News from Pentax

mxx said:

dpthoughts said:

mxx said:

Pentax principles

2.Our goal is to produce cameras with the power to capture images that allow for direct communication with the subject.

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This is a hidden but strong hint, that they will go mirrorless

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Don't think so. They feel that an optical viewfinger is still the best way for direct communication with the subject. That's my take.

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Of course that only an optical viewfinder can intermediate a direct communication with the subject.

Richard Murdey said:

Tom Lusk said:

Richard Murdey said:

So, shellnut version, "we are doubling down on what we've always been doing - making enthusiast Pentax dSLRs for a dwindling number of Pentax enthusiasts."

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Richard - you could have saved the company the time and (minimal) effort they put towards saying virtually nothing.

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I know, right? It was unusually meaningless drivel even by the standards of marketing fluff.

It's not statement of vision if you are already doing what it is you set out to do in your vision statement. That's just beautifying the status quo.

Insofar as it means anything - I think it is best taken as a public declaration of intent to take Pentax out of the common camera market and position it as a lifestyle/luxury/aspirational photography brand aka "pull a Leica".

That's not a stupid idea, and I and many other amateur pundits have for years predicted they'd need to do exactly that to survive.

Maybe I'm reaching here, but maybe just maybe I detect a hint of contrition, ie. that some of the cameras they've put out in the past have been company vanity projects designed to stand out, rather than cameras people would really enjoy using.

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Possibly.

The recent history of "Pentax" included different owners with different ideas. So we should not expect the K-New to be available 53 shades of ugly colours like the ~K-50s.

So is the future "something" along the lines of cameras targeted at photography enthusiasts (i.e., not amateurs nor specific professionals with very specific needs). And I use the word "enthusiasts" knowing that some will not like it.

To me this does sound somewhat like the Pentax "brand" and what got me here. Not cheap crap and not stupidly expensive "professional" gear for those who actually need it or for posers.

My only (personal) hope is that that that "enthusiast" does not only mean $1500-$2000 big lenses but also $800-$1000 quality lenses. My $0.02.

Doug

petarbos said:

Hi to All.

From tomorrow things will be much clear for future of Pentax. I hope there will be a good news.

Regards, Petar.

https://pentaxrumors.com/2020/07/14...t-the-pentax-camera-will-value-in-the-future/

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... An observation and thought.

Other Ricoh imaging products such as the Theta, GR, WG, ... are pretty specific in their market. So is "Pentax DSLR" any different?

Just a thought.

Doug

Conjure said:

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This is the most annoying thing about modern Pentax. They feel the need to keep talking even when they have nothing new to say. If that video next Wednesday answers more than 1/4 of the questions people have about the K-new, I'd be very surprised.

I think eye AF is great. It might find eyes in the buildings and landscapes I mainly photograph.

KiloHotelphoto said:

Maxxum Fan said:

Chris Mak said:

miles green said:

I think this video will have the role to "tame" expectations for the K-new.

They might have decided NOT to make a 20 fps sports camera after all...

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They would be wise to stay far away from "action" or "sports" with their cameras. New mirrorless cameras like the R5 will wipe the floor with anything Pentax could ever come up with. And that gap is going to widen significantly in the years ahead. But a nice, well built general purpose camera with a first class OVF at a competitive price might do it.

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There is no reason Pentax couldn't make a high performance AF DSLR

I know they've not done so well in the past it's not impossible to do. At least to a level that would meet the needs of action shooters mostly. Doesn't have to be 20fps 10fps is probably good enough for many

Only time will tell if they can carve a niche for themselves in the market which isn't exactly booming. They might, mistakes from the past have to be learnt

Let's hope they nail it with this new camera

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The reason they won’t is then they would have to make the lenses to go with such a body and that is something they couldn’t do.

They don’t have the budget to put out 300/2.8, 400/2.8, 600/4 or 800/5.6 primes or something like the 200-400/4 with built in TC and of course they don’t have the buyers who are willing to put out $5,000 to $13,000 for a lens.

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It doesn't work like that.

First, they can do a high performance AF DSLR without making monsters like the Dx or the Canon EOS 1 series. The goal is not to get into the sports pro market; but to offer a (reasonably) high-performance option for those of us who need it.

And even existing lenses would benefit from a higher performance camera. I know my 150-450 would.

Alex

James O'Neill said:

Richard Murdey said:

So, shellnut version, "we are doubling down on what we've always been doing - making enthusiast Pentax dSLRs for a dwindling number of Pentax enthusiasts."

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Let's put it another way.

