporated within the body. As the grip is permanently on the body, both for handheld and tripod shooting, this would be ideal for me.

Ooo no, the K-5 is just about right, but I wouldn't complain if it was smaller still.

John K

I agree, if the next Pentax is the same size as a K5 with grip, I doubt very much I would buy one. Personally I don't get the whole thing with grips; I just don't see the point of making a camera bigger than it needs to be to work..

I don't get the whole 'smaller is better' thing . There are clear gains with the K7 / K5 conbined with battery grip - firstly the obvious extended power with an extra Li-on and 6 AAs on board.

But also the grip provides the key shooting controls (shutter, EC, ISO, green button, AL-L, and the two e-dials) in the same position vertically as the user would have them in normal position (as do the top Pro bodies of the competition without a grip). Once you're used to flicking the camera over into vertical and the hands hardly move you'll never want to go back.

And the grip adds a solidity (yes, weight) and tactile security that transforms handling - for me its just all positive.

The battery grip idea was to replace the motor wind. Glad we don't need that now. It would look like one of those huge Canikons. No way.

I bought a motor wind but it was so inconvenient it has never been used. Certainly wouldn't buy a grip for a DSLR.

John K

The BG-4 grip is really only a minor inconvenince - but less inconvenient still would be a larger body with all the grip features incorporated !