[Bestzoom]

The recent announcement of M9 monochrome reminds me of the beginning of my photography journey. I started photography in B & W and had my own dark room. I enjoyed every step of the work flow from rolling the film into empty canisters to producing a silver halide print.

The M9 monochrome sounds amazing but Leica has priced it out of a lot of their fans.

I look back at the products that Pentax has released recently. None of them (01 or Q) is tempting enough for me. I will buy another K5 anytime over those products. To me, K5 is the best DSLR (APS c) on the market and meets my photography needs perfectly, well almost.

Imagine Pentax releases a K5 monochrome with no AA filter & 16 MPx with better DR. It is priced as K5.

I will snatch it up anyday.
Yes, it is possible to do similar job with K5 and Silver Eff Pro but it will be so handy if the output is in monochrome. I am sure most Pentaxians have more than one Pentax glass that they love that can live on the new camera.

I will get a K5 monochrome, instead of a silver limited edition K5 and use it side by side with my K5.

That's just my dream!

[TomB_tx]

Interesting idea, but I think the market for a monochome camera will be limited and probably not the segment that Pentax is targeting. Having seen some of the full-size files that the M9M produces, I do think the M9M will find many homes. I also miss my Panatomic-X days, and would consider the M9M if I didn't already have the M9. The quality looks better than PanX, with speed better than TriX. The hard part will be finding a printer to do justice to prints.
B&W was 98% of my work during and for years after college. Only a few boxes of Kodachrome, no color prints, but a ton of PanX and TriX negatives from those days.

[eddie1960]

I would be in line for one as well but i don't think it will happen. If there was a monochrome model i imagine it would be a GRD variant or a GXR mountor of some sort (I'd be very happy even with a GRD monochrome (maybe built around a bit bigger sensor than the 1/1.7 - for example something in the range of the nikon j/v1 sensor) and keep it with an effective FL of a fast 28 or 35
Street shooters would line up for one of those (most dream of owning leica but have to live with th reality of what they can afford)

[Anvh]

Imagine Pentax releases a K5 monochrome with no AA filter & 16 MPx with better DR. It is priced as K5.

There you go that want never happen.

Monochrome camera will be a low quantity camera so the developing costs (for the camera and altered producting line) must be shared by fewer units so the price will go up, you probably need to pay a few hundreds more.

[dlacouture]

Yep, imagine an Olympus xz1-M... I'd buy it in a heartbeat...

[froeschle]

Panochrome Bayer filter removal

Order monochrome B&W cameras

Maybe you should just ask, whether they can convert a K-5 for you ?

[Blue]

I think it would be outstanding if Pentax could come up with a way to standardize sensor sockets so that bodies could be updated and/or have optional sensors. This would take collaboration with whoever took over Kodak's sensors as well as Sony's sensor division. Some of the possibilities would be a b&w sensor, IR sensor, astro-photography sensor and new improved sensors when they come out.

[RioRico]

Possible: A GXR module, maybe. (I'd buy it!)
A Pentax dSLR, no way. (Insufficient market.)

But... Canon releases astro-tuned bodies. Tiny market.
So... why couldn't Pentax release specialized variants?
Just some variant circuitry, not a whole production line.

But a GXR module is more likely than a K5m.
And I don't think I can hold my breath that long.

[eddie1960]

Possible: A GXR module, maybe. (I'd buy it!)
A Pentax dSLR, no way. (Insufficient market.)

But... Canon releases astro-tuned bodies. Tiny market.
So... why couldn't Pentax release specialized variants?
Just some variant circuitry, not a whole production line.

But a GXR module is more likely than a K5m.
And I don't think I can hold my breath that long.

I agree a GXR is far more likely, but if it ever came i would assume an M Mountor to open it up to enough lens variants
a b/w K mountor would still be too limited
a fast 28 or 35 mm equivalent apsc lensor (so 18-24) is also a possibility too (I'd be interested in either myself)

[RioRico]

I agree a GXR is far more likely, but if it ever came i would assume an M Mountor to open it up to enough lens variants
a b/w K mountor would still be too limited

Possible but not probable: Two or three basic mountors, in PK, M, and maybe O. Various options for sensors within those mountors: FF and MF B&W; APS color/Bayer; maybe IR, Foveon, and other variants. Ah well, one can dream...

a fast 28 or 35 mm equivalent apsc lensor (so 18-24) is also a possibility too (I'd be interested in either myself)

Now THAT is in interesting possibility: a dedicated FF low-ISO B&W lensor, maybe with a 25-75mm zoom or a fast 30mm prime?

[eddie1960]

Now THAT is in interesting possibility: a dedicated FF low-ISO B&W lensor, maybe with a 25-75mm zoom or a fast 30mm prime?

Well if we are dreaming then a FF b/w lensor cased around the FA31

[Blue]

I still think it would be nifty to be able to just pop the sensor out of the K-5 to upgrade it or put in an optional sensor. It would definitely make sense in the 645D replacement.

[RonHendriks1966]

I would like that. When they can make it K-5 Silver Limited Edition then there must be a place for K-5 Monochrome.

I do wonder how different the sensor would be productionwise, since that would make als some differentiation cost-wise.

Looking at M9M that goes up to iso 10.000 with a nice image (two full stops advantage), would that mean that K-5M would produce black and white images at iso6400 where K-5 has the same imagequality at iso1600?

[Blue]

I would like that. When they can make it K-5 Silver Limited Edition then there must be a place for K-5 Monochrome.

I do wonder how different the sensor would be productionwise, since that would make als some differentiation cost-wise.

Looking at M9M that goes up to iso 10.000 with a nice image (two full stops advantage), would that mean that K-5M would produce black and white images at iso6400 where K-5 has the same imagequality at iso1600?

Isn't the leica sensor full frame? That brings up a related question. Wasn't the M9 sensor made by Kodak?

[TomB_tx]

The Leica M9 is full 24x36 frame. The sensor is made by TrueSense, who was part of Kodak, but now has other owners. Sensor is still in production at the same facility, just the names have changed.