Pentax forum questions for Ricoh at Photokina

RonHendriks1966 · 08-16-2014, 06:45 AM

Originally posted by monochrome

Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version.

And taking those lenses up in the Ricoh webstore.

**interested_observer** · 08-16-2014, 06:47 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Kunzite

What I don't understand is how exactly Ricoh should support/persuade/whatever third-party manufacturers like Sigma. All right, Ricoh should call Sigma and say... what?

Originally posted by monochrome

Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version.

Here is a K Mount Developer's Kit (KMDK) to help you get started.....

**monochrome** · 08-16-2014, 07:22 AM

Originally posted by interested_observer

Here is a K Mount Developer's Kit (KMDK) to help you get started.....

I'd be happier if Ricoh applied a KMDK to the next camera.

MD Optofonik · 08-16-2014, 08:28 AM

Does Ricoh feel that their R&D efforts should be concentrated on formats that other manufacturers do not already have a large market share in and have already saturated the market with? *
Does Ricoh see medium format as an opportunity to gain a foothold in the high end commercial market where Canon and Nikon are non-entities?
Does Ricoh envision medium format as the future of professional, commercial, digital photography and their current smaller formats as sufficient for consumer markets? **
What does Ricoh see as the primary market for the Pentax brand overall?
What benefits has Pentax technology brought to their other divisions?
When can we (if ever) expect a fast wide prime for the Q series?
Can I take a picture of you with a Pentax QS-1 in your pocket?

*See what I did there?
** Did it again, didn't I?

Last edited by MD Optofonik; 08-16-2014 at 09:08 AM.

Kunzite · 08-16-2014, 09:27 AM

Originally posted by monochrome

Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version.

A bribe? Taking Sigma top managers to some nice resort, perhaps, drink high quality sake, have fun in various ways and then "hey, why are there so few K-mount Sigma lenses?"
That could work, but I'm not sure $100,000 would be enough...

Originally posted by RonHendriks1966

Maybe it is time to upgrade the current K-mount to a full electronic mount called KAF3 (still backward compatible with old lenses). So new lenses don't use the lever for aperture but also do that electronic.

That was my question for CP+, which made into the interview; except that I forgot to explicitly mention the background compatibility assumption.
The answer?
"It’s true that if we were to modernize the mount specifications and removed the legacy linkage we could save a lot of work for lens development and manufacturing. However, compatibility with existing lenses and accessories is as important as our readiness for the future. That’s why we always care about compatibility. We will not suddenly stop compatibility with current products."
They might do it if there's a strong reason for this and can still keep backwards compatibility. I don't think they have plans for that now.

Originally posted by interested_observer

Here is a K Mount Developer's Kit (KMDK) to help you get started.....

Sorry but Sigma built their own, some decades ago.

Zygonyx · 08-16-2014, 09:57 AM - **1 Like**

Sigma is the last japanese glass-maker to sell new attractive products in K mount.
Isn ´t that a good reason enough to keep in touch with them ?
So far, with barely one new AND unexciting Pentax lens every year, there is no incentive to develop the K- mount users base ...

mecrox · 08-16-2014, 10:08 AM

Originally posted by monochrome

Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version.

Maybe showing them the money would be the best way to obtain a productive interview with Pentax? On sitting down with the Pentax reps, the interviewer could simply wave a very large wad of notes and wink knowingly but otherwise say nothing. The reps would have no means of knowing that all except the first and last notes have "Monopoly Games Ltd" printed on them. All other methods short of turning up with "My close friend, Torquemada" seem to have been tried without any success.

**monochrome** · 08-16-2014, 10:22 AM

It appears you have a large inventory of legacy FA 645 Lenses. Your new cropped 645Z helps to draw down that lens inventory, which is cash flow straight to the bottom line.

Q: Do you have a large inventory of FA FF lenses?

Mistral75 · 08-16-2014, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version.

They don't even do that with Adobe to speed up the development of lens profiles, as do the other lens makers.

Poit · 08-16-2014, 03:35 PM - **3 Likes**

Frankly I see little point in interviewing them. It's the same old charade time after time, and they clearly don't want to share any sort of real vision or information with people. We can all pretty much write the script for any interview beforehand.

Maybe, if no-one asked them for an interview, they'd realise we're all tired of the BS....

