D-FA* 85mm f1.4 also coming

biz-engineer · 10-15-2017, 01:37 AM

Originally posted by zapp

It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days.

That's for sure. But I bet Ricoh Imaging is aware of that, and perhaps it actually fits their plan. Anyway, people tend to forget that this is consumer thing, so, the famous life long lens mount paradigm may not hold anymore these days. That means, to buy a new camera and a couple of lenses that go with it, what happens to the lens mount is more uncertain. Even Canon users are not immune, depending on what competition is doing, Canon may have to go mirrorless and ditch EF mount, it could be that 5 years from now, all of the current Canon EF mount glass will be obsolete. You may have to say good bye to the k mount as well.

Last edited by biz-engineer; 10-15-2017 at 02:13 AM.

**ffking** · 10-15-2017, 02:15 AM

Originally posted by zapp

It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days.

Well, I'd say that if your interest is purely in photography, Pentax still offers great tools to get the majority of tasks done at a reasonable price - no cameras or lenses are actually perfect despite how green the grass looks over the fence

Kunzite · 10-15-2017, 02:34 AM

How much would you bet?

And how much do you know about "their plan"?
One could see in another thread how much work it takes to release competitive products. Be patient, and save money.

**Rondec** · 10-15-2017, 03:00 AM

There isn't as much doom and gloom as people think. The cameras Pentax has released over the last couple of years are still functional as are the lenses. There are still beautiful things to take photos of.

As for whether or not we are all going mirrorless eventually -- perhaps so, perhaps not. I sort of doubt it. SLRs may eventually become niche (they haven't yet although that's been predicted for a long time), but even then, you will still be able to use k mount lenses via adapter. If EOS mount goes away, you still will be able to mount those lenses without problem on a Sony NEX or whatever camera mount Canon chooses to go with. These days even lenses that were orphaned long before the advent of auto focus can be brought back, why should we worry that the k mount won't be supported?

In the meantime, I think I'll go out and take some photos today...

**clackers** · 10-15-2017, 03:08 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by zapp

It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days.

If you've been paying attention, Zapp, we've also had new members on this forum ditching Canon, Sony, Nikon, m43, and someone who left Pentax 645 to buy Fuji MF but is selling it as a mistake and is coming back again.

But if you don't feel like them, just go ... it's your money, we won't stop you.

mecrox · 10-15-2017, 03:28 AM

Originally posted by zapp

It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days.

What camera someone uses is about the least important thing I can think of. Just use what makes you happy. Even with photography rather than all the more important things in life, what matters is the final image. Only rarely does anyone ask what camera Werner Bischof, say, used to take what image in 1952 or Don McCullin in 1967. Does it even matter?

normhead · 10-15-2017, 05:12 AM

Originally posted by zapp

It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days.

Too funny.... thanks for my morning smile.....

I wouldn't blame anyone for leaving any camera company, and there are draw backs to all of them, why would I "blame" them? it's a freakin camera. and I wouldn't try and convince them to buy any other camera either. I can tell them what's good about Pentax, Canon or Nikon, but ultimately what they choose is their business and not my concern, until some whiner starts spreading his "problems" with Pentax around like this is a Psychiatrists couch.

My condolences on your crappy attitude, I hope some day you'll be able to fight your way through to a more positive attitude.

Pentax is one of maybe 10 camera choices these days. A person has to have a certain skill set and willingnes to learn to make use of them. Personally, if a person doesn't know enough about cameras to make an intelligent choice on their own, I usually point them towards Panasonic. Sometimes it's not about "is the camera good enough for you", it's about if you have the skill set to make use of the camera.

Last edited by normhead; 10-15-2017 at 05:58 AM.

biz-engineer · 10-15-2017, 12:08 PM

Originally posted by Kunzite

And how much do you know about "their plan"?

Ricoh Theta is priority 1.

Kunzite · 10-15-2017, 12:38 PM

That is too vague, especially what it means and what's the impact on Pentax.
Besides, if there were a "priority 1 and everything else could die" approach at Ricoh, they ~~would make nothing other than copiers~~ would be dead by now. Sorry, but it doesn't make sense.

