Primes - some day. [Today?]

Perhaps some day I can fill in the µ43 kit with some primes. Not a bunch and surely not the best; f/2-2.8 is just fine and lighter on both shoulder and wallet.

The µ43 system is well endowed with steps one can choose to set up a primal kit, plus I have a Sigma 60 already.  ** Oops - I forgot my 8mm fisheye, which is the ultimate in bargain primes..

So how to make it work on a reasonably thin budget? The preferred option is to keep gaps fairly small, like these:
8-14-(19/20)-30-45-60, or perhaps 8-12-17-25-42-60

Hmm.. not all that cheap is it? Even going with the Rokinon 12 instead of the Olympus.

Plan B: bigger gaps, perhaps? Instead of using the multiple method (e.g. multiples of 8 = 8/16/24/32 &c) one could double each focal length and leave larger spaces between. Cheaper, and occasionally a problem - though a handy compact zoom like the 12-32, 14-42ii or 45-150 can take over when a gap feels like a hardship.

My Plan-B choice: 8-14-24-40-60.  This is good because

• the DA40/2.8 Limited is in hand, 
• it's incredible with any sensor and
• I paid under $130, and no native µ43 lens can beat that.

Don't make me think about this for too long - I could sell the Sigma 60 and for a bit more cash pick up the equally-excellent DA70/2.4 Limited to go with the DA40!

Bargain #1 is now in transit, as I found a Lumix 14mm for an excellent price. That will be my nearly-pocketable pancake option and my star-shooter (about a stop faster than my f/3.5 zooms).

Update: Bargain #2 has appeared! What a surprise, one need only look to find (and define) a bargain in today's elderlenses. I found a PK Vivitar (Tokina) 24/2.8 for about $70 to make all the steps feasible. That's cheaper than a Pixco/7Art/Meike 25mm options - and the K-50 will thank me too!

… . . . . . . . . . .  .  .   .   .    .    .    .

On the longer end I have Pentax' M100/2.8, Tak135/2.5 and M200/4 primes that can play nicely with internally stabilized bodies. To extend it wider isn't really practical though, as wide K-mount lenses (e.g.24/2.8) are not cheap either.

Why so many GX?

Yeah, "funny" story.
So we have two GX1 bodies as my wife fell hard for a cute pink GF2 instead of the matched-set GX1 I bought for her. The GX1 market is rather flat right now :~| so here they sit.

In the meantime I fell for a cheap-bid GX7 mark ii (aka gx85) at Auctions R Us..but the seller silence stretched out a few days. I sent a data request, fearing some incident had forced a w/d from the deal. At that moment a GX7 Classic was 2h from ending its auction so I added a low bid. Of course that won also - and soon I heard from the mk.ii owner, who was heading to the post office.

And so they all gathered before me.

First impressions were not as I hoped from either new acquisition until I reset both and fine-tuned a few settings to my taste. At that point images turned out very well, and I could make an informed choice.

Both vintages of the GX7 are excellent cameras. The original is the best overall body and most reviewers agree on that; the larger grip and extra buttons/AF switch/Custom settings make that body superior for making speedy adjustments.

The mark.ii added 4k video and still-image extractions at 8Mpixel resolution, in-camera charging and much improved stabilization inside, changed the grip and buttons, removed a couple of Custom setting slots and chose to use the same GX7 viewfinder but in a fixed position, and those choices disappointed many GX7 fans (especially since the GX8 had appeared with weather seals and a superior 'finder). Those improvements they did put in are pretty convincing though, so the mark.I is now for sale. I may not use 4k as a video option but I've already tried 4k post focus; my test wasn't great but it shows very nice possibilities!

Four GX bodies: fun while it lasted, I suppose.
And oh yes, the K-50 is still here too - and the wet season is upon me!

so much for making lens plans

The demo K-50 came with a DAL 18-55wr! 

shot with K-01 and 100/2.8 smc-M

That's just a bargain beyond belief!

Yes I'd prefer a 20-40 Limited, but clearly this will do quite nicely. The matching 50-200 arrives next week, eliminating any great needs on the Pentax side. I expect this team to last me until Christmas, when dreams of sugar-plums and a K-3ii dance in my head..

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!

don't believe anything I say

.. but why are you still reading?

I really so want one of the $1500 K-1 bodies that I saw online today.  THREE of them, each a demo/likenew and each at a different location.  I will have some cash next week but very little right now - so even at $500 I must say no.

