Particularly relevant to DA15 ltd owners: 'F8 and be there'.

'There's no law stating that simply because you own a super-fast lens you must shoot it at or near maximum aperture.

But there should be'.

Gordon Lewis AKA 'Shutterfinger'

They are classic lenses, well known to non-Pentax photographers, and held in high regard, which has to count for something.

They were designed in the past, but that doesn't mean they're going to perform worse in the present, or on digital. As far as 'wringing out mileage' goes, IMO Pentax are actually under-capitalising on the reputation and quality of these lenses.

Pentax still has a long way to go to beat Canikon on the range of lenses they have available, nd of course they need to keep making progress, but neither Canon or Nikon has anything quite like the FA ltds in terms of quality in a compact package. They just so obviously make sense as the bedrock of an 'alternative approach to FF' from Pentax.

Alasdair, can you try some candid people shots at f2.8-4 with it? One of the things I like about medium format is the unusual 3D-look the larger sensor can produce from wide angle pictures.

That's what I thought too but they don't list it

Amazing camera but without usability with K-mount lenses, my interest is limited. (As if I could ever afford it!)

I suspect if you're a landscape shooter who just needs one or two quality primes, it's the ultimate camera though.

Good point. Where can you rent one?

APSC lenses might vignette - the square would need to be about halfway between the longest and shortest side of the current sensor to fit within the APSC lens image circle (although the image circle of many DA does actually seem to be larger than the sensor actually requires - in fact some actually cover full frame or near-as-dammit.

Why not just use a 135 format sensor and allow people to crop? Most people would prefer to use the full image circle of lenses such as the FA series. I guess a 'bespoke' square sensor which would be less cost effective than a standard full-frame sensor which are produced in bulk for Nikon/Sony.

OTOH it's also in their interests to let people *think* there's an FF on the cards, if thats what some people want.

Whatever's coming, if the k30 is anything to go by, it'll be good!

My feeling is they should make a camera almost specifically for the small FAltds. But it is interesting how the lens roadmap got updated earlier this year. Of course, they wouldn't let it be known whether these new lenses were FF until they had announced the camera. I imagine they would want to play their FF cards very close to their chest so as not to affect their crop camera and lens sales. I think Nikon played it the same way.

There was an April fools day prank, but there was also a rumour out of the Chinese forums, which didn't mention the name 'K3' but talked about Pentax developing the most compact FF DSLR ever made. The two have become mangled somehow.

To my mind a camera called K3 would make more sense as a K5 replacement (a Canon 7d level camera), and that's what the US forum is expecting. It could be wishful thinking, but there is also a consensus view that a FF will also be announced later this year. I wouldn't be surprised.