[glanglois]

So I was wrong. At least I poured two good British beers. Not a bad evening, all in all.

[Winder]

The MBX1000 HotSync light is $2,300, so were in ProFoto territory.

[jaad75]

What mount do they use? Bowens?

[Alizarine]

Well I guess this is still good, that if Ricoh can't do something themselves (yet), they at least tie up with someone who can deliver. I'm not a marketing expert, but Ricoh's showing it's trying to fill in the holes in their system for the users.

Not sure how Ricoh Imaging benefits here but it may be very useful for some Pentaxians. Still a good move.

[Winder]

You Tube

You Tube

---------- Post added 06-08-15 at 08:42 PM ----------

Well I guess this is still good, that if Ricoh can't do something themselves (yet), they at least tie up with someone who can deliver. I'm not a marketing expert, but Ricoh's showing it's trying to fill in the holes in their system for the users.

Not sure how Ricoh Imaging benefits here but it may be very useful for some Pentaxians. Still a good move.

If it works as advertised and is of high enough quality, it will move the 645Z way up in the eyes of commercial photographers. The lack of high speed sync really limits the useability of the 645Z for many types of photography where MF excels.

[Paul Ewins]

OK, so maybe a little hyped, but for a lot of pros this does look like quite a major advance. The 645Z and 645D are competing against cameras with leaf shutters which allow a higher sync speed, albeit with a lower maximum speed. If these units allow HSS then that demolishes one advantage in favour of the opposition. The other thing is that these appear to be a cross between regular strobes and proper studio monoblocs, so that you get all the advanced flash modes that the camera will support along with much higher power units that use all of the regular modifiers (dishes, soft boxes and so on). It looks like they have their own batteries as well so you can take them on location easily. Could be a big plus for wedding photographers.

[Sandy Hancock]

Focussing on high end solutions for professionals is good for the brand. Lighting was a major shortcoming for the Pentax system, so well done.

It guess it may actually change the (studio) game - by making it a three way contest, which is exactly what Ricoh wants.

[jaad75]

Not sure how Ricoh Imaging benefits here

Not sure? The flash sync and the lack of LS lenses was one of the main concerns against the 645Z. K-mount users had not much choice too.

The MBX1000 HotSync light is $2,300, so were in ProFoto territory.

Yeah, that's quite expansive...

[pghwarrior23]

That is my take away from this…elevates the brand perhaps in the eyes of the professional market…I hope it means they sell 10x more 645z cameras in the next year!!

[Rondec]

I wish this hadn't been made as a general announcement. Obviously it isn't something for K3 users.

At the same time, 645z users have complained about (a) the lack of leaf shuttered lenses and (b) the low sync speed of Pentax medium format. This fixes the sync speed issues, albeit for a cost, but one that is much more reasonable for those accustomed to paying medium format prices, than for the rest of us.

[fuent104]

It certainly doesn't change everything... But it looks like a win for the brand. Most importantly, will it work with a Q?

[Winder]

Obviously it isn't something for K3 users.

It syncs strobes with the K-3 up to 1/8000. I'm sure people will find some creative ways to use that.

---------- Post added 06-08-15 at 08:52 PM ----------

I hope it means they sell 10x more 645z cameras in the next year!!

I think it will definitely drive some 645Z sales which will drive more development from Ricoh. If Ricoh can get volume up (production) they can have a huge impact on the very small MF market.

[RobA_Oz]

Before we start pouring too much scorn on this, we might reflect that Ricoh sold almost twice as many 645Zs as they anticipated, on release. Anything that makes the 645Z (and maybe the forthcoming 35FF body) more attractive to professional users has to be good for the longevity and development of future Pentax camera systems, including the ones the majority of us use.

Granted, it's a collaborative venture with a lighting system maker, intended to bring a new feature to some Pentax cameras. Perhaps it will find its way into future Pentax bodies: after all, we started with the FLUcard on the K-3 and now we have built-in Wi-Fi on the K-S2. Catastrophise no more, though some will, sadly.

Edit: the first few reactions posted while I was composing this seem to agree with me. Good start!

[jaad75]

Obviously it isn't something for K3 users.

I definitely may be. Many have more money invested in lighting then in lenses already.

[interested_observer]

So for a 1/4 to 1/2 the price of a new lens, a photographer can pick up a lighting solution that makes their entire lens library act as a Leaf lens. Cost effective.