**monochrome** · 08-16-2014, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by Mistral75

They don't even do that with Adobe to speed up the development of lens profiles, as do the other lens makers.

Adobe are bigger bullies than Apple.

jeff knight · 08-16-2014, 03:53 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Poit

Frankly I see little point in interviewing them. It's the same old charade time after time, and they clearly don't want to share any sort of real vision or information with people. We can all pretty much write the script for any interview beforehand.

Maybe, if no-one asked them for an interview, they'd realise we're all tired of the BS....

+1 Sane remarks!

mee · 08-16-2014, 05:10 PM

Originally posted by jeff knight

+1 Sane remarks!

Actually, they'd probably be happy if we didn't so they wouldn't have to spend time drafting a canned response.

Fogel70 · 08-16-2014, 09:31 PM

Originally posted by RonHendriks1966

Maybe it is time to upgrade the current K-mount to a full electronic mount called KAF3 (still backward compatible with old lenses). So new lenses don't use the lever for aperture but also do that electronic.

KAF3 is already in use (used on lenses with AF-motor and no screw drive).

I believe they would have to design two new versions of the k-mount to implement fully electronic mount on lenses, one for the camera and one for the lens. The new version of the mount on the camera would have include everything in the KAF2 mount + support lenses with fully electronic mount. They would still need full support for KAF2 and KAF3 lenses, so screw-drive and mechanical aperture control will still have to be included in cameras.

The version of the mount on lenses will have to remove all moving mechanics in the mount and add support for fully electronic control. So KAF4 for the camera and KAF5 for lenses. But I doubt that KAF5 lenses would be supported by older cameras (KAF2 and earlier).

wed7 · 08-16-2014, 09:47 PM

Originally posted by Poit

Frankly I see little point in interviewing them. It's the same old charade time after time, and they clearly don't want to share any sort of real vision or information with people. We can all pretty much write the script for any interview beforehand.

Maybe, if no-one asked them for an interview, they'd realise we're all tired of the BS....

+1 too! Specially the last 2 letters

08-16-2014, 08:28 AM	#109
MD Optofonik Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 962	Does Ricoh feel that their R&D efforts should be concentrated on formats that other manufacturers do not already have a large market share in and have already saturated the market with? * Does Ricoh see medium format as an opportunity to gain a foothold in the high end commercial market where Canon and Nikon are non-entities? Does Ricoh envision medium format as the future of professional, commercial, digital photography and their current smaller formats as sufficient for consumer markets? ** What does Ricoh see as the primary market for the Pentax brand overall? What benefits has Pentax technology brought to their other divisions? When can we (if ever) expect a fast wide prime for the Q series? Can I take a picture of you with a Pentax QS-1 in your pocket? See what I did there? * Did it again, didn't I? Last edited by MD Optofonik; 08-16-2014 at 09:08 AM.

08-16-2014, 09:57 AM - 1 Like	#111
Zygonyx Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Ile de France Posts: 4,033	Sigma is the last japanese glass-maker to sell new attractive products in K mount. Isn ´t that a good reason enough to keep in touch with them ? So far, with barely one new AND unexciting Pentax lens every year, there is no incentive to develop the K- mount users base ... Last edited by Zygonyx; 08-16-2014 at 10:10 AM.

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08-16-2014, 06:45 AM	#106
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Originally posted by monochrome Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version. And taking those lenses up in the Ricoh webstore.

08-16-2014, 06:47 AM - 1 Like	#107
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	Originally posted by Kunzite What I don't understand is how exactly Ricoh should support/persuade/whatever third-party manufacturers like Sigma. All right, Ricoh should call Sigma and say... what? Originally posted by monochrome Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version. Here is a K Mount Developer's Kit (KMDK) to help you get started.....

08-16-2014, 07:22 AM	#108
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by interested_observer Here is a K Mount Developer's Kit (KMDK) to help you get started..... I'd be happier if Ricoh applied a KMDK to the next camera.

