Exclusive Pentax Interview - CP+ 2012

Sounds nice........I just want my lemon k-5 replaced with a new one. In for 3rd repair since Sept. SAME problem......shutter button failure. Pentax is denying a replacement. PR people??? This sucks. 14 pentax lenses, 3 Pentax flashes, Pentax battery grip for k-5 and a LEMON k-5 for sale in VIRGINIA! And I own a Canon 5d MK 2 and I sooooo prefer the Pentax k-5......what is worse than a Pentax that doesn't work? One that only works part of the time!! Go FF if you choose, just take care of your loyal Pentax shooters........sigh.

What a nice man :)

@ geojazz

Exactly the kind of camera I'm looking for :) I will buy one too, plus a few FF lenses.

Very interesting commentary. Thanks all, for your diligence in getting this translated and on-line. As always, I look forward to their next "big thing," especially now that they've joined forces with Ricoh.

I am both saddened and happy about the annoucement that Pentax thinks about full frame all the time. Unfortunately there was a qualifying statement in there (call it a Major IF) it was repeated several times that they (pentax) would need to differentiate their FF Model from the Competition. This is quite simple put upgraded k5 guts and FF sensor into A MZ-S Body with integrated Battery pack and dual SDHC/SXDC card capability at a sub 2000 price point. Not only will you have a great looking camera. But you will sell more pro level cameras to people like myself that have a collection of very good Pentax FF Glass.

sandilands, I hope you haven't personally had trouble with the 16-50. Fortunately, mine has been OK so far. But he already said they are working on a replacement for this. I also agree that better AF and TTL flash would still help.

But I think many of us, like myself, already have a good collection of FF glass - we just want to be able to take advantage of their FOV and DOF. Then, after Pentax releases a great lens like a DFA* 24-80/2.8 (or whatever they have in mind), I'll look at how good it is and finally spend money on a brand-new Pentax lens for the first time in a while.

I think this is the first time I've heard anyone from Pentax say something like "We think about a 35mm (Full Frame digital) camera everyday."

That means there's something going on, and while it doesn't guarantee it will be released, or that it will be released this year, they're developing something FF. I think he's very excited about it, although possibly unsure how long it will take or if they're happy with what they've developed so far. His comment about the lenses not being ready also makes me think next year (hopefully the first half) is a realistic target.

I also think the fact that the FA50/1.4 will remain for now is (in part) because they want to keep it in production in case they can't replace it before the launch of a FF. And (as trivial as this may sound) the launch wouldn't be delayed by the need for a sharp 50 (for the DPR review), since they already use the DFA50 macro for this.

Bah, this guy agrees with me that OVF is the way to go for now, yet he cannot promise us a camera with an OVF of a reasonable size (excluding 645D).

Oh well. Maybe I'll go double system with N or S. But if you're hearing this, pentax, that's money down the drain for both me and you.

you know, now that you mention it, it seems pretty obviuos. thanks msm.

@dominikkolendo: I took the comment to mean that if one adds an optical VF to the K-01 then you basically have a dslr without the mirror. Though, to have the VF work properly you would have to add the mirror back and then what would be the point over a dslr. I may be wrong but I think it would be difficult to design an Optical VF that is not TTL with a mirror/prism that covers the K mount range 10mm-560mm.

Can we delete ajc1956's comment? He speaks Japanese because he IS Japanese. So are Pentax, Ricoh, Nikon, Canon...

I can't afford FF anyway! I would rather buy better glass. Some more 2.8 zoom lenses with excellent quality characteristics (super sharp, low CA, flat field, low vignetting, etc) would be really nice. Glass, potentially, can last forever; electronics in cameras goes obsolete within 3 years.

Well in all that mumbo-jumbo I got the feeling there is no new FF DSLR in the works. To me that's good news. A FF Pentax would suck up R&D money and be nothing but a me too for Canon shooters to laugh at. I don't need FF. I need Kawauchi-san to provide a reliable, pro quality K mount lens instead of the trouble prone 16-50. I need better low light / wide aperture AF. I need a 21st century flash system. Put that in the K-7 / K-5 which is the best designed camera body available today. Sean Reid stated in his review, the K-5 seems like it was "designed by photographers" (rather than an Aus version of an IKEA foot-stool). If Pentax comes out with a FF without these fixes, that's when my stuff goes on ebay.

Deliver to your supporters what we expect? Hmm... there's this Facebook page that shows a lot of us expect a specific format... one of the, you know, larger-than-apsc-yet-smaller-than-medium type of format?

hint hint? wink wink? please?

*sobs*

-1?? That's over-rating.

And a -1 to whatever the hell is going on below me.

okay.i listen tooooo this mf (my favorite)..i trading my pentax for new nikon......wtf does anyone speak english anymore???? Did I like this post???? Noooooooooooo frickiiiiiiiiiiing way!!!!!!! This sing song mf remind me of american politician.........give me giant headache!!!!