That includes all the K-3 bodies I saw a few days ago, which have all been sold. Even at $200 I must say no.

So Adorama drops in a surprise just for me, it seems: a demo K50 body for about $150. My paypal-dumpsite balance this evening (just after another lens sold) is.. $145?

OK: so for now I'm a K50 guy. 
This is a K50 iii - not because of Pentax introducing another silly-suffix camera model (and they are not alone doing this!), but because I have been forced to dump two previous K50s! However this one's black so I'll pretend the red ones didn't count!

Maybe next week I'll return it for another demo K-1.. or K-3?  Highly unlikely, but dreams die hard..

This means the white K-01 is now even more expendable as its similar sibling with Phase-AF and a real eyepiece rejoins the team. I'd love to say I don't need those items, but remember not to believe me if I do say so!

attempting a slow-but-steady path

For once my new-years imaging resolution is to use the same cameras throughout 2016! 
If that comes true it might be the hardest thing I've ever done.. not quite, but very true photographically.  Since 2010 I've switched cameras/bodies at least fifteen times - several were due to finances but many were just frivolous adventures.  Finances have stabilized now so it's time to become a photographer again for my main hobby, instead of gear-swapper! 

After the quick and over-eager attempt to make mic4:3 my system of choice, I found the drain in funds to be alarming. Even with great bargains the adventure was becoming a large cash drain.  After more thinking and less rationalizing I returned the camera and sold off a couple of lenses. . and prepared to restore my Pentax collection, which had not quite vanished.

 A 'used' red Pentax  K-50 + 18-55wr kit and a 'like new' HD55-300wr lens arrived soon after - in the K-50 case 'used' meant a shutter count of TWO including the one I took to check the shutter count!  Neither 18-55 nor 55-300 has ever let me down in a way I could attribute to them, and both are weather ready but with greater range than my previous kit. 

I've also picked up a bargain 10-17mm fisheye for max versatility in K mount.  The fisheye zoom has often interested but never joined me; until now I've been a prime ultrawide user, having tried the DA15 and both Sigma 15mm and classic Pentax SMC 17mm fisheyes.  Oh I did have the F 17-28 fisheye briefly, come to think of it.

So I'm set at 10-300mm, and weather resistant above 17mm.
I've never had such a full focal-length range at my disposal!

On the small side of things, I've reverted to Samsung's NX300 rather than going micro4:3. The nx500 has pushed this model aside with its newfangled sensor and 4k video, but my time with the 300 last year left me quite impressed.  The one is white, and will be for my wife; I will add a darker one for myself later.¹ In the meantime I'll be thoroughly testing it out for her with shots like the K50 image above, and hopefully a few more creative offerings. It's been a while since I used a date-stamp camera - more precisely I did not know my previous NX300 had that feature!

I also snatched up a bargain copy of the well-liked 16-50 with OIS for it, so the kit is really small and image stabilized! It boasts a talented 20Mpx APSc sensor and many cool features that I managed to pick up quickly (unlike the G7, sadly).  The white 20-50mm lens came with the camera; it gets fine reviews but its lack of IS makes it less useful compared to the smaller, wider 16-50.  This bargain copy came in black but is available in white; assuming my wife likes this camera, the black lens will be mine & a white 16-50 will come soon for hers!

We'll have no native NX telephoto option right now - but telephoto isn't a good fit anyway for a kit that's buile to be tiny; a PK>NX adapter will do for non-stabilized telephoto shots with good light and/or a tripod.  Maybe later we shall do something about this - but Samsung has implied by its silence that its NX lineup is being phased out, so maybe not?

  I suppose my Q should be worried; the nx is a bit larger but the sensor difference is massive.

¹stay tuned - I found a second white body at an even better sub-$200 price, plus something to make them distinctive :^)  If I can pull this off my wife will be quite impressed with her anniversary gift!

three weeks with the G7

Hard to believe it's been three weeks.  The 3 busiest weeks of the year, and I choose to toss a camera tryout in the midst of it?  Not wise.

And it's not just because it's Christmas season: toss in a long-running home refinance, an appliance meltdown that filled the house with smoke at 11:30PM, fleas from our new kitten.. then add a new camera.

Now that I say this, I begin to understand why the G7 and I have not had the greatest of times - the times were crazy regardless of what camera I would have carried!

