[Smeggypants]

Yes, for the most part. I have a very nice Pentax, Sigma and Tamron lens set, collected over many years, with pride of place going to the FA 31, 43, 77 and 135. But I would much rather use these lenses on a full frame Pentax 35mm as originally intended, not just on my ME Super or (soon to be purchased) Sony A7s.

This is my thinking as well. I have many Pentax FF lenses. The ethos of great high ISO performance instead of the silly MP race ha always been something I've advocated. Sony has been innovative enough to provide it with the A7S.

[Uluru]

Too bad.. it doesn't have to be that way.

I hope in 5 hours when Adam walks in over to the booth that there is a nice surprise, a full frame prototype under glass.

You still can't believe the gravity of situation?

[johnmflores]

You still can't believe the gravity of situation?

What gravity? The Pentax cameras on my shelf continue to function perfectly fine. Any gaps in their capabilities have been filled by Nikon and Panasonic. Whenever I leave the door to take photos, I know that the limitations lie within myself, not my gear.

Get the gear you need and shoot. Life's too short to be unhappy with your hobbies.

[cfraz]

What gravity? The Pentax cameras on my shelf continue to function perfectly fine. Any gaps in their capabilities have been filled by Nikon and Panasonic. Whenever I leave the door to take photos, I know that the limitations lie within myself, not my gear.

Get the gear you need and shoot. Life's too short to be unhappy with your hobbies.

There are 3 main hobby groups represented on PF.

1) Making photos. Folks with this hobby experience happiness from the process of photography itself, and from sharing their results with others.

2) Criticizing Pentax. These folks are deeply concerned about the state of the Pentax brand and leave no stone unturned in researching any and all ills with their favorite brand. Paradoxically, they are happiest when Pentax is at its worst because their misery is directly correlated with Pentax's bone-headedness, and the only joy in their lives is pointing out such bone-headedness to others in an attempt to make everyone as miserable as they are.

3) Defending Pentax. These folks like their Pentax gear and feel duty bound to counter the #2 rhetoric lest some be led astray. These folks seem unhappy too, but not as unhappy as the #2 group. However they don't seem to have the advantage of deriving joy from their misery like the #2's do so I think they're about even.

These hobby groups are not mutually exclusive with respect to membership but there is a strong negative correlation. The more time one spends in any one of these hobbies, the less time there is for the other two.

That's the state of PF as I see it.

[ogl]

They kill nothing with their NX system in Europe.

Ricoh looks worse than NX in terms of marketing and sales. As for Russia, Samsung NX could be bought in every electronic shop.

[Zygonyx]

There are 3 main hobby groups represented on PF.

1) Making photos. Folks with this hobby experience happiness from the process of photography itself, and from sharing their results with others.

2) Criticizing Pentax. These folks are deeply concerned about the state of the Pentax brand and leave no stone unturned in researching any and all ills with their favorite brand. Paradoxically, they are happiest when Pentax is at its worst because their misery is directly correlated with Pentax's bone-headedness, and the only joy in their lives is pointing out such bone-headedness to others in an attempt to make everyone as miserable as they are.

3) Defending Pentax. These folks like their Pentax gear and feel duty bound to counter the #2 rhetoric lest some be led astray. These folks seem unhappy too, but not as unhappy as the #2 group. However they don't seem to have the advantage of deriving joy from their misery like the #2's do so I think they're about even.

These hobby groups are not mutually exclusive with respect to membership but there is a strong negative correlation. The more time one spends in any one of these hobbies, the less time there is for the other two.

That's the state of PF as I see it.

That was a bit of a funny moment reading you.
Maybe next post, could you present us your table with the names dispatched in the 3 columns, i.o. anyone here can manage to improve it's self-knowledge !

[Uluru]

What gravity? ...

The gravity of conclusion that nothing more will be announced now and before CP+ next year.
It is same as always has been.

[JPT]

The gravity of conclusion that nothing more will be announced now and before CP+ next year.
It is same as always has been.

Why do important products have to come out for trade shows? Much better to release them for a season when you think they'll sell, or even just when they're ready. CP+ in particular is a bit of a barren time for sales, so you often get products released right after it.

Even now we have Fuji "releasing" products that won't be available till December. Ricoh could wait a month, announce a product with their typical one-month lead time, and it could still be in the shops before the Fuji telezoom.

The difference with Fuji is that they don't have an existing lineup lenses. So they don't have to worry about compromising sales of their current products. It's in their interest to tease and string their customers along until they can deliver a product.

This might seem like a criticism of Fuji, but I respect what they're doing. It's just important to realize that the "noisiest" companies are the ones that need to make the biggest promises.

