[aoeu]

Does the FF have shaft drive AF? Two new DFA lenses suggests it does. The others had it.

Pentax is not Doooooomed.

[astron]

Does the FF have shaft drive AF? Two new DFA lenses suggests it does. The others had it.

Pentax is not Doooooomed.

How dumb do you think Ricoh is? It's probably compatible with everything K-mount, just like the current cameras, and that includes screwdrive AF. They didn't come this far to screw up something that simple

[Paul the Sunman]

So Pentax will have a FF DSLR camera. But that covers a price range from US$1497 (Nikon D610 body only at B&H) to $6497 (Nikon D4), ignoring the Canon EOS-1D C which is aimed more at cinematography. Sony's mirrorless FF can be even cheaper: $1298 for the a7. My point is that FF covers a very wide range of possibilities and price points, and so far we have very little to go on from Ricoh. With just one FF model, it will be impossible to please everyone.

[Groucho]

...and here I thought "doooooomed" came from that staple of 1980s HBO programming, "Hysterical":

You Tube

You Tube

Robert Donner pops up throughout the movie, warning that "you're doomed!", usually before being doomed himself.

---

Last edited by Groucho; 02-05-2015 at 01:20 PM.

[Zygonyx]

So Pentax will have a FF DSLR camera. But that covers a price range from US$1497 (Nikon D610 body only at B&H) to $6497 (Nikon D4), ignoring the Canon EOS-1D C which is aimed more at cinematography. Sony's mirrorless FF can be even cheaper: $1298 for the a7. My point is that FF covers a very wide range of possibilities and price points, and so far we have very little to go on from Ricoh. With just one FF model, it will be impossible to please everyone.

And ?
Don't you think everyone, if pleased, wouldn't even think buying THE Pentax full frame ?

[Ash]

This has got to be one of the fastest growing threads on PF. After all the unsubstantiated rumours, this announcement comes up to surprise the masses. Specs on the camera will be interesting to see materialise.

[monochrome]

So Pentax will have a FF DSLR camera. But that covers a price range from US$1497 (Nikon D610 body only at B&H) to $6497 (Nikon D4), ignoring the Canon EOS-1D C which is aimed more at cinematography. Sony's mirrorless FF can be even cheaper: $1298 for the a7. My point is that FF covers a very wide range of possibilities and price points, and so far we have very little to go on from Ricoh. With just one FF model, it will be impossible to please everyone.

With all due respect, what makes you think there will be just one FF model and price point?

[dedaimiel]

Great news. I love Pentax.

[Paul the Sunman]

With all due respect, what makes you think there will be just one FF model and price point?

Only one announced now. But that is what I'm alluding to. The other manufacturers found it necessary to target several specification levels and price points within the FF range, and even "sport" or "journalism" separately, so Ricoh may well have further plans. However, I will be very interested to see what point they hit first.

[monochrome]

Only one announced now. But that is what I'm alluding to. The other manufacturers found it necessary to target several specification levels and price points within the FF range, and even "sport" or "journalism" separately, so Ricoh may well have further plans. However, I will be very interested to see what point they hit first.

If the specifications revealed on the Spanish pentaxeros.com website are correct (they should be considered speculative at this time) it appears this camera targets D810 / D800e. asahi man says there is an entirely new SR system ('stabilization' is the word he used on the other Forum).

Of course,Body stabilisation,Great great great.

This is the biggest change in Technologie since a long time.

New stabilisation unit,complete new Motordrive and very good in price

It makes sense that the intermediate plan is to market more than one body.

[repaap]

For me, only one announced now is enough. Like d645 was when announced. You make one good, and that would be it. Then you make one better after that. Only rich and stupid has money to make several just to be sure.

[rburgoss]

And ?
Don't you think everyone, if pleased, wouldn't even think buying THE Pentax full frame ?

Think "Iphone". One single device sold in different flavors (capacity, memory). Pentax could easily adopt this marketing structure, having a single model of the top flagship, plus some available improvement accessories (besides optics), like grips, flashguns, tethering hardware, etc.

In fact, Pentax has been doing precisely that all the past years, by having in production a flagship and just an entry level body.

Questions now are:

Is Pentax planning to abandon the high end spectrum of the APS-C segment?

Is the K3 the last top specs APS-C?

Is Pentax going to discontinue all the DA glass and replace full line with DFA (full frame)?

[mikeodial]

Think "Iphone". One single device sold in different flavors (capacity, memory). Pentax could easily adopt this marketing structure, having a single model of the top flagship, plus some available improvement accessories (besides optics), like grips, flashguns, tethering hardware, etc.

In fact, Pentax has been doing precisely that all the past years, by having in production a flagship and just an entry level body.

Questions now are:

Is Pentax planning to abandon the high end spectrum of the APS-C segment?

Is the K3 the last top specs APS-C?

Is Pentax going to discontinue all the DA glass and replace full line with DFA (full frame)?

Perhaps that becomes mirrorless territory. Something small for all those smaller beautiful lenses.

[Paul the Sunman]

Perhaps that becomes mirrorless territory. Something small for all those smaller beautiful lenses.

The problem is that K-mount has a rather long registration distance, and isn't suited to mirrorless. Hence all the required dead space in the K-01. As the other manufacturers have found, mirrorless really needs an entirely new lens range. It's not just a matter of having small existing lenses.

[monochrome]

Think "Iphone". One single device sold in different flavors (capacity, memory). Pentax could easily adopt this marketing structure, having a single model of the top flagship, plus some available improvement accessories (besides optics), like grips, flashguns, tethering hardware, etc.

In fact, Pentax has been doing precisely that all the past years, by having in production a flagship and just an entry level body.

You mean a very well-equipped mid-range body. The K500 was an experiment that didn't worj, it was only for the US and EU and it has been discontinued.

Questions now are:

Is Pentax planning to abandon the high end spectrum of the APS-C segment?

Seriously doubt it.

Is the K3 the last top specs APS-C?

Seriously doubt it.

Is Pentax going to discontinue all the DA glass and replace full line with DFA (full frame)?

Seriously doubt it.

I'd just answer straight, "NO" but I have no inside information of Ricoh's business plans and I don't want to give the incorrect impression that I do.

We really need to stop thinking of Pentax as this benighted, constrained company that can only do something new if it stops doing something else.

• 2013 was year of APSc
• 2014 was year of MF
• 2015 is year of FF
• 2016 is year of - your guess is as good as mine - but what - maybe mirrorless?
• Q kind of slips in between the big releases, as do any experimental x-S1 offerings and anything branded Ricoh (Like the new GR rumored for CP+)

Understand that Ricoh has to keep developing lenses, replacement bodies, accessories, Firmware, support and everything else associated with general optical and EE R&D for EACH NEW FORMAT after it introduces them. Instead of discontinuing things to make new things they're adding layers of lines on layers of lines - actually, it's pretty cool to watch cost / unit for something like 86,000 p AF module come down as it is used in more bodies!!. Etc.

For what we routinely call a small, niche company they sure do have big plans - and I believe they're going to work and push and work and push and build themselves into the major camera company they want to be (but everyone scoffs at) - they intend to be the third camera maker over the intermediate term - while we sit here and doubt them.

Actually, we should all keep doubting them. It'll help Pentax. As soon as everyone stops doubting and starts responding their job gets harder.