Anyway, I suspect the G7 will go back in the coming week for another to try.  Image quality was never scrutinized closely for dirty details, so I won't comment on that - nor will I rant about the inherent disability of a mic4:3 sensor compared to APSc or 36×24mm types.  My issues (those that I can tie to the camera) were more on the practical side.

First off let's say that I've been using Pentax dSLRs since 2010.  I've been very happy with their gear and grown used to how they work.  Many shots I take make use of Pentax post-capture processes that are easy to access and to use.  Given that comfort level the G7 is a tough swap for me: it can do similar work but it's just hard.  With everything else in life being hard, I guess I need my photography to be easy for a while.

As for G7 disappointments that don't fall into the merely-unfamiliar category.

1. white balance is more frequently off with the G7
2. while EV-4 is possible, even EV-1 is really slow to reach focus
3. I'm not happy putting NR settings in the photo profiles
4. PictBridge?  Really??

OK perhaps #3 is another basic-ergonomic setup.  On the K-50 I can menu dive once and set all NR by ISO bands, whereas Panasonic chooses to set it up by picture type (standard, monochrome &c each have a separate NR setting that applies to all ISOs).  I prefer the Pentax way that I'm used to - no surprise there.

The low-light AF should not have surprised me but it did.  The K-50 does not go nearly as low, but in the prism viewfinder I can see naturally and focus for myself.  The EVF option gets too grainy to be easy even with focus peaking in place.  No doubt I could train myself to get better with manual focus on the big screen, but once again: this is a lousy time to do new-camera things.

PictBridge is sooo 2008 - but when I plug my G7 into the computer to transfer files it doesn't go into photo-transfer mode.  It asks whether I want PC or PictBridge mode - and when my screen is facing in I don't know that it is waiting for a response.  So I either have to hold the cam to my eye to answer the unseen question or flip out the screen. That must be adjustable, but -- really.  PictBridge??

Finally to the WB.  Pentax has made great strides recently in tungsten-light corrections and AWB that includes tungsten.. and Lumix hasn't reached that point in my casual tests.  Bummer.

Let's point out the good stuff though.  
The G7 has many features that Pentax cameras may never see - especially video derived features:

• touchscreen AF + other functions on flippy screen
• 4k video mode with autofocus option
• 4k photo extract of 8Mpix still images
• multiple reprogrammable buttons on the camera body
• mirrorless / mic4:3 features such as lighter overall bodies & systems

That final one needs a caveat though.  If you want / need superfast lenses to compensate for the mic4:3 sensor 'equivalence' issues you will have similarly bulky lenses attached to a lighter body.  Unlike many small thin cameras the G7 has a truly excellent grip, so it won't be hurt as much as a GX Lumix, Oly Pen, samsung NX500 or any of Sony's NEX-type bodies.

Last and by no means least to me - weather resistance.

The reason I chose Pentax from 2010 on is their combination of in-body stabilization and weather seals to minimize fears in inclement weather.  In fact the weather at our new home is even more damp than my lifelong homes in Portland - annual rainfall is half again as much, and the past two months have combined for over 26 inches of rain - plus we've had over three inches of SNOW in the past four days!  Given all that, the Pentax WR is an even more vital feature.  Like other things around the house the weather has been very chaotic, in record-setting fashion - but I can actually choose a camera to lessen that bit of chaos.

So after three weeks of (minimal) learning, what shall I do?
My current plan is to revert to a Pentax K-50. The Amazin' Amazon warehouse has a Like-New red one And an HD 55-300WR, both in great "unwrap/rewrap/return" condition.. so it begins again. I can return the G7, or maybe just sell it if anyone reaches me really soon.

I'm not giving up completely on the mic4:3 concept however.  I just feel that the chaos is too great right now for me to give it a decent trial period.  Maybe in several months life will settle down and I can explore some possibilities.

a not-really-fun fact:

• this is a lousy time to learn new photo tricks.

My 30-day window for returning the G7 is up next week, and I will probably send it back.  No issues with the camera, the old line  'it's not you it's me' is definitely in play.

