Reading mode: Light Dark

What does Ricoh have planned?

Go to last post
J

Jimmy2thou

Forum Enthusiast
Messages
462
Reaction score
13
Location
ES
I have no clue but have hopes.....gives me more reason to wait a bit longer before doing anything else, I would hope for something with a zoom, bit bigger sensor...but then Fuji is doing that and Nikon and Pentax are doing interchangeable Small Sensors, so I have no clue.
 
He couldn't be more vague - plugging a gap in the market, eh? Which means it's not covered by any existing camera, so.... what's not already covered by one or more camera models?

From phone cameras to medium format, the only gap I can see is a full-frame non-rangefinder ILC. Maybe Ricoh will take what they've developed from the M-mount module to apply it to a whole new FF ILC M-mount camera (maybe too big to be a GXR module). Like the A12-M, something they can develop and release within a year because they don't have to worry about creating a whole range of lenses to support it.
 
Does anyone remember the fantastic Pentax AFA (auto-focus adapter)?
It "transformed" your manual Pentax mount lenses into auto-focus lenses...

You had to make do with a 1.7x focal length extension and it wasn't really "fire & forget" (just google "pentax afa" for some further info), but that was a small price to pay for being able to turn all those old MF treasures into AF lenses...

Just imagine: The first Leica M, FF auto-focus camera!!! :-)
--
Carpe Diem & Remember:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing... (Edmund Burke)
http://www.picshare.co.il/member_gallery.asp?id=3180
 
Jimmy2thou said:
I just saw this and it has me intrigued. What do you think it will be?

http://photorumors.com/2011/10/28/ricoh-will-plug-a-gap-in-the-market-in-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotoRumors+%28PhotoRumors.com%29&utm_content=Google+UK
Click to expand...
It is intriguing, but I have no interest in what might "plug a gap in the market." I am not a market analyst, I'm a photographer. I'm interested in cameras that facilitate my ability to make photographs, and could care less about what gaps there might be in the market.

Happily, the Ricoh GXR and A12 Camera Mount proves to be an excellent camera to make photographs with. I look forward to seeing what Ricoh's next products do in this context. In the meanwhile, I'm spending my time making photographs ... :-)
--
Godfrey
http://godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com
 
Well the is a big gap in the market between the $1100 GXR M solution and the Leica M9 at $7000.

I would not be surprised if they sell more GXR plus M-mounts in 6 months than the total number of GXR + lensors sold since the introduction in 2009.
 
Obviously I am in the same boat as everybody else. Even the rumours are vague.

However let's try some applied logic in an area where logic just might not work.

So we have the majors in the traditional dslr market - Canon and Nikon defying gravity to keep their dslr market alive by pretending that EVIL Type camera don't exist, and especially aps-c sensor EVIL type cameras.

Panasonic never had a mirror based interchangeable lensed camera and Sony inherited their line when Konica-Minolta I presume became financially sick designing and marketing their own dslr conversion. I guess the Minolta film slr guys had given up and sold camera and lenses and bought one of the other dslr brands before Sony got their hands on them. that leaves Olympus and Pentax (more or less and as far as I know). Olympus have embraced Panasonic in a sort of platonic way and the M4/3 system with some enthusiasm. Pentax has kept stiff upper lip like Canon and Nikon. But we hear rumours that they were working on some sort of EVIL type camera. It seems the smaller your dslr sales the more ready you are to pump up the alternatives.

This is where market niche and logic come in. If a company has a big investment in dslr size lenses then why not make a full sized sensor EVIL type camera that accommodates these lenses? Pentax has been making compact lenses for it's dslr bodies now how about a compact full-sensor body to go with the lenses?

If that is not a market niche then I am your uncle Freddy.

So why not give us the slr shape back for the Ricoh GXR mount system and a Pentax electronic mount to go with it? Add to the systems versatility and show Canon and Nikon a niche that they dare not enter less they blow up their market for dslr cameras. But maybe they might just do that even so.

Of course the Pentax EVIL might not be part of the GXR system - there is no special need for it to be modular. Just a full-size EVIL type would do just as nicely.

Meanwhile I don't know what you can read into numbering systems but it seems that Canon has merged their 1D with their 1Ds and skipped a few "versions" to go "X". the dslr is far from dead but the EVIL type gets stronger monthly and it would seem incredible that Canon has not something in the pipeline as well.

How to do it without shooting your dslr lens and body range in the foot must have troubled a few company forward planners. We have seen what Nikon decided - how to make an EVIL-type camera when your dslr line is assumed to live forever, but an aps-c EVIL type Nikon? Damn insolence ...