**pres589** · 10-15-2017, 03:30 PM

Boring! This "rumor" is not remotely exciting.

thibs · 10-16-2017, 12:12 AM

Originally posted by biz-engineer

Ricoh Theta is priority 1.

Priority of what Ricoh division?
I thought Theta wasn't even a Ricoh Imaging thing anymore... (But could be wrong)

kenspo · 10-16-2017, 12:57 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by zapp

and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days.

Then be glad its not your job..Like it is for me then

Reed · 10-16-2017, 01:01 AM

55-300PLM made that easier for me

If there was few more of such brilliant consumer lenses, that would be even easier to get people into Pentax ecosystem.

Mistral75 · 10-16-2017, 05:00 AM

Originally posted by thibs

Priority of what Ricoh division?
I thought Theta wasn't even a Ricoh Imaging thing anymore... (But could be wrong)

Theta is definitely part of their 'Smart Vision' business, which is part of the 'Other' business segment. See their comment to page 9 of their 'Consolidated Results for Three Months Ended June 30, 2017' presentation:

Originally posted by Ricoh:

We look to expand our Smart Vision business by leveraging our imaging technology, with our THETA 360-degree camera leading the way. Although the THETA performed well, Smart Vision sales declined owing to decreases in sales of other digital camera products.

Source: http://www.ricoh.com/IR/data/pre/pdf/h30q1_qa.pdf (page #9 but tenth page of the pdf document)

**pres589** · 10-16-2017, 06:52 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Reed

55-300PLM made that easier for me

If there was few more of such brilliant consumer lenses, that would be even easier to get people into Pentax ecosystem.

On the crop side of the equation, isn't this a pretty easy sell? For someone starting out right now and they can afford new gear, a K-70, the 55-300 PLM for telephoto duties, the 18-135 for general walk-around, the DA 50 1.8 for portraiture, what's left? An ultrawide? DA 15 or the 12-24 are both right there. Or shop the various 3rd party offerings. Or or or.

The lens situation isn't perfect on crop but it's not some abysmal situation and I would feel happy knowing I could suggest affordable weather resistance bodies that offer in-body anti-shake that works nicely, offering good high-ISO performance, with a lens selection like that.

10-15-2017, 02:15 AM	#1082
ffking Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,039	Originally posted by zapp It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days. Well, I'd say that if your interest is purely in photography, Pentax still offers great tools to get the majority of tasks done at a reasonable price - no cameras or lenses are actually perfect despite how green the grass looks over the fence Last edited by ffking; 10-15-2017 at 02:36 AM.

10-15-2017, 03:08 AM - 2 Likes	#1085
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by zapp It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days. If you've been paying attention, Zapp, we've also had new members on this forum ditching Canon, Sony, Nikon, m43, and someone who left Pentax 645 to buy Fuji MF but is selling it as a mistake and is coming back again. But if you don't feel like them, just go ... it's your money, we won't stop you. Last edited by clackers; 10-15-2017 at 12:10 PM.

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10-15-2017, 01:37 AM	#1081
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,247	Originally posted by zapp It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days. That's for sure. But I bet Ricoh Imaging is aware of that, and perhaps it actually fits their plan. Anyway, people tend to forget that this is consumer thing, so, the famous life long lens mount paradigm may not hold anymore these days. That means, to buy a new camera and a couple of lenses that go with it, what happens to the lens mount is more uncertain. Even Canon users are not immune, depending on what competition is doing, Canon may have to go mirrorless and ditch EF mount, it could be that 5 years from now, all of the current Canon EF mount glass will be obsolete. You may have to say good bye to the k mount as well. Last edited by biz-engineer; 10-15-2017 at 02:13 AM.

10-15-2017, 02:34 AM	#1083
Kunzite Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 15,132	How much would you bet? And how much do you know about "their plan"? One could see in another thread how much work it takes to release competitive products. Be patient, and save money.

