PF Interview with Ricoh Imaging at Photokina 2014

Ricoh has big plans for the future via product line expansion

By PF Staff in Photokina 2014 on Sep 16, 2014

We were met with great enthusiasm when we joined Mr. Hiraku Kawauchi and Mr. Kazunobu Saiki at Photokina today (Sep. 16) for our formal interview about Ricoh Imaging products.  

Despite a global declining trend in camera sales, Ricoh Imaging has been gaining market share over the course of the past two years.  Thus, the primary focus of our interview today was future direction and changes necessary to adapt to the state of the camera market.  We learned from the interview that some of the recently-announced Pentax cameras are part of a new "innovation" line, which will be maintained parallel to the core K-mount and Q-mount lineup.  Thus, the gamut of Pentax and Ricoh camera products will slowly expand.  We also learned that Ricoh is engaged in the development of a full-frame camera, though the potential launch of such a camera will depend on the market situation.

When we compare the existing Ricoh Imaging product lineup to that of 2012, we see a remarkable improvement.  The total number of current cameras has nearly doubled, new technologies have been incorporated, and numerous gaps have been filled in the K-mount and Q-mount lens lineups.  While Ricoh made no new camera announcements at this year's show, plenty of exciting products were released earlier this year, such as the Pentax 645Z and DA 1.4x teleconverter. Also, the 2014 Ricoh / Pentax booth at Photokina is more elegant and more accessible this year, and we think this reflects the many positive changes that have been happening behind the scenes (stay tuned for an overview of the booth itself).

Without further ado, let's move on to the interview itself:

Three New K-Mount Lenses Coming

No new Pentax announcements at Photokina 2014

By PF Staff in Photokina 2014 on Sep 15, 2014

Pentax rumors leading up to Photokina were thin, and there turns out to be a good reason for this: Ricoh is not supplementing their recent camera releases with anything else.  In other words, Ricoh made no new product announcements today.

The Ricoh Imaging booth at Photokina 2014 will therefore focus on presenting the Ricoh WG-M1, Pentax XG-1, Pentax Q-S1, Pentax K-S1, Pentax K-3 Prestige, and Pentax 645Z cameras: the most recent additions to their product lineup.  We will give you an overview of the booth in a separate article, but remember that the show doesn't officially start for another 21 hours, so it is still subject to change.

For loyal Pentax followers— especially DSLR users— the lack of news might seem like a bit of a let-down.  But there's always a silver lining: Pentax/Ricoh engineers must be hard at work behind the scenes to get the next big thing ready for CP+.  Plus, we can't overlook prior 2014 announcements such as the Pentax 645Z, which while not targeted at your typical Pentax user, is a formidable product.

Despite the lack of official news, it looks like 3 new K-mount lenses are currently under development.  We expect to see prototypes on display tomorrow, but today, all we can report on for now are the corresponding labels:

Photokina 2014 - Pentax Lenses Under Development (K-mount)

These lenses must almost be ready for launch, as they've been present on the Pentax lens roadmap for at least 6 months.  They consist of a fast zoom lens (~70-200mm range), a superzoom lens (~100-400mm), and a walkaround zoom. 

We only have details on the latter, which was revealed in a "reference exhibit" press release at Photokina. It will be known as the HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR, slated for launch at the end of 2014.

HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR: A Closer Look

A compact, weather-sealed walkaround zoom

By PF Staff in Photokina 2014 on Sep 16, 2014

Three new prototype K-mount lenses are on display here at Photokina 2014, one of which is slated for release by the end of this year: the HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6.  The other two lenses consist of a long telephoto zoom and a wide-aperture telephoto zoom, but they are still in early stages of development.  We will be covering them in a separate article.

Click on any thumbnail below to enlarge.

So, what's this new lens all about?  It's a weather-sealed standard zoom, which means that its zoom range covers the most commonly-used focal lengths, from ultra-wide to medium telephoto.

According to our recent interview with Ricoh, this lens is meant for users who aren't satisfied with the standard 18-55mm kit lens.  It offers silent autofocus, a wider and longer zoom range, and improved build and image quality.

Is the Pentax Full Frame Just Around the Corner?

What's in store for 2015

By PF Staff in Photokina 2014 on Sep 23, 2014

The two big prototype lenses that were on display at Photokina as well as various interviews and discussions with Ricoh Imaging representatives have reignited a considerable amount of Internet buzz about the possibility of a Pentax full frame DSLR.  In fact, some discussions in our Pentax News & Rumors and Pentax Full Frame forums cite rumors claiming we might see a FF as early as CP+ 2015— in just 5 months.

To be clear, it seems that the majority of these claims are based on overzealous or erroneous interpretations of things that various official sources have stated.  History repeats itself and this is no exception; if you look back to our CP+ 2013 interview, you'll notice that Pentax/Ricoh representatives had "confirmed" the development of a full frame just as they did in our Photokina 2014 interview.  These statements say just as little about the actual state of affairs as a recent Facebook post by Ricoh Imaging France claiming that a Pentax full frame is development at this moment.

The same goes for the "wide aperture telephoto lens" prototype pictured above.  The physical size of the lens as well as the zoom range suggested by the K-mount lens roadmap (70-200mm) do hint at the fact that it's a full-frame lens.  But this is mere speculation.  The lens is just a prototype, after all, and its appearance is subject to change.  Pentax could just be using a 645 lens barrel they had lying around as a mock-up.  The large size could also be attributed to an aperture faster than F2.8 (unlikely) or built-in stabilization, but again, that's pure speculation.  We won't know until the lenses are actually announced, which could be at CP+ 2015 or later.

Back in 2012, we were all thinking that the full frame would be out by Photokina 2014, but it isn't! This rumor cycle is bound to continue until the full frame is either actually released, or officially abandoned.  In other words, trying to draw conclusions based on word of mouth and misinterpretations isn't going to get us anywhere.

With that said, there are three reasons why we think that a Pentax full frame camera is just around the corner.  None of these reasons are related to the rumors that have been circulating over the course of the past week.  Read on to learn more!

Two New Pentax Telephoto Zoom Lenses

From the 2014 K-mount roadmap

By PF Staff in Photokina 2014 on Sep 19, 2014

At Photokina, Ricoh Imaging displayed reference prototypes of the two Pentax telephoto zoom lenses shown on the K-mount lens roadmap.

Read on for details on each individual lens.