New KP

[pez]

I in no way, shape, or form need this uber-cool camera. But I will have one. And it will be my new all time favorite camera!

 

[jcdeboever]

Yup, I seen that this morning. Looks like a nice DSLR.

 

[Derrel]

Wow, some great features. Electronic shutter up to 1/24,000 second...oh myyyyyy, that's a fast top speed! Lots of dedicated dials and buttons on the exterior move this more toward the pro-Nikon, pro-Canon type camera design ethos, more than the consumer-electronics type of menu-driven body so often seen on an APS-C camera. In-body stabilization for any lens mounted, another Pentax advantage, and now combined with the senosor-shift capobility to get higher-than-regular-MP shots. In-camera RAW-to-JPEG processing and tranferring to other devices via WiFi. All in all, this looks like a really nice camera.

 

[smoke665]

And I see no one has mentioned ISOs up to 819,200

Pentax KP Officially Announced - Pentax Announcements | PentaxForums.com

I'm with you @pez may have to upgrade the K3II, for this.

 

[nerwin]

That is definitely one of the coolest DSLRs out there right now. Like the fact that it has sensor stabilization. You'd be able to mount old vintage lenses and still have the stabilization!

But it's probably not wise for me to ditch my full frame Nikon gear to get this I take it?

 

[pez]

That is definitely one of the coolest DSLRs out there right now. Like the fact that it has sensor stabilization. You'd be able to mount old vintage lenses and still have the stabilization!

But it's probably not wise for me to ditch my full frame Nikon gear to get this I take it?

All Pentax bodies have SR, but don't ditch anything... just get it

 

[robbins.photo]

Looked through the stats on the camera.. I kept saying.. wow.. that's great. Holy cow.. that's fantastic.. then I got to the buffer.

7 frames per second.. love it! But it's only good for up to 8 Raw / 28 JPG.

Ugh. Seriously? Why do camera manufacturers do this? 7 Frames per second isn't nearly that useful if you only get basically 1 second out of it before the camera stalls and the buffer needs to clear.

 

[Derrel]

One article I read on the KP suggested that the camera was deliberately "held back" a bit on some specifications, to possibly make room for a subsequent full-bore type camera in the Pentax lineup. At the suggested retail price of $1,099 USA, it still looks like a very capable camera, and at a fair price. How long will it take to write an eight-frame raw file buffer to a FAST memory card? The answer to that question might make the 8-frame raw buffer more palatable to many potential buyers. And honestly, there are probably lot of people who will shoot fast sequential action in .JPG mode and will be (mostly) happy with that.

There are many more-important specifications than raw buffer depth. And keep in mind, Nikon did basically the SAME thing with the D7100 in RAW mode...basically one second's worth of raw images, and then a pretty pokey write-to mechanism, in the CAMERA itself, limited the data transfer speed to like 45 Mbs or whatever it is, per second. That was an example of Nikon making the decision to install pokey hardware in a $1200 camera a few years ago. Action shooters carped about it, but many others were okay with it, or made due and went to JPEGs for long, sequential, rapid-fire action.

 

[robbins.photo]

One article I read on the KP suggested that the camera was deliberately "held back" a bit on some specifications, to possibly make room for a subsequent full-bore type camera in the pentax lineup. At the suggested retail price of $1,099 USA, it still looks like a very capable camera, and at a fair price. How long will it take to write an eight-frame raw file buffer to a FAST memory card? The answer to that question might make the 8-frame raw buffer more palatable to many potential buyers. And honestly, there are probably lot of people who will shoot fast sequential action in .JPG mode and will be happy with that.

There are many more-important specifications than raw buffer depth. And keep in mind, Nikon did basically the SAME thing with the D7100 in RAW mode...basically one second's worth of raw images, and then a pretty pokey write-to mechanism, in the CAMERA itself, limited the data transfer speed to like 45 Mbs or whatever it is, per second. That was an eample of Nikon making the decision to install pokey hardware in a $1200 camera a few years ago. Action shooters carped about it, but many others were okay with it, or made due and went to JPEGs for long, sequential, rapid-fire action.

I shoot sequential action in JPG mode on my D600 now as well. But man would love a 24 mpx, 7 frame per second, usable in low light camera with a great buffer so I could shoot RAW. Especially considering all the other features this thing has... really could have been a home run. I was jumping for joy till I hit that thing about the buffer, then it was.. ahh.. crap. Lol

 

[smoke665]

Looked through the stats on the camera.. I kept saying.. wow.. that's great. Holy cow.. that's fantastic.. then I got to the buffer.

7 frames per second.. love it! But it's only good for up to 8 Raw / 28 JPG.

I was likewise impressed, mainly over the ISO capability till I read further. It's been a learning curve on the K3II but now that I've had time to get used to it, I'm mostly happy. The K3II features ISO up to 51,200 vs the new KP 819,200, but frankly I've never had the need to even get close to the maximum on the K3II.

Resolution on both is the same 24.3, with an APS-C sensor. The KP features the 5 Axis SR II vs the SR on the K3II which would be nice, and the KP features the updated CPU Prime IV vs the Prime III in the K3II, both of these would be a nice addition, though again not enough to warrant me to upgrade.