Another +1 pentax fan — well said!

this guy comes off as the kind of person i want behind a camera system i committed to, glad i saw this, but maybe someone could help me understand a comment he made: when answering if teh k-01 woul dhave a viewfinder accesory, he mantioned that "an optical viewfinder woul dbe meaningless since it uses all k mount glass" (paraphrased) what does this mean? mistranslation?

+1 pentax fan

... and backfill holes in the lens lineup with 3rd party or vintage lenses for now. As new cameras and lenses come on line, I am sure that Pentax will keep us all very happy.

To budzy1911: curious to know what you wanted to see fixed in the K-5? We are kind of in opposite positions... I am very happy with the K-5 but less impressed by the point and shoot offerings in the current lineup.

To anyone on the fence about the purchase of some Pentax gear or other, I would say that this video is enormously encouraging. If you were expecting a leak, it is disappointing, I suppose. But IMO the most encouraging point to come out of interviews/trade shows etc. recently is that the company is telling its users that it is committed to the three lens mounts (K, 645, Q). I would say this... if there is a lens roadmap with a bunch of new lenses in the works, then you can bet K-5, K-x, etc. successors are in the works. The K-5 is only 16 months old, and in that time there has been a major corporate reorganization for the company, not to mention an historic supply chain disruption in the industry... the replacement for the K-5 may not show up 18 months later bang on the nose, but I have no doubt it is on the way. That goes for the lower end of the lineup too: they won't leave sales riding on just a few models for long. Especially if you look at what Mr. Kawauchi says at 16:25, the sense I got from that remark was "don't worry, we will keep on making the traditional serious Pentax cameras as well as the fun/unique ones". He also recommits to the SLR form factor at 11:11, so that to me says that a K-5 successor is well on the way.

Those complaining about the weird form factor of the K-01 and saying it doesn't really represent an upgrade to the K-5-- it is pretty clear from the above interview that the goal with that camera was to have a cool industrial-designed body that did K-mount video. This is only one camera out of the lineup, designed to be a fun addition to the K-mount.

Ricoh has barely taken over the company and there are already a slew of encouraging announcements and developments, so I for one am happy to stick with the brand and backfi

Disappointing; none of that interests me.
I think they are commiting 'hari-kari'.

good video..just one advice..I see the camera man did not fix the exposure, everytime when there was a people walk into the background, the exposure of the Mr. Hiraku Kawauchi changed.

I am a long time Pentax fan - wore out my ME Super and have about 30K images on my K-100D. I also have the W-90 for backpacking and climbing. I almost sprang for the K-5 but there were a couple of items I wanted to see fixed. It has been a long wait and this video doesn't give me any idea of when the K-5 successor will come along. With the switch to SDM the lens, trying to find a lens for the K-100D has dropped to nearly nothing. The delay in a follow-on to the K-5 has got me to a point where I am looking at going the Canon or Nikon route even though I am not one to run with the herd. I hope they are more forth coming in the future - I would love to see a new release by May otherwise I may have to move on.

Thank you for the video

Encouraging that he says he expects the DSLR to be the standard for the foreseeable future. Also Encouraging to see support of k-mount and continued production of economical lenses. Not encouraged by the lack of details as to the lineup. If my count is correct only the k-5, Q, and K-01 are in production which means only one DSLR is in production and no details on replacements for the low and mid range models.

So, to distill the video down to essentials, it's basically:

maybe.

Wow. Spellbinding. He said absolutely nothing. I want my 17 minutes back.

Cheers,
Cameron

One thing the translator omitted is that he very clearly said Pentax at the present time has no plans to release an EVF for the K-01 (7:11). He said the same thing about a couple of different potential products. Contrast that with what he said about a full-frame camera: "If we were to release a full-frame camera... we can't comment... even I don't know..."

My feeling is that Pentax has a full frame camera in development. It's quite different from N and C full-frame cameras (smaller, I'd imagine), but Pentax themselves either aren't ready to release it yet, or aren't sure whether they should. In theory, they could produce a full-frame camera the same dimensions as the K-5, but as he mentioned, they'd need to get their lenses in order. Still, it's not like they've completely ceased production of their FA lenses. Once they decide to take the gamble (as they finally did with the 645) I think they could pull it off.

The most significant thing for me from the interview was the pretty solid hint at a replacement for the 16-50mm. I was worried the new lens would be an f/4, but if it is meant as a replacement it will more than likely be an f/2.8.

I was not impressed with the 16-50mm, even though I badly wanted a high quality, weather sealed standard lens. I went with the ubiquitous Tammy instead. I'm now super excited for this new lens.

The laughter is significant. IMHO the laughter is hiding something that will be as noticeable in the marketplace as the K-01 is.

Those suggestging Pentax should have gone FF first ...ahead of others to establish a market niche, should remeber they did. Both Pentax and Contax developed DSLR cameras around the Philips sensor that proved to be prohibitively expensive. So Pentax was ahead of the curve and that I suspect was the reason they were set back a bit in entering the DSLR market initially.