No, this dog is Not too old for such things.  I often look forward to doing things in new ways.  It's simply that I know the Pentax methods of doing what I do often, and I like them!  The G7's methods still work fine, it's just different - but different is hard right now in a home where nearly everything is a whirlwind of 'different'. Case in point: I did not realize just how often I shoot, replay & immediately adjust exposure and/or crop.  Those things are a simple down-arrow away in Pentax play mode, but I had to hunt to find 'cropping' and then zoom to crop instead of .. well anyway.  Different.

It's also been more expensive than I planned for a reasonable mic4:3 system; it's nearly at $1000 now, vs. about $300 for a K·50 and a WR lens or maybe two (plus what's still on my shelf).  I was falling victim to the usual concepts that elude me - a few excellent deals on individual lenses still adds up to several hundred dollars total.  I was just outbid on a $400 lens that was up for $225, and I feel good that I shall lose!

And of course - nothing that I have purchased has any weather resistance.  That would require a different body, different lenses.  Yet again - different.

We'll see in a day or two how this pans out.  Stay tuned.. or don't!

two ways to 300

Both of my recent Pentax telephoto deals have now arrived, so comparing the two will be interesting!

First came the Spiratone 300mm mirror lens.  I have been curious about this type of lens but never won a bid until last week.  At f/5.6 this one has a better chance of AF systems working with it, compared to the slightly slower f/6.3 Tokina.  That lens is micro43 only, while this is conceivably film-friendly  - and arrived PK adapted and stabilized on the K·50!

My first shots with it were surprisingly contrasty and pretty well focused.  These lenses are often criticized for low contrast so that was a nice surprise.  More tests are needed, and the 'donut bokeh' has yet to be featured in the few shots I've taken with it.

Today the Sigma 100-300 arrived.  This is my fourth copy I believe so it's very familiar to me!  AF speed is really fast, telephoto optical speed is dreadful at f/6.7 - this is why the Pentax 55-300 and this lens alternate in my bag.  The other good side is price; the 55-300 is an excellent deal at $100ish, while the Sigma came for $9.99 plus shipping and handling (about $22 all told).  The Pentax is a bit more crisp and contrasty for the most part, but really with minimal retouch the results are very nice with either lens.

I have a PK-m43 adapter coming, but perhaps a T-m43 would also be useful.  That 600mme closeup should be fun to pull off in good light!  In the meanwhile though, the 45-175 should arrive soon to take the mic43 system to greater lengths, even though the internal-zoom lens won't get any longer!

BlackFriday decisions

Looking at the first wave of pre-Christmas deals was enough to make the call between the G7 and LX100.

Sales on both cameras are in play - and the G7 is still almost $100 less.  Today's G7 Genuine Deal is an impressive one: $200 off + $100 store credit and bundle-now&save deals all at once!  So that's the current buying plan: silver G7 plus 14-42 II and maybe $50 more for the 25/1.7 'normal' lens bundle. The credit can go for a microphone ± spare battery or something else.   For a similar price one can have a "$250 value" stereo microphone in lieu of $100 gift card, which is also a great deal.
Sorry LX100 - the G7 price & features are too good to ignore.

Friday also featured a used-gear shop with lenses going for 30% off  and a Lumix 45-175 was available.  Two copies in fact, and thank goodness: I tried to buy the black one but no purchase button appeared, and when I returned to the lens page it was gone - apparently it sold 10 seconds before I could reach it!  So I selected the silver copy instead.  It won't quite match the G7 silver-grey shade, I suspect, but I'll survive.  A deal on the 7.5mm fisheye will expire Tuesday, so that will have to come later.

The G7 will go from 28-350mme stabilized in-lens, plus an adapter can let the Pentax lenses play on it out to 600mme with the Spiratone 300/5.6 and 800mm with the 400/6.3 Hanimar.  The original plan was to buy 14-42, 45-175, 300 Tokina and 7.5 fish-eye, plus maybe a prime in the 14-20mm range; so far so good with the first two plus a 300mm in Pentax mount.

Speaking of Pentax the DAL 50-200wr arrived today. The K·50 is now weather sealed from 27-300mme and sensor-stabilized.  This 50-200 seems sharper than previous copies and it's a nice tight fit; too bad it doesn't come in red!  The silver band and lack of focus distance scale mark it as DAL and not DA.

O what fun!

moving up and settling down

I owned a K-50 last year, but only briefly.  I was shifting from the K-5 setup to a newer but less complex body style, and I missed the K-5 features that I could control on the body (e.g. metering mode).  While the Info screen makes it a pretty easy change I couldn't get comfortable.. and soon I moved on.