[johnmflores]

The gravity of conclusion that nothing more will be announced now and before CP+ next year.
It is same as always has been.

If you are into cameras for the "buzz" of new product announcements, then I'd suggest either Sony or Fuji. Maybe Micro Four-Thirds so you can follow more than one brand. Or follow smartphones with much shorter product life cycles.

If you are into camera for taking photos, just get the gear that you need from whatever brand that offers it.

This gravity that you speak of has very little to do with photography.

[Uluru]

If you are into cameras for the "buzz" of new product announcements, then I'd suggest either Sony or Fuji. ..
This gravity that you speak of has very little to do with photography.

Why are you writing these answers to me?
The other guy could not believe that nothing will come out this Photokina, and was waiting for some surprise still. But it won't come.
Neither will your off-topic answers about "what constitutes photography" help him in that regard.

[johnmflores]

Why are you writing these answers to me? The other guy could not believe that nothing will come out this Photokina, and was waiting for some surprise still. But it won't come.
Neither will your off-topic answers about "what constitutes photography" help him in that regard.

A group of dissatisfied Pentaxicans (including yourself, judging by what you've written) have turned what could have been a simple answer (No, there might be some lens announcements) into some kind of indictment that Ricoh is inept, abandoning the enthusiast camera segment, is not keeping up with the Fujis, and is, ultimately, doomed.

I understand the desire to root for camera brands as if they were sports teams. I get caught up in it too. But I see so much of what appears to be self-inflicted unhappiness here. As if the cameras were incapable of taking good photos or suddenly became so because there aren't new baubles for it.


Apologies if you feel like I've singled you out.

[jcdoss]

This gravity that you speak of has very little to do with photography.

True, but watching Pentax flounder at Photokina is kind of like being a Detroit Lions fan. Sure, they can go 0-16 and no, it won't affect what's for dinner, but having an emotional investment in the team, it's still gut-wrenching to watch them go through it. Plus, all the shame you get at work when you show up with your Detroit Lions hat when everyone else is a Seahawks fan, or a Broncos fan, or hell even a Browns fan. You're right... nothing at all to do with photography.... these guys are just rootin' for the home team.

[Clavius]

What gravity? The Pentax cameras on my shelf continue to function perfectly fine. Any gaps in their capabilities have been filled by Nikon and Panasonic. Whenever I leave the door to take photos, I know that the limitations lie within myself, not my gear.

Get the gear you need and shoot. Life's too short to be unhappy with your hobbies.

What you say makes a lot of sense. I agree fully. Cameras are tools and should be used and switched according to the photographers desired objectives. Life is indeed much to short to let tools stand in the way of your creativity... If only that was as easy in practice as it is said!

I think this is one of the hobbies in which switching gear is the most difficult and most expensive. And especially Pentax is the brand which is the most difficult to get rid of. Once settled and fully locked into a brand, it's very hard to change.

After Pentax I've added Canon 5DII, Sony NEX and now more recently a Sony A7r with some lenses. Selling my mint Pentax gear at a realistic price has proven to be completely impossible. It was super-easy selling my Canon 5DII and lenses without a bad feeling. But Pentax tends to stick with you if you won't just give it away. So, I'll just keep on using it.

But not everybody can afford or justify to just add camera systems like you and me and just leave the old one on the shelve. So, I think it's perfectly understandable that some are completely stuck with Pentax. Stuck with hope of expansion within their chosen system and the disappointments that go with it.

[Winder]

into some kind of indictment that Ricoh is inept, abandoning the enthusiast camera segment, is not keeping up with the Fujis, and is, ultimately, doomed.

Not keeping up is pretty accurate. Fuji is a company that didn't even have a ILC body for 5 years. They launch a new mount, 4 bodies, and a dozen lenses faster than Pentax can get a 1.4x teleconverter out the door. They are doing a better job of marketing. It appears they are investing heavily into R&D. Fuji actually showed up with prototypes to show people. Pentax showed up with place cards "Coming Soon".

[johnmflores]

Not keeping up is pretty accurate. Fuji is a company that didn't even have a ILC body for 5 years. They launch a new mount, 4 bodies, and a dozen lenses faster than Pentax can get a 1.4x teleconverter out the door. They are doing a better job of marketing. It appears they are investing heavily into R&D. Fuji actually showed up with prototypes to show people. Pentax showed up with place cards "Coming Soon".

In the game as cameras as sport, yes. In the game of "I need tools to take photographs", Pentax has served me well, and where there are gaps I have filled them with other brands.