• We're called Pentax because of the Pentaprism.
• Our customer base is around the K-Mount. The K-Mount is not a great starting point for a mirrorless camera.
• We are owned by Ricoh. Why would Ricoh put the Pentax brand name on something which has neither K-Mount nor Pentaprsim ?
  If Ricoh decides to invest in developing lenses for a new [mirrorless] mount why not call that line "Ricoh"

Therefore

• Pentax will be Ricoh's SLR brand and won't try to be anything else.
• If you feel you are an SLR person and that other vendors aren't meeting your needs, join us.
• If SLRs are completely wiped out or we can't attract a big enough share of the people who want an SLR, the Pentax name will go, and if Ricoh makes other kinds of cameras they won't be named Pentax .

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Excellent summary.

James O'Neill said:

And I'll put a bit of heresy out there. I want camera with a K-Mount, an optical viewfinder, and the ergonomics I've come to expect from Pentax. I'm only a little sentimental about the name above the lens. If Ricoh said "Our name goes there" I'd still buy it. If Ricoh decided to make (e.g.) M4/3 cameras and labelled them "Pentax" they'd hold the same interest for as an Olympus one has always held.

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Same here. I prefer the Pentax name, but ultimately it's about the products, not the label.

James O'Neill said:

What I haven't seen is whether Ricoh is going strengthen the product line or keep development at the trickle we've seen up to now. I've wondered if they are going to ditch the 645 line, but did anyone else notice it was placed very obviously beside the president ?

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Nice catch.

Alex

Richard Murdey said:

It's not statement of vision if you are already doing what it is you set out to do in your vision statement. That's just beautifying the status quo.

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So... you do not have a vision unless you're changing your mind every 5 minutes?
I don't think that's how it goes

Alex

Mark Ransom said:

This is the most annoying thing about modern Pentax. They feel the need to keep talking even when they have nothing new to say.

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They will keep talking until people will start listening.

Alex

Well, I think that was pretty decent. It's much better on their behalf to come out and say "we want to keep on making DSLRs, hopefully forever" than to b*llshit left and right, like Olympus before their fall. And for once, I agree with Alex - somebody has to keep on making DSLRs. There are people for whom mirrorless isn't a good fit, and in a matter of ~5 years, will be orphaned by Canikon.

But Ricoh really need to invest more into the brand if they want to capture all of these orphans. Faster AF, touchscreens, 4K video recording, more prime lens options - all of these are bare minimums at this point. Probably at least two stabilized long lenses too, since IBIS doesn't work through the finder. The industry is facing a very though future, with ever smaller gains in IQ and performance, while sales continue to tank. I have little doubt that bodies like the new R5 and upcoming Z7s will still be quite competitive four years down the road - it's a good time to make one final push and release very strong, well-rounded products that can sell decently over a long span of time. This goes for all brands, and especially Pentax.

--

"Chase the light around the world
I want to look at life
In the available light" - Rush, 'Available Light'

Much cry little wool .Pentax is always silent but when they decided to talk they said no thing .

The upcoming aps/c will tell if the brand is alive or it is the last breath before die.

Why 4K video, 1080 is good enough for You Tube or Facebook. DSLR is a poor format for video anyway; mirrorless much better for that. Pentax is right as a small company to just make the best DSLR stills cameras available. There is a good market out there for retro products. Pentax would be best to make two lighter weight K-1 models: one with a high megapixel sensor (42 mp plus) and one with a low megapixel (16 mp to 24 mp) low light monster. These cameras would be totally design for still photography. The 1080 video would be there in case you want quick video to post on You Tube or Facebook. They could also do the same for APSC.

Good reason to stick with DSLRs, cell phones can not that experience.

"My only (personal) hope is that that that "enthusiast" does not only mean $1500-$2000 big lenses but also $800-$1000 quality lenses. My $0.02."

That is my hope as well. Anything over $1000 is pretty hard for me to justify, especially compared to other uses for the money like car repairs or college tuition for the kds.

A lot of it was vague. And I'm not sure they are wise to dismiss mirrorless as a route forward - I moved from Pentax DSLRs to M4/3 partly for the convenience of a live EVF.

BUT - at least this video shows some commitment, and it doesn't look as if Ricoh are about to sell the Pentax operation to a vulture-capital operation. Many have complained about the lack of Pentax investment in new product over the past few years. The Covid-19 disaster suggests to me that, perhaps more by luck than judgement, Pentax got it right, and are probably losing less money than their competitors.

Mark Ransom said:

Conjure said:

Click to expand...

This is the most annoying thing about modern Pentax. They feel the need to keep talking even when they have nothing new to say. If that video next Wednesday answers more than 1/4 of the questions people have about the K-new, I'd be very surprised.

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I feel you on the overhyped announcement. On the other hand, I remember a time when Canon had an announcement scheduled, everyone rushed to it and then it turned out to be some stupid small-scale photo competition they were organising.

But let me offer a kinder view of today's presentation. For me, it was interesting to "meet" that super geeky president character for the first time. I did not stick around for the interview part because I had a strong feeling that those were going to be 20 minutes of my life I'd want back. But it was worth switching on for just getting that impression of who's really in the driver's seat. It makes the style of recent decisions clearer - for me at least.

