so delayed again

If I were you Stu I'd spend the time waiting for the new camera and accompanying lenses honing your photographic skills and building up your portfolio rather than allowing yourself to become stressed and irate over some perceived sleight on the part of Ricoh.

The K5 is still a very fine camera and highly populated full-frame sensors make significant demands on a user's camera technique; they need good glass with edge to edge sharpness.

If it costs more than a McDonalds happy meal then I'm out unfortunately. Never going to be able to afford one for 5 - 10 years.

That said, hypothetically, if I could afford one, I'm not entirely sure I'd want to opt for the first model anyway. Cameras these days have become consumables, with a massive focus on having the latest and greatest, rather than going out and shooting with it. That possession, having it, owning it, being the first etc is all rather a distraction in some respects.

So personally, I'd want Pentax/Ricoh to wait until they've nailed the bugs they know about now, and then I'd want to wait a bit to iron out the bugs they don't yet know about. The likes of flapping mirrors and weak aperture motors for example.

Also a few more rounds of firmware stability enhancements wouldn't go a miss. And if you're prepared to wait a bit longer, the inevitable mkii model that adds all the bits they left out of the original model.

Sounds negative I'm sure, but they'll release something when they're good and ready, and then they'll work to improve it. The interim could be spent honing ones skills to clearly identify those situations where a FF sensor would be a significant advantage over APS-C...

I think we're fortunate that pPntax are rather good at lens making, and they already had a premium design for the 80-200mm f/2.8 FA lens, so they were not starting right from scratch.

But richandfleur is quie right, and I always wait a little as well so that initial unforseen bugs can be ironed out, if there are any. Sometimes things are sweet from the start.

I agree wholeheartedly with this Richard.
And also with Andrew who pointed out that the K5 as used by Stu is still a very fine camera. I know mine is and I regard it as an equal partner with my K3 and also my K30 - a camera I once saw described as 'entry level.' A damn fine entry level!!!
David

It's been delayed by Health and Safety...... because it it so sharp they are concerned that people will cut themselves

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I agree...and perhaps it is appropriate here to thank all those who want things now. They pay a premium price, sometimes for an inferior product, then identify the necessary modifications and firmware upgrades, so that by the time all has been sorted, the rest of us can buy a good product at a good value price!

Cheers.
Philip

Good points about waiting a while for companies to iron-out early gremlins. Remember both Pentax and Nikon models have suffered from sensor stains or one sort or another which caused much chagrin to deep-pocketed early adopters.

This is, remember, not an evolutionary model but one which very much breaks new ground. I guess the company knows how damaging an abortive launch might be. These days there is no hiding place: the internet would be flooded with disgruntled owners seeking redress and anxious to air their displeasure. (Mind you, this can, perversely, work to the advantage of the frugal: the awful reports about the Canon EOS M's slow focusing led to its being ignored by well-read, discerning photographers, allowed me to buy one for a fraction of the introductory price. And it's turned out to be a very special piece of kit.)

I'll probably never get to own one of these wonderful full-frame cameras (I'm not a good enough photographer to get the most from my existing kit, let alone anything more exotic) but I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do and reading about people's experiences. What I don't want to see are models released before Ricoh are confident the first batch is judged to be of merchantable quality.

I want to read posts expressing wonder, delight and deep satisfaction and to look at beautifully detailed vibrant pictures which move the photographic craft forward.