08-16-2014, 09:27 AM	#110
Kunzite Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 15,132	Originally posted by monochrome Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version. A bribe? Taking Sigma top managers to some nice resort, perhaps, drink high quality sake, have fun in various ways and then "hey, why are there so few K-mount Sigma lenses?" That could work, but I'm not sure $100,000 would be enough... Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 Maybe it is time to upgrade the current K-mount to a full electronic mount called KAF3 (still backward compatible with old lenses). So new lenses don't use the lever for aperture but also do that electronic. That was my question for CP+, which made into the interview; except that I forgot to explicitly mention the background compatibility assumption. The answer? "It’s true that if we were to modernize the mount specifications and removed the legacy linkage we could save a lot of work for lens development and manufacturing. However, compatibility with existing lenses and accessories is as important as our readiness for the future. That’s why we always care about compatibility. We will not suddenly stop compatibility with current products." They might do it if there's a strong reason for this and can still keep backwards compatibility. I don't think they have plans for that now. Originally posted by interested_observer Here is a K Mount Developer's Kit (KMDK) to help you get started..... Sorry but Sigma built their own, some decades ago.

08-16-2014, 10:08 AM	#112
mecrox Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Originally posted by monochrome Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version. Maybe showing them the money would be the best way to obtain a productive interview with Pentax? On sitting down with the Pentax reps, the interviewer could simply wave a very large wad of notes and wink knowingly but otherwise say nothing. The reps would have no means of knowing that all except the first and last notes have "Monopoly Games Ltd" printed on them. All other methods short of turning up with "My close friend, Torquemada" seem to have been tried without any success.

08-16-2014, 10:22 AM	#113
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	It appears you have a large inventory of legacy FA 645 Lenses. Your new cropped 645Z helps to draw down that lens inventory, which is cash flow straight to the bottom line. Q: Do you have a large inventory of FA FF lenses?

08-16-2014, 03:25 PM	#114
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527	Originally posted by monochrome Here's $100,000 for 'development' of the K-mount version. They don't even do that with Adobe to speed up the development of lens profiles, as do the other lens makers.

08-16-2014, 03:35 PM - 3 Likes	#115
Poit Banned Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 423	Frankly I see little point in interviewing them. It's the same old charade time after time, and they clearly don't want to share any sort of real vision or information with people. We can all pretty much write the script for any interview beforehand. Maybe, if no-one asked them for an interview, they'd realise we're all tired of the BS....

08-16-2014, 03:37 PM	#116
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by Mistral75 They don't even do that with Adobe to speed up the development of lens profiles, as do the other lens makers. Adobe are bigger bullies than Apple.

08-16-2014, 03:53 PM - 1 Like	#117
jeff knight Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Pacific Northwest USA Posts: 261	Originally posted by Poit Frankly I see little point in interviewing them. It's the same old charade time after time, and they clearly don't want to share any sort of real vision or information with people. We can all pretty much write the script for any interview beforehand. Maybe, if no-one asked them for an interview, they'd realise we're all tired of the BS.... +1 Sane remarks!

08-16-2014, 05:10 PM	#118
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Originally posted by jeff knight +1 Sane remarks! Actually, they'd probably be happy if we didn't so they wouldn't have to spend time drafting a canned response.

08-16-2014, 09:31 PM	#119
Fogel70 Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Photos: Albums Posts: 3,062	Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 Maybe it is time to upgrade the current K-mount to a full electronic mount called KAF3 (still backward compatible with old lenses). So new lenses don't use the lever for aperture but also do that electronic. KAF3 is already in use (used on lenses with AF-motor and no screw drive). I believe they would have to design two new versions of the k-mount to implement fully electronic mount on lenses, one for the camera and one for the lens. The new version of the mount on the camera would have include everything in the KAF2 mount + support lenses with fully electronic mount. They would still need full support for KAF2 and KAF3 lenses, so screw-drive and mechanical aperture control will still have to be included in cameras. The version of the mount on lenses will have to remove all moving mechanics in the mount and add support for fully electronic control. So KAF4 for the camera and KAF5 for lenses. But I doubt that KAF5 lenses would be supported by older cameras (KAF2 and earlier).

08-16-2014, 09:47 PM	#120
wed7 Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Manila, Philippines Posts: 1,421	Originally posted by Poit Frankly I see little point in interviewing them. It's the same old charade time after time, and they clearly don't want to share any sort of real vision or information with people. We can all pretty much write the script for any interview beforehand. Maybe, if no-one asked them for an interview, they'd realise we're all tired of the BS.... +1 too! Specially the last 2 letters