K5 successor at Photokina?

[Mr Bump]

Rumours are rife that the K5 is no longer in manufacture and that dealers are simply offloading existing stock. Indead BHphotovideo lists the K5 + 18-55 kit as 'discontinued'. This may account for the recent generous cashback offer on the K5.

So, will a K5 successor appear at Photokina a month from now? Or will Pentax continue to offer the K30 as their only DSLR?

There's a lot of wishful thinking that a new Pentax DSLR will be full-frame but, unless a heck of a lot of new lenses are also launched, a full-frame owner would have little lens choice in the current Pentax line-up (about four I believe). I personally can't see it happening.

There's no doubt that being a Pentax user can be very rewarding but a big dose of optimism is also obligatory it seems.

Bump

[Mr Bump]

Well, the question is now answered and will probably disappoint a lot of Pentax fans.

The successor to the K-5 is the K-5 II, a very similar camera but with improved autofocus. I doubt that it is anything like enough to keep Pentax in the race when others, not just the big two, are forging ahead with far more interesting products.

With Nikon, Canon and Sony now offering 'affordable' full-frame DSLRS for the enthusiast market Pentax is nowhere near rising to the challenge with a camera that is little more than a facelift of a two-year-old model. Pentax seems to be treading water rather than forging ahead.

Despite the recent marriage with Ricoh it seems that Pentax continues on the slippery path to obscurity. Even the most basic Pentax accessories can be difficult to source these days in my recent experience.

I'd be interested in the views of others on this. Am I being too pessimistic?

For my own part I can foresee a return to Nikon and the new D600 looks rather appealing. A shame really.

Bump