Originally posted by reivax I don't care what the name of the company is as long as the camera still says Pentax. I would definitely start my transition to another company if the cameras no longer said Pentax on them. To me, it seems like the next logical step, after dropping the Pentax name from cameras (I understand that's not what is happening right now), would be to drop the K-mount. If I'm going to have to use an adapter to use my lenses, then it might as well be on a camera that has more third party support than Pentax/Ricoh.
Pentax and the K-mount are the only thing that have kept me on board. I haven't purchased a lens in a while because I am very unsure of the direction that Ricoh is taking Pentax. I can't make anymore big investments in a company that has only shown me its ability to use the same sensor over and over again and hope that it gets people excited with new colors. I know their current strategy is to get new users, but what about the current users? I hope I don't sound like I'm whining, I'm really not trying to, but that is just how I feel. I probably don't need anything more than 16 megapixels, but better low-light capabilities, tethering, and auto-focus speed sure do sound great.
The company name change doesn't make me worry, but any more changes might rock the boat a little too much.
Same here...
And i share the same sentiments as you... Sooner or later, K-mount would be dropped and "relegated" as totally something of the past together with the likes of M42 mounts.
Not saying that lenses of M42 mounts are bad, but functionality has dropped by a lot actually; the all popular crippled K-mount?
And the recent most underhanded, silent further crippling is in the K5 onwards i believe. **Not many who have used the Kr realised that in DOF preview, the Kr actually meters the scene and allows user to adjust the shutter speed at the same time while showing DOF at the selected aperture for pre-A lenses. Ever since then, models after that only shows DOF preview and nothing else can be done.**
** I might be wrong but i've been missing this function on my K30 and can't figure out a way to do the same as my Kr.
So it's a matter of time before Ricoh, being in the mirrorless segment, drops support for F and FA series lenses..
Sure, they will be able to design an adapter to mount current Pentax lenses, but:
1) I sure don't think it's nice to slap on the lenses on a Ricoh GR via an adapter (can you guys imagine the look?)
2) will the said adapter retain full functionality for post-A series lenses? eg, autofocus for F and FA series.