This time around I'm coming off a few months of K-r and K-s1 experience before picking up a red-hot K-50.  The K-s1 is definitely a step ahead for many features, but the ergonomics are no improvement.  Its selling point is compactness - and less buttons is generally good when you have fewer places to put them!

The K-r was a classic K-5 feature set in a body with fewer external controls - and really so is the K-50.  So this time I'm moving forward in the same 'enthusiast' category instead of down from a higher grade of body.  Therefore it's no surprise it feels like I'm taking a step forward in pretty much every way.  I have my weather seals back, and an AFs / AFc setting on the body - a feature I really liked even though the latest Pentax bodies have removed it!

It's funny how the same camera can feel so very different depending on where you've been in the recent past! And oh my is it red.  Curiously that depends very much on the image one sees, and the settings used on the camera that shot it.  White balance, exposure, Custom Image setting all do their part, so online images show everything from an orange-red to a deep crimson.  If it looks like the image above, I'll be quite pleased.. but please don't be orange-red!

out with the black, in with the red

The latest postal estimates say the red K-50 should arrive this weekend, along with batteries and charger (in this case, sold separately).  I bumped into a Wanted post online for a K-r or newer camera - hmmm just what was I going to do with that black K-r body once the K-50 arrives?  After a few quick messages the K-r is off to Canada!  It was an amazing deal when I bought it, so the savings went along as well.  Everybody wins!

The healthy DAL 18-55 will travel with the camera, and the white one with broken mount should probably be disposed of.  Just maybe though.. some parts might be worth keeping in case of trouble.

Other sales (of things that I was actually trying to sell!) have been slow.  The K24 has departed but the M100/2.8 remains.*  I won a bid I don't remember placing on an smc.A50/1.7 with 2x teleconverter for about $16, and the lens is in great shape.  Some day I'll get around to trying the TC as well..

* no sooner said then gone: the M100 sale is imminent SOLD!
Today's gear = Q, A50, DAL55-300 and a few manual-focus zooms.
Coming soon = K50, 18-55wr
Coming later = G7, 14-42 then Sam7.5, Tok300 and a Lumix telezoom.

Red, hot K-50 deal

I found a fine price for a cheerful, red K-50 with WR kit lens (yes, it's red too).  Its price with lens was very low due to having no battery or charger; I never liked the Pentax charger anyway so yippee!  And in case of  any other issues the 14-day return policy is a good thing to have.  Two generic batteries and charger were about $17 so this didn't hurt much.. sure hope it tests out well.

Here's the grip, which I always found 

to make a fairly happy face!

And yet I still make plans..

Plans of all sorts have failed on multiple levels in the recent past, but I continue to make them anyway.  Here is what I hope to acquire in the coming six weeks..

I will be watching for deals on Pentax' K-s2 with the 18-50re lens and the Lumix G7 in several possible kits with the 14-42 II.  Depending on what deal works best I shall make my move.

• The easy choice is to stay with Pentax and whatever lenses remain in hand.  If the 55-300 goes I would add the WR version and be in fine shape.  If a few primes don't sell so much the better!
• If the G7 deal is irresistible it would likely include the 14-42ii and the 45-150mm.  I would then add the Samyang 7.5 and Tokina 300/6.3 baby mirror lens.  If the best deal has only the 14-42 then I will add a PK adapter for the 55-300 for now, and save for the 35-100.  Maybe at some point I would add the 100-300.. but the 300 cat is still a tiny convenience.

Either way I will have a fine new camera and a few great lenses!

image from petapixel

First Revision: rather than have competing systems how about I go with complementary ones?  
With that in mind I find myself inclined to grab the last K-50 off the shelf for wet-weather imaging, and go with the G7 as the clear tech champion.  I can find the body only or 18-55wr kit (even the 50-200 kit if that price is amazing) which frees up more money for a more complete Lumix kit.  Just, maybe.

reloading, again

Well I'm dSLR free - for a week at least.  The K-50 is an excellent camera but not the step diagonally upward that I had hoped from the K-5; it turns out that I really do use some of those external buttons, most notably the AE metering switch.   One bit of good news from this is that I am now mostly cured of the K-s1 bug, as that newest model has neither AE switch nor custom button to assign that to.  I really like the small size of the K-s1 but really it's best not to retrain myself to work with a poorer ergonomic fit.

