[Docrwm]

Thank you Sir. I look forward to your reports as they come in.

[illdefined]

I'd (at least) wait for Ricoh to dig-in before calling it.

TBH. I didn't expect anything major this year considering the recent acquisition. And so I guess we could always conclude it could be worst. Though I will admit, that staying positive may not be easy as Pentax takes the time to reorganize to start showing signs of life again. To which I'd add, I'm going to say; 2 years. That's my guess as to the amount of time the company will need to regain composure and show the effects of the acquisition. Could be sooner! But I'd rather take the conservative approach myself.

Anyways, on the K-3 front, the camera would have had of been designed prior too the acquisition. Though I get the feeling that things weren't far enough along to sustain development. Then again... I've said it before and I do maintain, that it is better for Pentax to hold-out than to pull another K20D -> K-7 debacle.

Anyways, at least the K-5 is still competitive!
And so there's that to consider.

No, definitely not 'doomed' yet. But certainly a low-point. Unfortunately those tend to happen after an acquisition, and Pentax has had two of them in the span of five years. With each one, all their competitors have gained considerable ground, making it even harder for Pentax to catchup.

[userage]

Well, what a let down..

[Mace]

No, definitely not 'doomed' yet. But certainly a low-point. Unfortunately those tend to happen after an acquisition, and Pentax has had two of them in the span of five years. With each one, all their competitors have gained considerable ground, making it even harder for Pentax to catchup.

Fair point.

[philbaum]

Falk,
Thanks very much for the report!

I'm very interested in the low light capabilities of the new focusing sensor on the K5 II. You probably won't be able to make this happen, but if you can, try to find a dark closet somewhere, and shoot straight into it with the flash up, see if it will focus with the assist light, and then shoot with the onboard flash. My k5 with the DA50-135 will generally not focus with the assist light on in a black room(it just hunts till the assist light goes off), and therefore will not fire the flash. Even with the hood off, i think the lens barrel interferes with the assist light. With a DA-21 on, it always finds a lock with the focus assist light and fires the flash. The flash aside, i've always felt the K5 did not take full advantage of the focus assist light. I've noticed that Nikon cameras make a lot of use of their focus assist lights.

[LeDave]

Never expected a full frame, people are out of their minds from thinking of such a silly thing. Full frame this year from Pentax? See you next year... From that, this is exciting news knowing that the AF will be better.

[ducdao]

Never expected a full frame, people are out of their minds from thinking of such a silly thing. Full frame this year from Pentax? See you next year... From that, this is exciting news knowing that the AF will be better.

None of us is expecting a FF this year, if you went through all the gazillion theads about the FF on PF.

All we expected was words, roadmap and announcements of it.

[LFLee]

I'll believe that when I see it. Or did you forget a zero?

My bad, is not hassy, is Phase One:

Phase One announced 645DF+ camera platform and Schneider Kreuznach 28mm LS f/4.5 Aspherical lens | Photo Rumors

[JinDesu]

My bad, is not hassy, is Phase One:

Phase One announced 645DF+ camera platform and Schneider Kreuznach 28mm LS f/4.5 Aspherical lens | Photo Rumors

I believe the other thread has mentioned that it is $6,000 for the body, but no sensor (back).

[LFLee]

I believe the other thread has mentioned that it is $6,000 for the body, but no sensor (back).

I see.

Now..... a 'excited' news for Pentax that is doable for them is...... a Ricoh GXR (w/ updated K-30 sensor) + K-mount unit?

[traderdrew]

-> Falk Lumo: Photokina 2012: First Impressions

- no K-3 (at Photokina)
- no Full frame on the roadmap as far as Germany is aware of
- no 645D-II (at Photokina)

The K-5II will ship in time for the Xmas season.

With 24 megapixel APS-C cameras from Sony and Nikon on the market, it is only a matter of time before the current 645D becomes obsolete. I would think a FF would be the answer for a 645D replacement but what do I know? Obviously some people would rather pay more for a 645D than a FF.

I still could for the most part care less for a FF but it would be a nice toy to play with sometimes.

[RMabo]

Pentax has given us the K-30 which is a stellar design for the price, a very exciting camera. It seems like you've already forgot it? It do lifts the bar in the midlevel category. The K-5 has got a sensitive upgrade, why change a winning design? A good camera has got even better.

As for a 24x36 camera - Pentax problem is the sensor. Their most likely source is Sony, but Sony has since many years a deal with Nikon which means that Nikon has exclusive rights to Sony's newest sensors for several months before Sony can sell the sensor to another manufacturer (like Pentax). I don't know if this deal is a bout a delay for 6 or 12 months before Sony can ship it to their other customers. So, when Pentax gets the newest Sony sensor - it is already old on the market...
This is also the prime reason for Pentax trying out a co-operation with Samsung some years ago, and while the first Samsung sensor was very nice - Samsung failed in keeping up with the tempo of Sony so even with the Sony-Nikon delay, it was worth using Sony sensors again...

Another thing to consider is that Ricoh took over Pentax quite recently.. It takes time to merge a company with another company. During the "melting" phase of Pentax into Ricoh, the projects are changed and priorities shifted. This also takes time. I don't expect any Ricoh-developed product to be introduced this year (the K-30 was the last product developed under the supervision of Hoya). Next year will we see the fruits of the Ricoh takeover. This year is simply too early.

And yes, it is a drawback for a company when owners are changed - this delays product development and marketing and the new organisation takes time to kick in, but in the end this may well be worth it. Let's give them a chance!

[Winder]

With 24 megapixel APS-C cameras from Sony and Nikon on the market, it is only a matter of time before the current 645D becomes obsolete. I would think a FF would be the answer for a 645D replacement but what do I know? Obviously some people would rather pay more for a 645D than a FF.

How does a 24MP APS-C sensor make a 40MP MF sensor obsolete? The 25MP Full Frame A900 and D3x did not make it obsolete, why would an even smaller, lower resolution sensor make it obsolete?

[traderdrew]

How does a 24MP APS-C sensor make a 40MP MF sensor obsolete? The 25MP Full Frame A900 and D3x did not make it obsolete, why would an even smaller, lower resolution sensor make it obsolete?

It doesn't make it obsolete at this time. In two years what are we going to see from Sony? A thirty something MP sensor? How many megapixels does someone need? I would think the 645D customer base is going to dwindle in two to four years with the advancements in technology.

[SteveM]

Since we are still seeing the results of the Hoya roadmap, I'm not surprised. It'll take another 6 months at least to see the results of the R&D Ricoh has been making. A hint at FF would be nice, but that would also dull the excitement of the release when it happens.

Adam hinted that FF is coming....early next year would be the earliest for sure....