[Adam]

We will be having our annual interview with Pentax at CP+ in just a few weeks! Please post any questions you'd like to ask in this thread, and I'll do my best to acommodate.

Adam
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[ismaelg]

Is Pentax doomed?
Now seriously (and I know this is an oddball): There is a resurgence in film photography. That is causing old film bodies to be very sought after, especially K-mount Pentax. Has there been any consideration to support service parts again for older film bodies?

[FozzFoster]

1) Pentax has licensed their optical formula to other companies. Does Pentax intend to license their HD coatings to other companies as well?

2) Pentax is leading the industry in superb IQ, especially in stills photography and niche 'business use' models (think IR cameras). Thus, a tilt-shift lens would fit well into Pentax' portfolio. Is there a tilt-shift lens on the roadmap radar?

[roberrl]

Release date for K-new

[sungibr]

Is there any plan to do a revamp/update to DA*16-50 & DA*50-135?

[The Squirrel Mafia]

Will we be getting more PLM lenses?

How committed to APS-C will you be? Some of us like APS-C quite a lot. Pentax could become the Fujifilm of APS-C DSLR.

Will the limiteds ever recieve weather sealing?

[BarneyL]

There is a resurgence in film photography.

This is great point. I'd certainly ask if Ricoh would like to try catering to the group of film enthusiasts. Damn, imagine 67III with the mirror mech from K-1 and a better flash sync. I can imagine quite a lot of people going for it.

[Kobayashi.K]

I would like to know from Ricoh if they are going to implement the (10 bit) HEIF / HEIC file format as an alternative for JPEG in their cameras in the near future.

Currently there are only a limited number of editors supporting this format, and at first sight its seems to be a chicken-and-egg scenario, but I think if camera manufacturers are beginning to support this format (Canon already did this for their EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR) the editors will quickly follow.

If Ricoh / Pentax is a forward thinking company I guess they already have this option tested and in stock, but they wait implementing it until customers are beginning to ask questions. So, who knows, it is already a potential option for the upcoming APS-C camera.

[biz-engineer]

At the last interview, Ricoh talked about providing services. How about making a limited series of 2000 units of Pentax K1 monochrome sensor?

[mlt]

We will be having our annual interview with Pentax at CP+ in just a few weeks! Please post any questions you'd like to ask in this thread, and I'll do my best to acommodate.

Is there a zoom beyond 450mm in the future? Something going to 600mm would be nice (like the Tamron and Sigma zooms).

[Madaboutpix]

Thanks for routinely giving us a chance to suggest questions for these annual interviews, Adam.

I'm with those who are keenly interested in anything APS-C Pentax. In particular, I'd like to know:

• Will the new APS-C flagship have an in-camera focus stacking feature?
• Can you share anything about the direction in which you will evolve the AF capabilities of the new camera?
• Will it feature the hybrid viewfinder that Ricoh has patented?
• Does Ricoh have any plans to re-release any DA* lenses with faster and more reliable AF motors?
• What place will APS-C have in the foreseeable future of the Pentax system?
• How seriously is Ricoh taking the dreaded aperture block failure syndrome, with which its entry- und mid-level DSLRs have been afflicted to various degrees, and what have they done about it?

[FozzFoster]

Also, please ask them to include a fully articulating screen on the K-Next...
Or ask them what they're reasoning is to not include it... okthxbye

[c.a.m]

Not really a question, but I would think it would be nice to offer our congratulations on the 100th year anniversary.


- Craig

[Paul the Sunman]

What is the future for 645?

Since Pentax seems to be putting all its eggs in the DSLR basket, will the OVF on future Pentax cameras evolve to incorporate some of the advantages of EVF?

[Kobayashi.K]

If questions are too specific or confrontational, or possibly exposing too much of their strategy they don't want to share, we will certainly get answers that are short, vague and evasive, as has been the case in previous interviews. So perhaps it is better to ask more general (polite) questions about matters we know little about but still interesting. This ensures a positive atmosphere during the interview, and perhaps they are willing to tell us a bit more as a result.

Personally I would like to know how the design of the camera bodies is organized. Is there one single person who does the design, or a team. Is the design done by Pentax, or do they contract it out to an external design agency. And how about the design of the new APS-C, it seems to be a more stylish deviation from the K7, K5, K3 line, but still with a classic appearance.