Pentax Film Project

RBIV wrote:

James, well, yes, I did quote you out of context, and I apologize -- but I think I confirmed the point you were making. I've already added the Z system to my camera collection, so my recent "money" hasn't been going to Pentax. Further you wrote you are considering Sony, and if you do, your money won't go there either. We are clearly not alone in these actions. That's a problem Pentax faces.

Somewhere else I was explaining to people that you're only a customer while you're spending money with whoever. What might I buy? A used K3 to use my new lenses on a crop body ? A K5 or K3 (used) to convert for IR use ? Used sales don't help Ricoh.

Give up on FF and go back to a crop sensor for my main camera with the K3-iii? I've invested in the 85 and 21 (so no more lenses I want in the current range) on a crop body the 85 would be too long, the 21 would not be wide enough, so I would have to buy more lenses in order to get better AF but technically inferior image quality (it's hard to see, and there would be fewer mis-focused shots) But no, that's not an option.

Ricoh have no body to sell me unless / until there is a 'K1-iii'. If I decide the K1 is getting too dated, and there is no Pentax FF successor I will need to buy something else. And Sony looks preferable to any of the others.

And the K1's AF is closer to film era AF than too the tricks some MILCs have.

Can Ricoh sell me lenses ? I'd buy a new travel zoom for the K1, but there's no sign they'll make one.

So in the strict sense I'm an ex customer hoping to return. But once I buy from someone else realistically, I'm not going to come back.

Believe me, I fully understand the advantages of digital over film. I worked for ILFORD for 30 years and watched the progression to digital. I still have a Canon F1 with six lenses all in good condition so I probably wouldn't buy a Pentax film camera either.

Yet, if Pentax can manage the R&D necessary to build a couple film cameras, I think it an interesting area to investigate.

There is a logic to saying (a) Let's build the K3-iii with components that could be used in other models. The mainboard should be capable of driving a new 645 if one ever comes or a new FF. The AF should transfer. (b) If we are making a 35mm shutter, mirror, viewfinder assembly, with exposure and focus controls, could we put film instead of a digital sensor behind it. If we can make back the cost of developing a film transport and re-packaging K1 parts in a new body then we don't need sell millions to cover our costs.

My Concern is in the last 5 years Pentax have updated the K1 to the K1-ii (adding the accelerator chip to the motherboard and little else) and replaced parts from the K70 which are no longer available to make the KF. And they produced the masterpiece that was the K3-iii, but the design work was done on that in 2020, or possibly 2019. They haven't go a lot R&D resource which is producing new cameras, so any project like this delays a K1-iii   - unless the work on that is done, and the camera is waiting to be unveiled in early 2023.

Clearly, they must not break the bank on the project as you alluded to. But it may turn into an additional source of revenue which could help maintain the GR, DSLR, and SLR lines ongoing.

Pentax cannot survive doing nothing.

This could be a thread of being a camera workshop company, boutique, atelier whatever one cares to call it. Would they be better getting a new 645 out ? Possibly. But maybe every conceivable thing behind a K mount (std APS-C , Mono/extended sensitivity, FF, Film) is a strategy.