Pentax to Dominate Lens Market by 2015

New accessories offering adaptability with competing lenses

By PF Staff in Pentax Announcements on Apr 1, 2014

Yokoyama, Japan: 0945, 1-4-14

Today Rikoh Pantax (RIP) announces the new HD 2.7x Takumur F CN AFA. This Auto Focus Adapter takes any modern Canon or Nikon lens, converts it to K-mount, and magnifies it by 2.7x while maintaining full Auto Focus capabilities and brightening the aperture using new patented technology. For example, a Canon L 24-105mm f/4 lens will become a 65-284mm f/2 lens, and a Nikon 200mm f/2 becomes a 540mm f/1.4.

This new AFA will be available for order in the U.S. beginning at 11:59 PM EDT today from major online retailers for a price of $499.

Alongside the new HD 2.7x Takumur F CN AFA, RIP is also announcing today its new HD 0.7x and HD 1.0x Takumur F CN AFAs. Like the HD 2.7x AFA, these new Auto Focus Adapters will take any modern Canon or Nikon lens and convert them to the legendary Pentax K-mount with full Auto Focus functionality. The 0.7x will make a lens wider, creating a perfect way to adapt Canon and Nikon lenses designed for the obsolete full frame format to the Pantax APS-C sensor. For example, a Nikon 14-24mm lens becomes 10-17mm, while a Canon 24-105mm becomes a more useful 17-74mm lens.

For converting APS-C lenses, or when a wider angle of view is not desired, the HD 1.0x AFA simply converts the outmoded Canon or Nikon mount lens to the innovative K-mount and transfers the AF capability - without changing the focal length.

Like the 2.7x AFA, the HD 0.7x and 1.0x Takumur F CN AFAs will both be available for order in the U.S. beginning at 11:59 PM EDT today from major online retailers at prices of $299 and $149, respectively. The first samples of the 0.7x and 1.0x AFAs are expected to ship late in the 2nd quarter. Get your orders in early to be included in these first shipments.  Stock will be shipped on a first come, first served basis, and final delivery of all the new AFAs will be by April 1, 2015.

Sales of Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras are expected to dwindle rapidly, and analysts anticipate that by the end of 2014 they will effectively be lens-only manufacturers. In order to assist Canon and Nikon with a smooth transition into this Brave New World, RIP has agreed to taper the rollout of the new AFA. Get your orders in early if you want to be included in the first wave of shipments of these industry-transforming adapters. The the first samples are expected to ship early this quarter.

The three AFAs are expected to be the final blow to Nikon and Canon DSLR sales, which will transition into their new role as simply lens manufacturers with large - but mostly unusable - IP portfolios.

In anticipation of the new demand, RIP has been quietly re-tooling its factories to allow for an immediate 6-fold increase in manufacturing volume for their K-03 and K-5000 DSLRs. RIP is promising a further doubling of capacity by year’s end, for a 12-fold increase over the 2013 manufacturing volumes.

This breaking news story was contributed by DSims, who is reporting for us directly from Yokohama today.