[K David]

That could be a new bracketing mode!

Aspect ratio bracketing! I dig it more than words.

[kadajawi]

Is an API to allow more access to the camera being considered? i.e. for improved tethering support, or even so that third parties can implement features that Pentax didn't think of? Samsung has released an SDK/API for their NX1 to enable just that, and given that the tethering support of Pentax cameras is maybe not that highly regarded, to put it mildly...

[mee]

I 'liked' your post for the question about the API.. not the eleventy million other things you decided to add after the fact.

[kadajawi]

I 'liked' your post for the question about the API.. not the eleventy million other things you deci ded to add after the fact.

Sorry. It's the forum combining posts... now I can split it up.

Can we have an option to choose between mechanical and software SR in video mode in the k3?

Or at least if they can offer that for upcoming cameras. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 II has several modes. No SR. Mechanical SR. Mechanical SR + software SR.

Please start the conversation asking them what they shoot, what they love photographing, can we see one of their shots.

Great idea. What gear, what motives/types of photography, anyone working there who is interested in shooting video?

Adam, I would like to suggest a rather unique feature to Ricoh for their upcoming FF camera. It regards a DA lens mounted on an FF sensor and how you can create two cropped shooting modes in addition to the regular cropped mode that would make great use of the available sensor area. Please take a look at the following sketch and let me know whether you think this is worth mentioning to Ricoh. Imagine being able to jump to any of the 3 cropped modes illustrated on the right while looking through the viewfinder or at the rear screen by simply pressing a button or turning a wheel. I don't think any of the current camera makers has this simple feature on offer.

Interesting idea, but apart from the help in composition and smaller files, what is the benefit over just shooting a FF photo? And this is more a live view/EVF thing...

I'd be extra interested in buying a camera that took three different aspect ratios of the same scene at once. I'd also like it if it took an uncropped at the same time. That would be rally useful and versatile.

Why? What's the benefit over cropping in Lightroom? And how is it useful, because different aspect ratios need a different composition.

Interview "question"
Composition adjustment bracketing would be great to have. You press the shutter once, and it will take a photo with the sensor in the top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right position. Of course it has to be taken on a tripod, but you can stitch them at home to get a wider field of view. Likewise focus bracketing, so we can do focus stacking. And being able to mix and match, say composition adjustment bracketing, exposure bracketing and focus stacking at the same time. Take one photo, and the camera goes through a program producing 80 photos at different focusing points, exposure values and sensor positions. Or a bracketing mode that moves the sensor minimally, to increase resolution. Processing can be done at home.

[mike.hiran]

Sony has been dominant in sensor manufacturing the last few years - are you seeing other manufacturers wanting to partner with Pentax, particularly Samsung with their new aps-c bsi type sensors and does Pentax see some advantages to partnering up with other sensor manufacturers?

[Raffwal]

One thing I'd like to know (but of course they won't tell) is what made them decide to make a FF camera at this very time? Users have been begging for one for years and now when the economy is dragging in many parts of the world and the camera sales are diminishing, they're releasing one. it's now years (3?) since the take-over from Hoya and it is taking Ricoh nearly a year from now to release it, so even they haven't been rushing.

[jedie]

Are there any plans to implement a software focus limited, so that e.g. the DFA 100 WR will be more useable?

[Mistral75]

(...) it's now years (3?) since the take-over from Hoya (...)

October 1st, 2011.

[geo444]

... we plan on interviewing Ricoh Imaging representatives at CP+ 2015. Our focus will of course be Pentax products... Please use this thread to suggest interview questions...

Thanks Adam, suggestion : increase the Bulb Exposure time of the Q Family up to 8 minutes
at least, with the K-to-Q Adapter mounted on the Pentax Q !

-1 Qs are inexpensive Astro-photography tools : no need to explain their crop factor from 4,6x up to 5,6x
These Qs are perfectly suitable for the hundreds of thousands of tiny Deep Sky Objects...
to get the same field on APSc, you need to afford a Celestron C14
+ a sturdy mount to support & guide 25+kg

-2 Qs are Hyper-Sensitive Astro tools : their BSI-CMos are 2.8x more Sensitive per mm² than usual APSc sensors :
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/38-photographic-technique/256035-astrophotography-k5-q-adapter.html#post2959867

-3 tiny CMos sensors don't heat at all : last summer, after tens of 30 sec. exposures, its internal temperature, 25°C
was strictly Equal to the ambient temperature 25°C ! Only Live-View and Video heat these CMos !
Casio Ex-10, Ex-100 w/ same CMos can do Long exposures up to 250 seconds

-4 the incredible results I get - despite having to shoot at ISO 1600, due to their way too short Bulb duration of 30 sec.
All these pictures are achieved with the Q10 and its K-to-Q adapter on an old blue 200 / 1000 Skywatcher Newton :
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/136-pentax-q/212387-astro-q-club-10.html#post2935714 3 photos
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/136-pentax-q/212387-astro-q-club-11.html#post3025456
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/136-pentax-q/212387-astro-q-club-12.html#post3025571
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/136-pentax-q/212387-astro-q-club-12.html#post3052759
www.pentaxforums.com/forums/136-pentax-q/212387-astro-q-club-12.html#post3121398

-5 knowing the huge skills of Pentax in Astro-photography, I hope you'll insist and succeed on this one, Adam !

-6 it certainly is just a firmware update !

fingers crossed...
.

[krazykat]

Question:

Can we please have mechanical aperture coupling in the mount? (I.e. an uncrippled KAF2.)

[x4rd]

Question:

Is Ricoh considering improvement in video modes? Adding FLAT profiles, h.265 codec support etc?

[falconeye]

Q:

Can we have a firmware feature where (by press of a progammable button) the phase AF fine tune is taken from the current contrast AF operation?

To explain ...
If the camera is focusing using contrast AF, at the moment it aquires focus, it could lower the mirror and register the current phase shift. With a static enough subject, the phase shift should read "in focus". In practice, it won't exactly. The diffierence can be used to recalibrate the current AF fine tune value, without the need to refocus at all (immediate operation).

Benefit:

It would be a breeze to do an AF recalibration every time the shooting situation changes (distance, focal length, color temperature, kind of subject / eyes vs. face etc.). Experience is that this is required to achieve tac-sharp images with faster than F2.8 lenses w/o resorting to contrast AF and with high resolution bodies. A full frame body in particular will be expensive enough to trigger extreme expectations wrt focus accuracy.

[Tesla]

Please ask about marketing.. what are the major road blocks? Why only 15% of sales outside of Japan? Only 4% in the Americas? Why can't I go to Costco, Best Buy, Target and buy a Pentax DSLR? Why no advertising geared toward US market? I don't know, maybe you can make it a run on sentence to make it one question.

[K David]

Is an API to allow more access to the camera being considered?

I agree. It would be good if Pentax would release part of their code to allow software-savvy photographers to improve camera performance and functionality.

[Uluru]

When will your SLRs feature AF Focus Tracking comparable to or better than CaNikon?

I can answer this, because ether told that before. Their aim is NOT to compete with Nikon and Canon where Canon and Nikon are strongest, but make an valuable alternative for photographers who are disgusted with lack of great choice and plain vanilla approach of the large two. Or, they will invest there where Nikon and Canon are incompetent, negligent, forgetful of simply, lost touch with photographic experience. And that's plenty of ground to cover!

---------- Post added 02-08-2015 at 01:21 PM ----------

Q:
Can we have a firmware feature where (by press of a progammable button) the phase AF fine tune is taken from the current contrast AF operation?

I think the FF, with newly redesigned mirror-box, will deliver exactly that. And more.