Pentax Film Project

James O'Neill wrote:

If no one else will say it

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To me it's the stupidest idea I've ever seen with a Pentax name on it.

Give me a K1 with a sensor from this decade on the K3-iii's AF (expanded so it covers whole frame not just the central part like the K1) and I can keep going with Pentax for years. Otherwise Ricoh can be the market leader in Film ILCs. But my next camera body will probably be a Sony.

I've not been in this forum for many years now.  i've been shooting Pentax digital since I bought a *istDL.  Its always been good gear and there were always advantages still with my Pentax gear. It was weather sealed compact and light and great to use.  However I was ignorant of other brands to be honest.  I just got back from an amazing trip to antarctica with the K3iii and mostly using the DFA150-450.

I was shocked really to realise that my gear was easily the largest and heaviest amongst the photography group i was with.  Very few were even shooting with a dSLR anymore, which is where Pentax is different and I love the optical viewfinder..... But having held and looked through the digital viewfinders of some alternatives (and seen the amazing photos taken with that gear) now I'm genuinely thinking is Pentax the company for me anymore.

This film announcement is really making me think definitely.  Now I love film, although really only 120 these days and not 35mm.  I still have a 645 camera and also a panoramic camera that gets me 6 panaorams onto a 120 roll of film. But its just almost impossible to get developed.  No one in my city develops film anymore (maybe some small home businesses? but no camera shops or any other shop will take film to be developed).

Its not the same as vinyl, because vinyl arguably sounds better or in the very least different enough to the digital formats both CD/streaming etc.  books never died either, because the digital experience isn't that great for most people either. However photography the digital experience is leaps ahead of the film experience on many levels.  Sure there is nostalgia in doing some ocassional film shooting, but i never ever would shoot only on film. I'm doing digital and film, or just digital. 
I'm just not seeing the niche market for new equipment.  However IMO this is what crowdfunding was setup for.  Test the market and see.  
As for me, I'll probably keep some Pentax stuff, but I look at Fujifilm and they've become the sort of company I envisaged Pentax would become, digital MF and APS-C.  Not that i have anything against FF either as that could have fit in, but no new digital MF has meant I've decided to not buy a Pentax 645z either.

I'm really torn right now between sticking with the company i love or testing the waters.  I mean i have done the maths and I can cut 2 kgs of camera weight from my backpack by switching to an ILC system and that includes FF options.

I'm looking at all options as well, Fuji, sony, Nikon and dare I say it Canon.....