What's the focus throw like in the Sigma Mike?
Pentax's are usually quite long which makes them seem slower?

Bit tongue in cheek Barry but some people regard the 60-250 as a bit slow, personally I think it's ok, in fact I nearly bought another one this week. The new camera is very unlikely to drive the lenses any faster, though they may track a lot better since the Camera has a lot more information to go on than previous models..

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/k-3/feature/02.html

Don't try it with the 60-250, you'll be disappointed!

Lack of focus points to lay off to on a moving subject, don't get me wrong Pentax AF is fine for everything else except tracking something moving quickly, the fous points we do have in the current range are too few and way bigger than they appear in the viewfinder they are threee to four times bigger than on Canikons sporty models, focus can be achieved anywhere in the focus point not just in it's middle four times the area = four times the variance and probably four times less sensitive to movement because it take four times as long for the subject to travel to the pickup area of the next focus point.
K3 is interesting because it involves a very different methodology, if I understand it correctly. As I said before I was initially dissappointed with the 25 point AF block in the centre of the frame, reminding me of the set up in my "Old?" D600, crammed in the middle and not quite reaching the third line on either side of the screen. Then there are the two outliers that sit way out on their own, they are just line sensors and as everyone knows pretty damn useless on their own but they do seem longer than ordinary line sensors. When I read up on the Ricoh Japan site about the Camera features, I realised then that this is not your standard Autofocus system.

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/k-3/feature/02.html

"An image captured by the K-3’s RGB light-metering sensor with approximately 86,000 pixels resembles a Live View image. Unlike conventional metering sensors which measure the subject’s light level only, it even measures the subject’s primary color and its motion with great precision, then feeds the obtained data instantly to the PENTAX Real-time Scene Analysis System."

PENTAX Real-time Scene Analysis System

That 86K meter sesnse movement of colour and direction, those outrigger points judging by the focus bracket that they are in are huge not just pin pricks in the viewfinder. Meter detects movement across the frame outriggers give the accurate distance info and the points in the middle already alerted nail the subject, for head on action, the 25 point spread in the centre of frame is near ideal to be able to lay off focus to adjacent points and keep the pinpoint accuracy required in the more traditional way. A very innovative solution Ricoh/Pentax, I cannot wait to see if thats how it works in practice and am now very excited about getting my K3.

Had a couple of beers last night (Very unusual for me) and the other half now knows about the K3, (I always fess up in the end anyway) and I was pleasantly suprised, she almost forced me onto the Ricoh Japan site to mull over the specs. She agreed that for the things I do and would like to get back into doing, that it could not be ignored and I had to get it!
There was I expecting K-3 THE WIDOW MAKER!
I was a bit bothered about telling her about this one so soon after getting the K5IIs, she's not convinced I now need the IIs? I've got some wheeling and dealing to do regarding a couple of Tablet Pc's (His and hers), which I can now see a point to photographically speaking with the Wifi capability in the K3. She's likely right about the K5 but I'll run them together for a bit to see how the 3 shapes up image quality wise. Truth is at the glacial rate I shoot I'm not going to run one DSLR into the ground let alone two!
Traded my Fuji Xe-1 in for the K3 and got quite a generous deal off SRS, I'm thinking of a smaller camera to go with me everywhere and currently the GR is favourite mainly thanks to John Riley (Go Johnny GO GO GO!).
It's not exactly what I want but very near, looking at my Landscape shots, it, with it's wide lens/adapter (Yes I know what I just said!) could account for nearly 80% of my shots. It's been a long time since I've been this rational, it's a good feeling to actually know what you want!
Anyway this is sort of by the way of a round about thankyou to the people on this forum, for puting up with me and letting me discuss things and blow off steam...

Nice to hear your subject to financial pressure the same as the rest of us!

As regards the tracking, I'm sure it'll be improved, to the level of your 7D? Hmm...
The focus point layout is interesting, initially I was disappointed to see 25 cross sensors in a narrow block, it'd be nice if those had reached the thirds? Those outliers are interesting, all the more, out there on their own, maybe to activate tracking cross frame and give the camera time to react? Also I see the movement of colour is in the mix too, obviously an advanced system allied to the metering perhaps? Well I'll soon find out I guess.

I would say the MKIII is about the best thing out there at the moment!
I don't get on to well with Canon DSLR's to be honest but it's hard to ignore its pedigree...

Can't blame you for that dig Mike!

I follow like a Sheep, no will of my own Mike!
Ordered...