I did not need the magical manifesto stone tablet, but after the strong emphasis in the promotional video bit on optical viewfinders, I hope we'll hear something interesting and concrete on the 22nd. I will be switching on again.

dpthoughts said:

dpthoughts said:

Pentax principles

2.Our goal is to produce cameras with the power to capture images that allow for direct communication with the subject.

Click to expand...

This is a hidden but strong hint, that they will go mirrorless

Click to expand...

The opposite, definitely. If you take the five points in total, the whole endeavour reads as a love letter to the pentaprism. - "yeah, mirrorless is better, but dSLRs are cooler"

dpthoughts said:

dpthoughts said:

So, shellnut version, "we are doubling down on what we've always been doing - making enthusiast Pentax dSLRs for a dwindling number of Pentax enthusiasts."

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It may be worth asking, WHY the number of Pentax enthusiasts is dwindling, though. There is a reason for that, like for anything else in the photo universe?

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That's an easy one. I 'll even give you an alphanumerical hint: A7, A9, Z6, Z7, Z50, R5, R6 &c ...

Serious answer though: Pentax lags behind the competition, even the dSLR competition, has done for a while but it wasn't always so. Pentax appeals to a niche or specialist market, people who want the unusual features of Pentax and appreciate getting a a good, solid camera at an attractive price - but don't mind being significantly behind the curve in other areas, whether autofocus or video or burst speed or modern lens selection or flash/accessory ecosystem or what have you. As the gap in capability continues to widen, however, the number of people willing to compromise and buy Pentax has fallen and will continue to fall.

Richard Murdey said:

Tom Lusk said:

Richard Murdey said:

So, shellnut version, "we are doubling down on what we've always been doing - making enthusiast Pentax dSLRs for a dwindling number of Pentax enthusiasts."

Click to expand...

Richard - you could have saved the company the time and (minimal) effort they put towards saying virtually nothing.

Click to expand...

I know, right? It was unusually meaningless drivel even by the standards of marketing fluff.

Click to expand...

I studied marketing and worked in a few marketing departments.

But to me, this didn't feel like "marketing".

It simply felt like Pentax is trying to establish a communication with its users (and admirers.)

And for me, it feels refreshing!

I guess sort of like the Fuji Guys.

https://www.youtube.com/user/fujiguys

Rather than be some silent corporate entity . . . it just felt like they were finally just sitting down and talking.

I'd like to see them keep this up personally!

Take care & Happy Shooting!

Richard Murdey said:

It's not statement of vision if you are already doing what it is you set out to do in your vision statement. That's just beautifying the status quo.

Insofar as it means anything - I think it is best taken as a public declaration of intent to take Pentax out of the common camera market and position it as a lifestyle/luxury/aspirational photography brand aka "pull a Leica".

That's not a stupid idea, and I and many other amateur pundits have for years predicted they'd need to do exactly that to survive.

Maybe I'm reaching here, but maybe just maybe I detect a hint of contrition, ie. that some of the cameras they've put out in the past have been company vanity projects designed to stand out, rather than cameras people would really enjoy using.

Click to expand...

Very existential. Pentax makes cameras need for human existence. Maybe that is why it is taking them so long.

dnscott645 said:

Why 4K video, 1080 is good enough for You Tube or Facebook.

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No. Seriously, just no. Oversampled 1080 (from 4K) is the minimum I'm willing to settle for.

dnscott645 said:

DSLR is a poor format for video anyway; mirrorless much better for that. Pentax is right as a small company to just make the best DSLR stills cameras available.

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But 4K video is almost a basic feature these days. I've come to accept that Pentax will never have cutting-edge video features (or even half that); but Ricoh are making great strides in that department, and the added value for the potential (future) Pentax userbase could be critical to position the brand as a worthy bastion of DSLRs.

TL;DR - Pentax has to start offering this feature in future models to pad the spec sheet, even if it sees little use.

dnscott645 said:

There is a good market out there for retro products. Pentax would be best to make two lighter weight K-1 models: one with a high megapixel sensor (42 mp plus) and one with a low megapixel (16 mp to 24 mp) low light monster. These cameras would be totally design for still photography. The 1080 video would be there in case you want quick video to post on You Tube or Facebook. They could also do the same for APSC.

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I don't think so. Experience shows that it isn't so. Unless Ricoh/Pentax want to go the "German Way", like Leica, and start offering no-compromise stills lenses and bodies that cost $8,000 (good luck with that), they need to remain competitive on features versus the other Japanese makers. The Nikon Df flopped hard, showing that retro for retro's sake is a bad move. Fujifilm offer an excellent suite of video features at an affordable price, and their brand is growing in a contracting market - they have not only the retro aesthetic, but also a value proposition. Olympus also did retro fairly well, but they came with too little, too late on the video front... and now, their Imaging Division is up for sale.