--
Tom Caldwell
 
carpediem007 said:
Does anyone remember the fantastic Pentax AFA (auto-focus adapter)?
It "transformed" your manual Pentax mount lenses into auto-focus lenses...

You had to make do with a 1.7x focal length extension and it wasn't really "fire & forget" (just google "pentax afa" for some further info), but that was a small price to pay for being able to turn all those old MF treasures into AF lenses...

Just imagine: The first Leica M, FF auto-focus camera!!! :-)
--
Carpe Diem & Remember:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing... (Edmund Burke)
http://www.picshare.co.il/member_gallery.asp?id=3180
Click to expand...
Interesting idea.

There is a gap necessary to fit slr lenses on the M mount module because of the different flange back distances. This gives a designer some room to play with. It could not be an adapter to fit the M mount module as the M mount module has no smarts built in to control lenses.

However if Ricoh did make a PK mount module from scratch then why might they not make it so that it would not only accommodate modern electronic Pentax lenses but also function to make manual Pentax lenses automatic.

Now that would be filling a niche.

Note that the present GXR back is not really suitable for larger lenses and if the GXR system were to get a mount for larger Pentax lenses it would almost guarantee the need for a slr-style GXR back alternative.

--
Tom Caldwell
 
It's so unlikely, but as everyone is being very sensible or timid, here's the real gap in the market – digital film! Yes, the technology* announced by a US company 10 years ago and that completely failed to get beyond concept and investment funding. It died without so much as a whimper.

If a GXR sensor unit can work with a 35mm lens then a digital film canister can work with any 35mm camera. That's the concept. How does the technology fit in a 35mm sized canister with a protruding film-sensor area? How on earth does the camera interact with the sensor? Who in heaven knows? But if it could be made to work, then what a product that would be! A real digital GR1v, for starters!

*Silicon Film as it was called.
 
SphericalAberration said:
Well the is a big gap in the market between the $1100 GXR M solution and the Leica M9 at $7000.

I would not be surprised if they sell more GXR plus M-mounts in 6 months than the total number of GXR + lensors sold since the introduction in 2009.
Click to expand...
Not unless they put a little red dot on it, otherwise it doesn't have the required degree of "one upmanship"
--
CD
 
Well, 2012 is still two months away and twelve months long. There is also a PhotoKina in September 2012. I personlly think we have a long time to wait to find out what Ricoh has up their sleeve.
 
Tom Caldwell said:
Ob

So we have the majors in the traditional dslr market - Canon and Nikon defying gravity to keep their dslr market alive by pretending that EVIL Type camera don't exist, and especially aps-c sensor EVIL type cameras.
Click to expand...
Tom it's called "choice"

Even if every camera on the market had an EVF and the OVF was banished it would do little to change the demographics of the camera market. There will be 2 top players and other smaller ones.

A lack of choice is bad for everyone so I would continue to ask for OVF models for DSLR's and if that choice is gone that would be a tragedy for many users.

Tom the world isn't "you must use what I like" that's why things get awful boring. That's why the compact market is a tedious collection of tiresome clones with little attempt to offer something different.

There are lots of mirror less models around now for folks to use if they want to, Samsung, Oly, Pannie, Sony, Nikon and others will join. It would be foolish and stupid to try to make all cameras the same so it's good we have some choice on these mirror less ones too various sensor sizes different systems.

A FF mirror less from Pentax would be a complete flop purely on the basis that these models are aimed firmly at the "pro market" The pro market does not care about mirror less, they are not interested in EVF's even remotely.

A FF proper DSLR might be a good move, but only if Pentax has the resources to support that venture. Most of their lenses are APS-C, they do have some nice oldies that could be brought back or updated but they would need a fairly serious investment in FF lenses not to mention pro support services/rental/loaners/repairts etc and the flashes are outdated too.

It would be no small task. This is why Sony made no impact at all with FF it's sold to some shooters but that model was not what the market wanted (24mp not great low light etc etc)

I don't know what Ricoh have planned I don't see any obvious gaps neither does anyone else but we shall see soon enough. I thought GXR filled a gap/niche but hey what do I know! Anyway we're not even sure if it's a Pentax or a Ricoh thing.

The only possible gap is a DSLR with no mirror (not SLT) if they do that fine no problem, but they'd better offer OVF models or a crazy riot will consume many Pentax users ;-)
 
i think that this news doesn't got anything with pentax, ricoh and pentax will merge in a year, until than they operate as before, ricoh wan't announce pentax product
 
samoc5555 said:
i think that this news doesn't got anything with pentax, ricoh and pentax will merge in a year, until than they operate as before, ricoh wan't announce pentax product
Click to expand...
Well they have actually taken over Pentax (imaging division) and it's now Pentax Ricoh

It could be either brand as a new product, really the information was so vague as to give no hints at all
 
Tom Caldwell said:
... Panasonic never had a mirror based interchangeable lensed camera ...
Click to expand...
Not true.

