compromising positions

Our debts are now going in the right direction, and my wife agrees that a new Pentax should be included. To my surprise and admiration she feels a K-1 is not too steep a price if it represents the greatest advancement in camera history (my words); I was thinking the K-3 would likely be my highest step.

It should be noted that some bills are not gone though. We need a new fiscal diligence to make things better for good. The K-1 would be a great choice if income from photos were to come with it, and that's something I cannot guarantee. However the K-3ii now feels more reasonable as a choice with nearly the best of everything!

How do they compare?  

Like this: http://camerasize.com/compare/#619,659

The K-3 is just a pinch bulkier than my K-5 that fit so well, but a few buttons and dials have changed. Everything is larger in the K-1: sensor, SR system (better stabilization), screen (with tip and pivot!), number of control dials (3) and of course, price ($1k more±). Each have the new Pixel-Shift mode that provides full color data to every pixel, but the K-1 can correct for moving objects in camera.
However II: the Pentax computer software can correct for motion on both cameras!  This is a recent discovery and really makes the 3ii a more appealing option. The best possible images, APSc size for body and lens savings, 24Mpix (actually more pixel density than the K-1's 36Mpx but gentler on the hard drive) and a similar feature set.

The one thing for sure is that a K-50 bargain body arrives tomorrow.  I had considered sending it back for a time, but we have many financial decisions to make before the camera hits the agenda. The K-50 uses the famous sweet-16Mpx sensor, uses pre-Ricoh controls that I have used for years, has weather seals and does a fine job where it counts.

For a few months at least, the K-50 will do just fine.. and it will feel quite familiar!

the wheels turn

I accepted a decent offer for the K-s1 yesterday.  This bonus cash will tide us over until the home loan is in place, and it frees me up to pursue a WR camera body when the $ time is right (late November, perhaps?).  I still expect the next camera to be a K-s2 with all its fine features, but K-3 prices are falling fast so we shall see.  An 18-55WR is coming soon so I can just go body only and still be ready for wet times without forcing myself to grab a 20-40 or a 16-85 ASAP.

Now to find the K-s1 owners manual.
 This is the second or third time that I've lost a manual while selling a camera - why does this keep happening?!?

http://camerasize.com/compare/#610,619

The debate continues on the two camera bodies.  The K-s2 is smaller with flip screen (I'd prefer tip over flip though), Wifi (not of great interest) and 20Mpx sensor like the K-s1 (nice!).  The K-3 has longer shutter life, more AF sensors, switches for items like metering area, and a few more pixels.  Since I've seldom passed 3000 on a shutter in my digital career that's probably not vital, but those switches are nice.  The INFO button brings up all items on both cameras anyway so what's the switch worth?  Most other items are a wash with common abilities (interval still/movie with composite settings, two dials, Flucard in hand for Wifi on the K-3).  The 'clarity' option on the K-s2 sounds interesting, but it wouldn't be a strong swing vote.

So all in all the K-s2 fits me best.  

If the K-3 price crashes though, the equations change!

news and confuse

Given our timing on several fronts, I let go of some lenses this past week.  Timing is personal (soon but not-yet home refinance = 1 more month of bills) and camera-specific (the 36×34 'full frame' nonsense will make people forget DA lenses, for a while, and old coatings are getting to me).

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?