The K-3 has dropped in price recently which made it very appealing, but it has many more features than I seek plus a few interface tweaks I don't really want to learn.  In the end I bid the right amount on a K-5 IIs with bonus battery grip And split-image focusing screen.  The win came as quite a surprise, in fact, as my bid was the only one submitted; had this not won I had vague plans of waiting until November for a K-3.  I learned later that another PK-Forum member had been chatting with the seller about the camera, but once my bid went in all conversation had to end.  Perhaps he will get my K-3 in 'revenge'!  :^)  

I have no real interest in the extra bulk of a grip, but since it's coming anyway I shall give it a try now and then. Since it holds a battery and not a motorized film-winder it really won't weigh much, but more bulk is less appealing most of the time. However, the focusing screen breathes new life into my manual-prime lenses, especially the 85mm f/2 speedster.

I need to hide a few sale-webpages from myself now - but my favorite Pentax camera is returning to my hands, hooray!

change of plans but not of heart

I really like the K-s1 in principle and execution, but I cannot manage the cost right now; a few more unexpected expenses make it a bad idea.  As for value the $800 price can't be justified - I can pick up an open-box K-3 for a similar price, and as while wandering virtually I found a K-50 with all the features that the K-s1 may or may not have, for Half the price!  Yes a white K-50 body with under 200 images taken; someone decided it wasn't for them so I shall make it mine.

The K-5 can now be sent off to the shop for the extra-mirrorflip issue that many have experienced.  Mine generally makes the extra mirror flip with a filled battery only while others' cameras were flipping the mirror at every button press or dial turn!

I still really want the K-s1 to succeed, and I like its compact and angular good looks quite a bit.  In a couple of years my finances should be more predictable, and then I shall look around at the market - perhaps that's when the K-s1 will be mine...

K-s1: what do we know 'for sure'?

On the Ricoh Japan site, we know this -
2014年9月11日までにご注文いただくと、発売日（2014年9月26日）

Other sites say shipping in September, so the 9/26 date seems more likely than the 11th - especially since it's the 12th now and I have no confirmation e-mail :^(  Originally the blue/white/black were supposed to ship two weeks earlier than the other colors, so these might be correct ship dates - for Japan!

 edit.. the translated page says 'Come out in 2014.09.26'

Given that it's hard to reshape a camera body, we presume that the sensor, SR, button availability & layout, and other hardware bits are well-known quantities.  Oddly we haven't heard the shutter fire in any videos, so some of the inner hardware is still a mystery; will it be fairly K-5 silent, or more K-50 'clacky'? 
Edit - Adam at pentaxforums says it's very much a K-50 clack, not a K-5 swoosh.

So what's on 'paper' from Ricoh?

