So farewell to the not-quite-mind-controlling DA15, the large and unused JCPenney 80-200; perhaps the 24, 100 and 180 will follow but no strong bites yet. When I need small the K-s1 and 18-55 will cover the bases, with 55-300 for long shots and the Sigma 18-50 for lowest light and video (its internal OS works better than digital stuff in Pentax cameras for video). For more bulk the K-r is still here, though I've also had a nibble on that. Doing that deal would force my hand more quickly on the next body.
Coming next in lenses: ..well probably not the 16-85mm that the last post implied. Maybe and maybe not. The 20-40 LimiZoom has pushed its way back to the forefront as its 55mm filters step up easily to 58, which is the 55-300's filter size. Handy! And its size is quite nice too especially on a smaller body. The confusion comes from letting the DA15 go in that case - but it brought in a decent infusion of cash to get us through the refinance month so I won't weep openly on its departure. In fact the Rokinon 16mm f/2 or 10mm f/2.8 would be better for stargazing, although prices for those are DA15-ish right now and overall they are far bulkier. That brings the F17-28FE back into play, as it's available for around $200 now. We'll see about that.
And as to the next body? No surprise, the body and lens decisions are connected. The K-s2 would prefer the Limited zoom but the larger K-3 types would make the 16-85mm feel less front-heavy. Deals on the K-3 are quite impressive now, and if I do jump more into interval shooting the 200k-rated shutter life is a real plus. It can use the Flucard from my K-s1 so WiFi and sensors are similarly excellent.
Even more clear to me is the jump to the K-3 II model though, with an extra stop of stabilization and the chance to pixel-shift some images. Not a frequent use, perhaps, but I've now seen examples of what it can do.. and it is quite the real improvement. Pentax was quoted as strongly implying that the pixel shift system could be sent back into firmware for recent models.. like the K-s1 most likely! Well OK .. to be more precise, during a chat about pixel-shift tech (with imaging-resource.com) they said this:
- "But Ricoh believes in taking care of their customers" - and encouraged me to quote him on that. :-)
So that might say pixel shift is coming to other bodies, or perhaps something else entirely.. camera shows are fun and all that, but they are not always the Ultimate Source of Truth about future intentions.
So here we sit: fewer (though seldom-used) lenses in hand, two different plans for post-home-refi kit improvement - and a current setup that does just fine even if those two plans don't happen for a while! The fact that the holiday sales are a month or so away could make for excellent timing though..
Perhaps I should say something to that effect at the Fall Camera Gathering in some famous faraway city?