Actually he did not say no FF, he said there is no plan for a mirror-less FF. Watch the video again.
Then he also mentioned that there is a roadmap for lenses, but that you can expect changes to it.

I tend to agree with the people that think that we might expect something for the end of the year.

But then to me, I have no need for a FF up to now, and I like more the idea of others to have a sensor like Fuji or Foveon.

Excellent, thank you!

Nice work!

they want to make an unique product no other brand has made before. For that they had to wait till other brands came up with their fullframes. Now there's the time to fill the gap and surpass/surprise all others

hansenn - source for that?

just a feeling jonny_boy

FF should have been the first Pentax DSLR, not years later after every one already sold there A series lenses. The lenses they make now won't even work on a FF which would mean a whole new line of lenses. I'm not interested now.
At least they fixed the "we don't really have a useable video to make films with" problem with the K-01, to bad all Pentax's don't have full HD @ 24p and sound with mic jack and volume control.

Also, if you notice, after each question he answers, he does a VERY japanese head nod down, as if to say "Yep, I answered that question to it's fullest". With the FF discussion, he was never sure and he tip-toed all over the place.

Wow...when he started talking about FF, his entire facial expressions changed and he laughed more and looked around/away/blinked more in so many different places. I know what he said, but he was obviously hiding something. I'd put his expressions at "coy" and he knows something that he can't comment on. He didn't say "No", just that they will produce something that is different. FF is not dead, they just have alot of work to do, and I think FF is dominating some of their conversations in the back halls of Pentax. FF is NOT dead - IMHO.

hansenn - source for that?

the ff is already in the pipeline and will be introduced in sept in Koln. I can read it in his smile after the question what most pentax users really want.
So be prepared and start saving.

Wow, he spoke rather a lot while saying almost nothing at all! FF would be nice, but it's really not a deal breaker for me. The K5 is a great camera and if the next gen was a better quality APS-C sensor, with further incremental improvements in image processing and AF then I think it would certainly go down a storm. Some people seem to be under the impress that it's FF or bust, which I really don't think is the case!

The major reasons I use a K5 are its compact size, professional quality and the high performance limited prime lenses. Although I would welcome a FF, it's not really my main concern. What I like to see is a high performance APS-C sensor that would rival FF IQ, something like Foveon or Fuji. To keep Pentax as the professional's choice for APS-C cameras, the choice of sensor is vital.

Thanks for the interview!

No SMC man, im not jumping ship. IF no FF, no big deal. Would just like an affordable FF AA powered Pentax option. And if not,Pentax with some high grade * / LTD / Voigt glass does just fine for me.

Everyone's doing retro these days, so that's not really unique.

Well, FF is overrated, and well, they don't have the lenses to support a FF camera. Certainly it would be nice, but I'd rather have an affordable but great APS-C camera.

But Pentax tries to make unique cameras? Fill in niches? Make a retro camera, as retro as it can be! There is nothing like that on the market, except for the Leicas, which are waaay too expensive. The internals could be the same as the K-5, only controls and body needs to be changed.

Canons G series cameras come close, but they aren't DSLRs.

I read this interview with Mr Hiraku Kawauchi as a proud release of the K-01, and we're not releasing too much about the products in the pipeline. This is not unusual in the commercial world. If a FULL Frame camera is on the drawing board, it will have unique features to meet a different market from the present Big 2. He hinted that he thought an optical viewfinder would be more appropriate for a creative photographer. I hope we won't be waiting too long ;-)

I think Pentax discourse about his short and medium term production intentions are getting more and more clear. As for me, I've recorded mainly two things out of this interview : 1) Pentax does't plan ahead to produce any FF reflex camera in a foreseeable future and 2) They will continue producing aps-c reflex cameras. I think with these two points plus two mirrorless recently introduced into the market, and plus recently issued lens roadmap, Pentax users have enough inputs in order to plan their own future in or out the brand.

Oh crap..
Pentax-Ricoh wants to be like "Apple" now, Pentax-like-products, made by no-one else..

'we cannot comment and we do not know when this will be' - think that says it all? Think (as the man said himself - they're looking for some option(s) they could put in full frame that would raise the bar in this field of cameras. At least I hope so.

selling your glass cheaply? pm me at once!

Its not all bad news. Keep up the dslrs and I will be happy.

Great production guys.. thanks. It appears as though I'll be jumping ship ASAP.

nezih: And it's crucial to improve Suport Service.

SMC-man : ... and erase your forums name, I guess.

So there you have it from the horse's mouth : there will be no Full Frame Pentax camera in the near or medium future. Methinks there will be a lot of Pentax owners now deciding to sell their Pentax glass and move over to Canikon FF !

Thank you! I like this post. It appears that Ricoh is seriously thinking about improving PENTAX productions. Another question could well have been asked about distribution and marketing.