Panasonic's corporate roots are in electronic imaging with video. They made an announcement somewhere around 2004 that they had decided to enter the still camera marketplace in a larger way, having been producing point and shoot still cameras under their own label and in collaboration with Leica for over a decade. The first interchangeable lens cameras out the door on that initiative were FourThirds SLRs: the Lumix DMC-L1 and the Lumix DMC-L10, along with four top-notch lenses co-designed by Leica.

The L1 was my primary camera for three years, I sold thousands of dollars of work produced by that camera and the Panasonic/Leica and Olympus SLR lenses. A great camera. It was produced in both Panasonic brand and Leica brand configurations, and to this day remains one of my favorite digital SLR designs.

Panasonic's Lumix G camera line was under development from early 2005 onwards and debuted in fall of 2008.
Tom Caldwell said:
This is where market niche and logic come in. If a company has a big investment in dslr size lenses then why not make a full sized sensor EVIL type camera that accommodates these lenses? Pentax has been making compact lenses for it's dslr bodies now how about a compact full-sensor body to go with the lenses?

If that is not a market niche then I am your uncle Freddy.
Click to expand...
The Pentax DA series lenses are designed to cover an APS-C format, not a 24x36mm format. Some will cover, but corner and edge sharpness is compromised. So for Pentax to retool for "Full Frame" means they have to come up with a new lens line.
Tom Caldwell said:
Meanwhile I don't know what you can read into numbering systems but it seems that Canon has merged their 1D with their 1Ds and skipped a few "versions" to go "X". ...
Click to expand...
It seems from the industry journals that Canon is focusing a lot more of its corporate energy onto the digital video domain. There's a big event happening around November 4 where new video cameras are supposed to be announced.

--
Godfrey
http://godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com
 
Chris Dennehy said:
SphericalAberration said:
Well the is a big gap in the market between the $1100 GXR M solution and the Leica M9 at $7000.

I would not be surprised if they sell more GXR plus M-mounts in 6 months than the total number of GXR + lensors sold since the introduction in 2009.
Click to expand...
Not unless they put a little red dot on it, otherwise it doesn't have the required degree of "one upmanship"
--
CD
Click to expand...
I guess you could use a hole punch and make up a stencil ..

I put a "Nikof" badge on my NX10, combined with my Russian lenses people are most impressed by my new "Russian" camera. Has a certain - je ne sais quoi.

--
Tom Caldwell
 
Barry Fitzgerald said:
Tom Caldwell said:
Ob

So we have the majors in the traditional dslr market - Canon and Nikon defying gravity to keep their dslr market alive by pretending that EVIL Type camera don't exist, and especially aps-c sensor EVIL type cameras.
Click to expand...
Tom it's called "choice"

Even if every camera on the market had an EVF and the OVF was banished it would do little to change the demographics of the camera market. There will be 2 top players and other smaller ones.

A lack of choice is bad for everyone so I would continue to ask for OVF models for DSLR's and if that choice is gone that would be a tragedy for many users.

Tom the world isn't "you must use what I like" that's why things get awful boring. That's why the compact market is a tedious collection of tiresome clones with little attempt to offer something different.

There are lots of mirror less models around now for folks to use if they want to, Samsung, Oly, Pannie, Sony, Nikon and others will join. It would be foolish and stupid to try to make all cameras the same so it's good we have some choice on these mirror less ones too various sensor sizes different systems.

A FF mirror less from Pentax would be a complete flop purely on the basis that these models are aimed firmly at the "pro market" The pro market does not care about mirror less, they are not interested in EVF's even remotely.

A FF proper DSLR might be a good move, but only if Pentax has the resources to support that venture. Most of their lenses are APS-C, they do have some nice oldies that could be brought back or updated but they would need a fairly serious investment in FF lenses not to mention pro support services/rental/loaners/repairts etc and the flashes are outdated too.

It would be no small task. This is why Sony made no impact at all with FF it's sold to some shooters but that model was not what the market wanted (24mp not great low light etc etc)

I don't know what Ricoh have planned I don't see any obvious gaps neither does anyone else but we shall see soon enough. I thought GXR filled a gap/niche but hey what do I know! Anyway we're not even sure if it's a Pentax or a Ricoh thing.

The only possible gap is a DSLR with no mirror (not SLT) if they do that fine no problem, but they'd better offer OVF models or a crazy riot will consume many Pentax users ;-)
Click to expand...
Barry,

I am not against choice, I am not against dslr cameras, I am sure they will be made as long as people get some comfort from them. However dslr cameras will eventually be as dead as glass plate cameras and Speed Graphics, the once camera of choice for newspaper photographers before they were forced to use Leicas and found that they were kind of good enough.