• A new 20.12Mpx sensor (let's call it twenty) for a pinch more resolution and cropping relative to the sweet-16 sensor of past models, a pinch less than the K-3, and reviews (of Sony cams) that show it to be a good performer.  It's noteworthy, a slight positive in my Book (and I'm glad it isn't 24M) so some joy but overall to me: no big deal.
• Size: for the specs this is a small and light camera, like a melded K-x mark II and a K-01 mark II with a few good K-3 parts within.  For me small is good, and my search for a small camera with indifferent small sensor ends now!  That IS a big deal to me, and I'm happy to see it.
• Weather Resistance: nope.  The price I seem to pay for smaller size is battery and WR.  I have a K-5 for wet shots though, so as a primary camera this one is just fine.  The control ring on the back means less entry points for mist on top anyway - and like most intergalactic hitch-hikers I know where my towel is!
• Li-109 battery, weaker and smaller than recent flagship cams - oh yeah this Isn't a flagship!  I can carry a spare, and I did anyway with the K-5 - so another note without complaint.  We film veterans used to go about 38 shots max before having to open up the camera, so making a battery change around 400 shots isn't really that bad :^)
• ISO 100-51200.  Several early reviewers say 102400, implying iso expansion or perhaps early firmware - but again, 'subject to change' applies, and as I type Ricoh says 51200 max.
• AF features are similar to the K-3 with AF expansion and hold functions - BUT Safox IX+ means fewer actual points, and no word on f/2.8 sensors.  Focuses to EV-1 not -3 so low-light skill is not up to K-5ii or K-3 models.  AF-A shows on the rear screen shots, so that's either a menu thing or another firmware question-mark; the switch on the side only does MF/AF and the K-3 choose-which-AF button is not present.
• One control dial.  Yes, a tragic loss - oh yeah some of my best images were taken with the K-01, K200d and Sony A200, all 1-dial cameras.  Worse yet the 2-dialers often find me spinning the wrong one (yes that's on me, I should change the way they operate.  I continue to seek My Answer on the K-5!).  So again, noted but not mourned.
• Settings dial is on the back!  And it lights up!! OK, what's wrong with me, I should be upset and all fired up - but this is fine by me, as I've heard that the lights can be turned off (but do we know that 'for sure'?). I hope I can keep the shutter LED light on though!
• Video is on the power switch and the LED lights red in video mode, green for stills.  This will be valuable to users I know (there's one in my mirror) who take very short videos unintentionally!
• PRIME M-II sensor processing.  This is a mystery that only time can resolve.  The PRIME M came with the K-01/30 intros, but the only visible change is that the video is now accessed by the power dial.  Ah, the 640x480 setting is gone too, maybe that's part of it?  Some day we will know what this means - or maybe not!  The M-II does give us compressed video with good specs, focus peaking (yay!), interval movies (not compressed!) and some other things I probably didn't notice when I owned my K-01.  Video isn't a big deal to me... yet I keep thinking it will become interesting again; in the late '90s I backpacked for a week with a DV camcorder AND an SLR, so video has been big before!  Edit: Since the pipeline went two directions with PRIME M and PRIME II, maybe all future cams will use the M II as the latest and best reunification of the component - that makes enough sense that it could be true!  We also wonder if video bit-rate quality is adjustable now; time will tell.
• The flash is a bit weaker, guide number of 10m not 12.  I often throttle back on flash to keep things more natural so that's noted but not significant to me.
• Full viewfinder, nice screen, and the usual DSLR features like a hot shoe.  Check!
• Green button, Sv, TAv, -10°C operating minimum, and other Pentax special touches.  Hooray!
• Strap lugs holding the strap to the camera, Not jingle-clips like the K-5 models have.  Thank you, thank you!
• Misc. and sundry updates include UH1 and FluCard capability, rotation-axis SR (which allows for AstroTracer with O-GPS1), multi-auto WB from Ricoh and K-3 products, and ?14-bit RAW files.   The ? is because specs show 14 and 12 bits, so that's another unsettled parameter like ISO max.

I think that will do (I don't find fonts worthy of a bullet, so there).  I added a few things that aren't clear yet: ISO range, shutter sound, and in fact everything about the firmware other than a font change.  

I downloaded the spec sheet and highlighted changes from the K-5, and many purple items are in there.  Many other features are on the K-50 but some are not, suggesting the answer to many people's question
"why buy this when the K-50 is cheaper, has two control wheels and WR??".

Or just go with the easy answer - We are not all the same.

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Edit: the Ricoh page has been updated as of the 19th and more has become clear.  Only 12-bit raw is referenced now, and additions made to include AF adjustments similar to recent Pentaces.  I see playback editing includes moiré reduction, that's new to me but was probably on the K-3.  Also seen now are 'slant correction' along with different aspect-ratio crops, and all the lens corrections and custom images are here.  It's still unclear if saving custom settings is possible now; no C1/C2 setting on dial or USER option seen anywhere.  Like the K-3 it comes with the new Pentax DCU5.x software, still based on SilkyPix but a later version.
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Update.. Photkina 2014 is over, and hands-on reports are better than visual 1st impressions.  Firmware 0.3 was on test cameras and iso102400 was 'available' though no keepers were allowed.  For a camera due out in a week the firmware seems quite unsettled!
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Final edit / K-s1 update, 27.Sep
Given the ever-changing specifications online, and a bill that I did not expect, I have canceled my order.  While examining cheaper options I encountered a barely-used K50 in white for half the price of the K-s1.  Since I have the WR kit lens, and since the K50 has all the items that appear to be removed or unmentioned for K-s1 specs, this cannot be passed up.  Now the K-5 can go into the shop without worry and I have focus peaking and compressed video like my old K-01 but with a real viewfinder.  I hope the K-s1 does well without me, as I shall do without it - and the expense of it.  When Pentax can access Sony's sensor with phase-detect AF points I'll probably go shopping again.