No Title ;-)

 

Pentax User Survey

 https://questant.jp/q/86PT0EYA

News from Ricoh - K-1 III is Still Under Development and etc.

From a latest post in the Xitek Pentax forum, an interview with the Ricoh senior officials (from the product development and planning divisions) in a recent marketing event in Taipei was cited.

The key messages delivered are summarised as follows: 

 

1. The K-1 III is still under development. More time is required with a higher precision aimed on the design as well as owing to the difficulty in sourcing certain components and parts for the new camera.

2. The film camera project is in good progress but further details will not be disclosed. Nonetheless, collaboration with other film product manufacturers will be made for determining a right selling price and marketing strategy.

3. Feasibility for the revival of the Q system is being carried out, subject to the requests made by the Pentax fans in Japan. But considering the limitation of the Q system, it would be unlikely.

4. The 645 system is in its end of development, production of the remaining products will last for a certain period of time.

5. Mirrorless is not a viable option for Pentax.

6. New DFA* wide angle lens(es) and replacement of the DA*50-135 are being considered according to market needs.

The Pentax 645 Digital Lineup is Really Done

See the official discontinued lens list here, even the DFA 55/2.8 SDM and DFA 90/2.8 Macro SR lenses are now included:

So, the Pentax 645 digital lineup is really done, as it is shown and can be confirmed, regardless of any official statement made about this fact. :-(  And, those 645 gear of Pentax has become collectors' items now, just like the Q gear. 

“Pentax Information” on April 13

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

What will be announced?

Why Pentax Has Failed at Mirrorless?

See what PetaPixel says about the failure of Pentax in the mirrorless market, despite the efforts paid in the past two decades.

By the way, for what PP has listed out for the 37 interchangeable lens digital cameras wich Pentax has ever produced, I have bought more than one-third of all the models as follows:

From 2003 to 2021: My Pentax APS-C bodies acquired: *ist D/DS/DL2, K-100D, K-m, K-x, K-r, K-5, KP and K-3III, total 10 out of the 29 models produced.

From 2011 to 2014: I bought the original Q and the Q7, hence 2 out of 4.

From 2016 to 2021: I got the K-1, but I don't think Pentax has really produced 2 full-frame bodies as the K-1 II actually is just a mild variant of the original K-1.

From 2010 to 2014: I purchased the 645D, 1 out of 2 for the medium format bodies.

So, I acquired a total of 14 Pentax models out of the 37 that they have produced.

Besides what PP has mentioned about the causes the failure, which I generally agree with, I think from the user's perspective and practical point of view, the K-01 and the Q series failed in two major ways, which are the lack of EVF and fast Wi-Fi support. I consider that these are basic essential features nowadays, especially for mirrorless cameras and for easy social media sharing on-the-go. All in all, the external LCD monitor is really rather difficult to view under bright light environment outdoor. Without an EVF, it is indifferent to shoot blindly and composition and shooting have become rather difficult with such handicapped mirrorless cameras.

K-3 III and GR T-shirts (by UNIQLO)

by UNIQLO..

Ricoh Imaging Business Strategy Update (March 15)

Ricoh Imaging Japan gave a briefing about their latest business strategy on cameras and products on March 15. The following presentation screenshot refers:

All in all, the interchangeable lens business will be "re-launched" whilst the 360 business will fade out. Ricoh will focus more in industrial / professional optical and related products and components in more areas such as those in the automation and innovative technology areas.

Nonetheless, it would be interesting to see how they could "re-launch" the Pentax lineups, actually I would say *revive* instead, IMHO.

DA*300 has Become the Lens of a Mini-satellite

See this official press release:

https://news.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/rim_info/2022/20220311_031667.html

This Pentax lens was chosen because of its full metal barrel construction as well as its high resolution but yet compact size. By the way, the lens contributes to almost half of the size of the Japanese mini-satellite named "Kitsune", which was launched to the space via an US rocket in February this year.

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.

The First Pentax Camera in History (Prototype)

An interesting read: https://kosmofoto.com/2019/10/the-first-pentax-camera-was-east-german/

Credit (via): DPR forum post here

Asahi Pentax Factory in 1964

Someone has scanned and uploaded at Flickr an old magazine article about the Asahi Pentax factory in 1964 which is quite interesting. Good job, guy! And, those were the days!

Three New Pentax/Ricoh Cameras in the Pipeline?

Source: e-Sertifikasi Portal (in Indonesia) via Nokishita @Twitter (in Japanese)

The models R02020, R03030 and R05010 are new, which should be under development. Whether they are in the Ricoh or Pentax brand is yet unknown, though. Furthermore, I list below the recent registered R-numbered camera models by Ricoh for your better wild guessing. ;-p

R01010: Pentax K-1 Mark II

R02010: Ricoh GR III

R03010: Pentax K-3 Mark IIIkey

BCN Japanese Camera Market Shares in 2020

https://www.bcnaward.jp/award/gallery/detail/contents_type=251

(Google translated English page here)

Note that the "Award" in early each year is all about the sales figures and results in the preceding whole year in the Japanese home market. A quick capture of what's reported is as below:

DSLR Shares: No. 1 Canon 51.9%, No. 2 Nikon 44.8%, No. 3 Ricoh Imaging 3.0%, Remaining 0.3%

Mirrorless Shares: No. 1 Sony 27.4%, No. 2 Canon 23.8%, No. 3 Olympus 23.4%, Remaining 25.4%

And, looking at the share figures of our persistent 2nd runner-up (since Year 2013) of the Ricoh Imaging in the past years, the up/down trend is summarised as follows:

2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013
3%	2.4%	3.1%	4.2%	4.8%	6.7%	4.5%	5.2%

Surprisingly, there is a slight increase of the market share by Ricoh in +0.6% when compared to the previous year. Congrats, Ricoh! ;-P

EISA Awards 2020-21 for Photo Gear

EISA has announced their awards this year for photographic equipment:

https://eisa.eu/awards/photography/

Without any surprise, there is no Pentax gear on the list. Just because there was only one new product of Pentax last year. And even worse, without any innovation, what achievement is expected? :-(

Fstoppers Talk about Pentax's Chaotic DSLR Strategy

https://fstoppers.com/originals/pentaxs-chaotic-dslr-strategy-501074

PetaPixel Supports the DSLR Niche Strategy of Pentax/Ricoh

https://petapixel.com/2020/07/18/why-pentax-is-making-the-right-call-in-sticking-with-dslrs/

The author may have a point. But the market trend is towards interchangeable lens Mirrorless, especially Full Frame ones. Who will jump boat to the Pentax brand because of Reflex? Is it just the wishful thinking of Pentax/Ricoh themselves? :-o After all, the reverse may be true.

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.