Eugene Atget lugged his glass plate gear around until he died simply because he was familiar with it and it worked for him. I guess if you had asked him he would have told you that nothing would ever replace glass plates.

Right now the dslr rules the roost because it can still be seen to be the best. But just as soon as Nikon and Canon decide that gravity is stronger than their resolve to resist it the dslr world will start crumbling.

I am sure that many will use dslr cameras for decades to come and swear by them. However manufacturers will simply stop making them just like they did with film slrs once demand falls to a critical point.

Canon have replaced their 1D models with seemingly combined 1DX. I am not reading anything into the numbering sequence - the world is not a logical place. "X" is the sublime terminal mark? Where to from there?

--
Tom Caldwell
 
Godfrey said:
Tom Caldwell said:
... Panasonic never had a mirror based interchangeable lensed camera ...
Click to expand...
Not true.

The first interchangeable lens cameras out the door on that initiative were FourThirds SLRs: the Lumix DMC-L1 and the Lumix DMC-L10, along with four top-notch lenses co-designed by Leica.
Click to expand...
I knew about the L1 having been a LC1 and general Panasonic fan for years. Like many I was looking for the LC2 version with the same evf camera and interchangeable lenses. But it was not to be - they gave the world a great performing, but huge and clunky L1 with a Porro-type viewfinder bought in from Olympus which was criticised as being too small and dark for the job. All those that bought a L1 seemed to have loved it but the general market gave it a miss just as much as they were not overly enamored by the also quite nice LC1. It was obviously a test marketing exercise that was not further pursued. For that reason I left it out and I am in error and deserve to be corrected. I also am unfamiliar with the LC10. If I have erred again then I further apologise for an over-sweeping statement. Certainly Panasonic never did set up a mirror-box making plant of their own to my knowledge and have not continued with mirror box ovf type cameras.
Godfrey said:
The L1 was was produced in both Panasonic brand and Leica brand configurations, and to this day remains one of my favorite digital SLR designs.

Panasonic's Lumix G camera line was under development from early 2005 onwards and debuted in fall of 2008.
Click to expand...
Easier (and lazier) to ask - is this an evf or ovf line? It is not important to me to know either way but I guess the point needs clearing up.
Godfrey said:
The Pentax DA series lenses are designed to cover an APS-C format, not a 24x36mm format. Some will cover, but corner and edge sharpness is compromised. So for Pentax to retool for "Full Frame" means they have to come up with a new lens line.
Click to expand...
Ok - I will admit a point. How about a Pentax slr-type back with built in evf for the GXR-system and a Pentax aps-c mount module for their aps-c designed lenses and also can be used with their other slr designed electronically controlled lenses? Is it necessary to split hairs over full/frame versus aps-c sensor on board? I know that they are different in the minds of their informed users but in practical world people think 4/3 sensors are the bees knees and quite as good as aps-c.

Somewhere I heard a rumour of a smaller format new range of Pentax lenses. This would make more sense and I guess that an appropriate mount could be furnished with a working oem adapter to take the older Pentax K mount lenses.

Canon manages to get their ex-slr and most of their newer dslr lenses to work with full frame and aps-c sensors as well.
Godfrey said:
Godfrey said:
Meanwhile I don't know what you can read into numbering systems but it seems that Canon has merged their 1D with their 1Ds and skipped a few "versions" to go "X". ...
Click to expand...
It seems from the industry journals that Canon is focusing a lot more of its corporate energy onto the digital video domain. There's a big event happening around November 4 where new video cameras are supposed to be announced.
Click to expand...
I heard that this is in fact Canon's entry into the EVIL type camera race. I gave the 5DII a miss because I figured I did not really need to become a film producer. But it is a significant advance on the 5D anyway. However Canon I guess need to have some special sell-point with their EVIL type camera and apparently full frame image capture at video shooting speeds is the coming thing. Best buy an even bigger flash drive and really bore your audience at the "slide show".

Certainly no GXR or any other EVIL type is going to match it but I guess the NEX-7 is going to have a try.

But Canon have the lenses ... and Nikon have the V1 and new lenses for those that care to wait some more (suppressed snigger). Of course the newest Canon might just be a video-camera that takes their EF lenses .... but I thought that all this had been done before?

Meanwhile the dslr rules! But I will have to buy a Canon EVIL type somewhere along the line as I indeed also have the lenses and I can always tape over the video button.
Godfrey said:
--
Godfrey
http://godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com
Click to expand...
--
Tom Caldwell
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top