“Pentax Information” on April 13

https://www.youtube.com/live/ovA100SWIRQ

What will be announced?

DPR is Doomed

I received this message from the Dpreview Admin yesterday and thought that was a hoax at the first glance but it is actually true:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/5901145460/dpreview-com-to-close

So, the DPR is really doomed, even earlier than Pentax. :-o

Ricoh to Abandon Sales Distribution and to Stop Mass Production for Pentax

See what PetaPixel reports. And, their quoted official Ricoh source is here (in Japanese, Google English translation here).

After all, it seems that Pentax the brand is diminishing.. :-(

Pentax Online Event on November 27 (at Japan)

The event will be held tomorrow at Tokyo (in Japanese):

https://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/japan/event/2021/pentax_meeting_online2021/

(in Japanese)

Here is the tentative programme and rundown for the event:

- Development stories of the D-FA 21mm F2.4 Limited including interview with the developers who will talk more about the design and application of the lens.

- The evolution of K-3 Mark III will continue. New features are to come, via new firmware and other - But what does "other" means? What's the mean to do it?

- About future PENTAX products. The person in charge of product planning will reveal something.

- Q&As - Questions are to be submitted to Pentax in advance via form.

Let's see what will be told by then.

New Video about the New APS-C Flagship, on July 22

Again at 1900 hours Japanese time. Congrats to Pentax/Ricoh for becoming a YouTuber or a KOL online!

What is the Value of Pentax Cameras in Future?

Ricoh Imaging Japan writes at Twitter that they will put online a video on 16 July (at 1900 hrs Japanese time, or 1000 hrs UTC) for briefing us about the future of Pentax cameras and their value. So, stay tuned.

p.s. They haven't published the URL of their upcoming video, though. Please look at their above twitter page or official Japanese website by then.

A Nice Pentax Gear Site

http://www.pentax-slr.com/

K-1 Special Site Launched

http://www.pentax.com/en/k-1/

Pentax History Official Website

http://www.pentax.com/en/pentaxhistory/

Flickr Camera Brand Share and Ranking

https://www.flickr.com/cameras/

Pentax is ranked #12, the model ranking is as follows:

https://www.flickr.com/cameras/pentax/

Where K-5 is ranked no. 1, K-3 follows. But the strange thing is that the number of items made with K-3 is zero, but it still ranks no. 2!? :-o

Overjoyed Pentaxians!

http://newcameranews.com/2015/02/16/ricoh-shows-lump-of-plastic-pentaxicans-overjoyed/

Nice humour! But very true!! :-D

8th Anniversary of This Blog

Pentax the brand is declining, the Pentax cyberspace as well as the user-base are both shrinking than ever before. In fact, Ricoh does not treasure Pentax the brand in any sense nor they do put something real onto the market. There is not any exciting news nor any new products or real gear tests that worth reporting. The future of Pentax is so dark, frankly. Could this Blog reach ten years and beyond when Pentax the brand still exists or there is yet something Pentax related worth mentioning? I don't know really.. But I am not optimistic afterall! >:(

K-3 Debug Mode and Menu

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/273233-pentax-k-3-debug-menu-fyi.html

The K-3 Debug Mode

This is how you enter:

Create 2 files in the root of SD card (Make sure your computer shows the file endings, i.e .txt, .PEF, . JPG etc)

00077760.502
DEVELOP.MOD

Open and add the text [OPEN_DEBUG_MENU] to the first file.

Insert the SD card in slot 1 and turn on the camera without closing the card door.

Enable Debug Mode and press OK. You can now remove the files.

In the Menus, before the C1-menu, you now will find a hidden menu.

Someone entered the Debug Mode has found the way to change the language of the camera menu which was originally locked, here. That must be great! :-D




Update: A more detailed step-by-step instruction with screen captures can be found here (originally in Traditional Chinese, Google Translated to English).

645Z Specifications

• 52.99MP CMOS without AA filter (51.4Mp effectively, 8265 x 6192 pixel)
• ISO 100 - 204,800
• SAFOX11 AF system, 27 point (25 cross type), LW -3 - +18
• 3.2" LCD screen: 3:2 ratio, 1,037,000 dots
• LiveView, contrast AF, focus peaking
• TTL metering with 86k RGB sensor
• 3fps in JPEG L up to approx. 300 frames
• Full HD video (1920x1080), 4K in intervall mode
• USB3.0
• Official announcement on April 14th
• US price: $8,496.95

Via: Photo Rumors

The One and Only One Official Pentax Web Domain Left

http://pentaxplus.jp/index.html
(in Japanese)

A quick check on the registration information confirms that this web domain was registered and is still being held by the "Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company Co, Ltd." which was also renamed anyway.

It is noted that the registration will soon expire by fall March this year. Hope that this last official "Pentax" website will be kept. Nonetheless, some photos in this website are great and worth a look.


Related: 

PENTAX is Gone! >:-(

The Name PENTAX is Dismissed from the Cyber Space! >:-(

Pentax Won Best Cameras of the Year 2013 for Some Recent Elections

1. http://www.dpreview.com/news/2014/01/02/best-gear-of-2013-the-results-are-in/11

Pentax internet fanboys are in action again! But the poor K-50 and K-500 received nearly no votes at all! :-o But everytime when the fanboys played hard to win a poll but then those Pentax models still won't sell well, what is the real meaning??

2. http://www.neocamera.com/article/best_cameras

It is elected that the K-50 and K-5IIs are the best DSLRs in the entry level and advanced categories.

Check Shutter Count & Manufacturing Date of Your Pentax Body Online

You may find this online tool by the PF useful:

http://www.pentaxforums.com/pages/check-shutter-count-exif.html

I haven't tried myself but I believe that it should work~ Alternatively, you can check the SC offline with some other EXIF tools. For instance, PhotoME is the most popular choice, which can be downloaded here. Just open an original JPEG image produced by any Pentax (now Ricoh) camera and search for the EXIF tag with the string of "shutter count" or something like that. That's it! :-)

New Pentax Rumours: FF and 645DII Coming

The Pentax "rumourizer" OGL has made a post about an alleged interview with Pentax Ricoh Russia as cited from another Russia forum post:

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/240639-pentax-ricoh-russia-answers-ff-ricoh-future.html

So, the following are rumoured:

1. FF will be next year. Not later than Photokina 2014. Maybe, on spring or summer, 2014.
2. New DFA lenses will be offered. New 2.8 zooms will be made.
3. New Limited Zoom will be real.
4. New WR lenses will be launched.
5. K-01 is failed because of design. Mirrorless cameras - Ricoh will offer something new.
6. New 645D will be later. It will be different from 645D. It was plans to launch 645DII this year, but the situation is changed.
7. SMC DA LIMITED are discontinued.

If the first rumour is true, then there is just no reason to buy a K-3 now, which is really a true stop-gap product. So, I believe in that rumour and will keep using my K-5 and wait just for a few months longer! ;-p

K-3 Unofficial Samples (Down-sized, from Japanese Bloggers, with Beta Units)

1. http://flickriver.com/photos/n00bs/sets/72157636383971445/

This guy (poster) is familiar. I think he is just a Pentax insider, or very close to even if not.

2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mawari/sets/72157636369323634/

An ISO 3200 is included in the second link, click here to see.

A Ricoh K-3 Could Look Better! :-o

Source: http://i.imgur.com/oxCBwf8.jpg

I must have been crazy! I found that the above PS picture looks better than the now "Pentax-in-front and Ricoh-behind" K-3! Is that Only Me? :-o