K3 II arriving this week.

Well after lots of research, comparisons, etc. I bit the bullet.

K3 II, HD Pentax DA 16-85mm WR lens, AF540FGZ II Flash will all arrive this week.

Reasons for my choices?

K3 II: Weather resistance which is as good as any out there and better then most, GPS because I do mostly travel photography and I like having it available on demand. Solidly built, excellent ergonomics (for me), overall balance of features and a few new tricks that will probably be fun to play with. Also like the versatile choice for RAW files, control layouts, infrared remote (got that also), Dual SD card slots. (Flu card option but again that is not a priority for me)

HD Pentax DA 16-85mm: From the reviews and images I found, looks to be an excellent lens. A bit slow, but that is not a concern for me. Resolution, and corner to corner sharpness is much more important. Looks to be an excellent IQ lens with a very versatile range. Most important it is weather resistant like the body. Considered the 17-70 (Pentax and Sigma) but while optically good, they are not weather resistant. The 18-135 and other kit lenses while versatile did not meet my IQ requirements. everything pointed me to the HD DA 16-85.

AF540FGZ II: I seldom use flash so not having a pop-up in the camera is not a problem for me, and in cameras that did have one I found 95% of the time they were insufficient to my needs. Either too weak (not enough range) or lack of versatility including bounce, diffusion, etc. I looked at all 3 of the Pentax WR flashes. Pentax AF201FG is a bit stronger the the K3 built in flash, has bounce (no swivel) and is quite small and compact. But still not powerful enough. Pentax AF360FGZ II Flash looked real good, has decent power bounces and swivels, has LED lamp, etc. Seriously considered that but then found the AF540FGZ II for only $70 more ($200 off retail) It is only nominally larger but much more powerful. In the rare occasions I need flash, I usually need a lot. Tilt-swivel, powerzoom (24-85 mm coverage which matches the lens perfectly, weather resistance. 26 feet at ISO 100, F5.6 being possible.

You might see a pattern in my choices. Weather Resistance is very important as well as overall durability. By fall I'll be retired to the Philippines, a lovely country but one with a 6 month monsoon season and an average of about 20 tropical storms and/or typhoons a year. In an archipelago nation of more then 7,000 islands, (with wonderful people for the most part) traveling around and photographing people, places and events and blogging about them will be my "retirement job". GPS is important and the easier and simpler it is to turn on/off and use the better. It doesn't hurt that there is an official Pentax Service Center in country, near where many of the cameras are made. (Cebu region). Wifi while nice is not a significant concern and there is always the Flu card.

Once I get a chance to get familiar with the new gear and do some serious shooting, I'll report back on how I feel about it and share some experiences and photos.

My other camera? Panasonic FZ1000. I see the two as making for a nice tandem.

Oh, and my last Pentax camera that I owned and loved?  The Pentax LX film camera.