One thing I found misleading was on shutter speed, the mechanical shutter only goes to 1/6000, to get the 1/24,000 you have to go to the Live View (screen) mode. Pentax AF uses Phase Shift in the view finder which works great in low light, the Live View screen uses Contrast Detection, which can really hunt a lot in low light. The K3II features up to 1/8000 on either mode. The other biggy they aren't making much notice of is the KP, is at present, only rated for 100,000 shutter clicks vs the K3II's 200,000. You mentioned "Burst" there's another big difference the K3II is rated at up to 8.3 FPS (Buffer, 60 JPEG/23 Raw) vs the KP's 7 FPS (Buffer, 28 JPEG/8 Raw).

At first I was bummed about the lack of the pop up flash on the K3II, but frankly I've learned to live without it. The new KP has a built in stereo microphone, but surprisingly the K3II has a direct port for HDMI, and the new KP requires an adapter????? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and why would they go backward on the USB port from a 3.0 on the K3II to a 2.0 on the KP. Yes the new KP has a tilting screen, but it's smaller then the K3II (and I have trouble seeing it already).

In other backward moves, the KP no longer supports power zoom (on the K3II), only offers one card slot (not 2 like on the K3II), no built in GPS (on the K3II though I've yet to use it), and a change from all magnesium alloy on the K3II to a combination of magnesium and plastic. The addition of the WIFI on the KP is nice I really miss that, but I can't find any information on if the KP will support tethering. Something that isn't available on the K3II unless you put in a Flucard, and they can supposedly be a little flaky. Last but not least, the battery life went from 750 shots on the K3II to 450 on the KP.

So all in all, after reading more, I think I stay with the K3II for now.

 

[pez]

It's basically a really cool midrange camera with some innovative/ new features, like the new sensor and the e-shutter. Not a replacement for the K3/ ii. That is coming in the fall, according to the rumor mill and leaks.

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[smoke665]

That is definitely one of the coolest DSLRs out there right now. Like the fact that it has sensor stabilization. You'd be able to mount old vintage lenses and still have the stabilization!

But it's probably not wise for me to ditch my full frame Nikon gear to get this I take it?

All Pentax bodies have SR, but don't ditch anything... just get it

True, but only the K1 and the KP have the 5 axis.

Also I understand that it's not a replacement for the K3II, but frankly I don't really see where it fits (see my post above on the comparisons). Yes it has a couple of cool features but also lacks a lot of good features the K3II has. It's like they were in a big rush to push something/anything on the market. Like I said earlier I'll keep my K3II for now.

 

[pez]

It's no K3, and won't replace mine. However, I have K70, which also has some features which surpass the K-3/ii, such as high ISO performance, and has pixel shift like the K3ii- for cheap. I love mine and use it as a knock-around camera. It's really a fun camera that produces great results which is also very good for astro and macro. The KP has a completely new sensor and fantastic high ISO performance (for crop sensor), and a metal body (supposedly)- which might be the justification for the price (almost twice the K70)?
Here is a discussion on the PF site about where the KP is supposed to fit in.

 

[smoke665]

I have K70, which also has some features which surpass the K-3/ii, such as high ISO performance, and has pixel shift like the K3ii

Yup the first in the Pentax lineup to break 100k ISO.

The KP has a completely new sensor

Read differing opinions on this one on Pentax Forums. One seemed to indicate they shared somewhat the same sensor. One article claimed it was new design (by a yet unknown manufacturer), both reportedly are 24.3 mp. One thing there is no confusion about is the CPU. The PrimeIV with image acceleration is way different then the Prime III of the K3II.

fantastic high ISO performance

This is a wait and see. Early indications are that the high ISO may not really be useable, but that the CPU change may provide better response at the lower ISO up to 50K or so. In the same article you referenced the examples of the KP and K3II showed side by side comparisons at 51,200 ISO and the KP won hands down, but the examples of the KP at 819200 ISO were horrible. Also, while 819200 is higher than any Pentax has gone before but it's also under the Nikon D500's top setting of ISO 1,640,000.

and a metal body (supposedly

Not quite true. The KP is reportedly a Magnesium Alloy (Front, Back, Bottom) Plastic (Top Plate).

As to the direction Pentax is taking, as usual no one knows. Pretty much agreed now that the KP is not a replacement for the K3II. There is speculation that Pentax is now looking at splitting the high/mid-range with the KP more aimed at mid-range market, and a new (higher priced model) as a replacement for the K3II that would fill the gap between KP and the K1 for a professional model APS-C body, and still be priced significantly under the Nikon D500.

One thing is certain, if I upgrade the K3II in the future, I need to start saving my pennies, because the wife's gonna have a hissy!

 

[pez]

I would submit that no one expects max ISO to be in any way usable from... any camera? Is a D500 usable @ 1,640,000? I have doubts of ever needing to use even 51,200. Pentax describes the sensor as a new generation sensor. I guess that might mean anything... Whatever it all means, I'm gonna give it a whorl and see what happens. Perhaps I'll hate it and wish I'd gone ahead and bought a K-1