10-15-2017, 03:00 AM	#1084
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,663	There isn't as much doom and gloom as people think. The cameras Pentax has released over the last couple of years are still functional as are the lenses. There are still beautiful things to take photos of. As for whether or not we are all going mirrorless eventually -- perhaps so, perhaps not. I sort of doubt it. SLRs may eventually become niche (they haven't yet although that's been predicted for a long time), but even then, you will still be able to use k mount lenses via adapter. If EOS mount goes away, you still will be able to mount those lenses without problem on a Sony NEX or whatever camera mount Canon chooses to go with. These days even lenses that were orphaned long before the advent of auto focus can be brought back, why should we worry that the k mount won't be supported? In the meantime, I think I'll go out and take some photos today...

10-15-2017, 03:28 AM	#1086
mecrox Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxford, UK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,375	Originally posted by zapp It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days. What camera someone uses is about the least important thing I can think of. Just use what makes you happy. Even with photography rather than all the more important things in life, what matters is the final image. Only rarely does anyone ask what camera Werner Bischof, say, used to take what image in 1952 or Don McCullin in 1967. Does it even matter?

10-15-2017, 05:12 AM	#1087
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by zapp It is hard to blame people for leaving Pentax right now and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days. Too funny.... thanks for my morning smile..... I wouldn't blame anyone for leaving any camera company, and there are draw backs to all of them, why would I "blame" them? it's a freakin camera. and I wouldn't try and convince them to buy any other camera either. I can tell them what's good about Pentax, Canon or Nikon, but ultimately what they choose is their business and not my concern, until some whiner starts spreading his "problems" with Pentax around like this is a Psychiatrists couch. My condolences on your crappy attitude, I hope some day you'll be able to fight your way through to a more positive attitude. Pentax is one of maybe 10 camera choices these days. A person has to have a certain skill set and willingnes to learn to make use of them. Personally, if a person doesn't know enough about cameras to make an intelligent choice on their own, I usually point them towards Panasonic. Sometimes it's not about "is the camera good enough for you", it's about if you have the skill set to make use of the camera. Last edited by normhead; 10-15-2017 at 05:58 AM.

10-15-2017, 12:08 PM	#1088
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,247	Originally posted by Kunzite And how much do you know about "their plan"? Ricoh Theta is priority 1.

10-15-2017, 12:38 PM	#1089
Kunzite Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 15,132	That is too vague, especially what it means and what's the impact on Pentax. Besides, if there were a "priority 1 and everything else could die" approach at Ricoh, they ~~would make nothing other than copiers~~ would be dead by now. Sorry, but it doesn't make sense.

10-15-2017, 03:30 PM	#1090
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,533	Boring! This "rumor" is not remotely exciting.

10-16-2017, 12:12 AM	#1091
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	Originally posted by biz-engineer Ricoh Theta is priority 1. Priority of what Ricoh division? I thought Theta wasn't even a Ricoh Imaging thing anymore... (But could be wrong)

10-16-2017, 12:57 AM - 2 Likes	#1092
kenspo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oslo Posts: 2,207	Originally posted by zapp and it is difficult to convince anyone to join Pentax these days. Then be glad its not your job..Like it is for me then

10-16-2017, 01:01 AM	#1093
Reed Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Warsaw Photos: Gallery Posts: 638	55-300PLM made that easier for me If there was few more of such brilliant consumer lenses, that would be even easier to get people into Pentax ecosystem.

10-16-2017, 05:00 AM	#1094
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527	Originally posted by thibs Priority of what Ricoh division? I thought Theta wasn't even a Ricoh Imaging thing anymore... (But could be wrong) Theta is definitely part of their 'Smart Vision' business, which is part of the 'Other' business segment. See their comment to page 9 of their 'Consolidated Results for Three Months Ended June 30, 2017' presentation: Originally posted by Ricoh: We look to expand our Smart Vision business by leveraging our imaging technology, with our THETA 360-degree camera leading the way. Although the THETA performed well, Smart Vision sales declined owing to decreases in sales of other digital camera products. Source: http://www.ricoh.com/IR/data/pre/pdf/h30q1_qa.pdf (page #9 but tenth page of the pdf document)

10-16-2017, 06:52 AM - 1 Like	#1095
pres589 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Wichita, KS Photos: Albums Posts: 4,533	Originally posted by Reed 55-300PLM made that easier for me If there was few more of such brilliant consumer lenses, that would be even easier to get people into Pentax ecosystem. On the crop side of the equation, isn't this a pretty easy sell? For someone starting out right now and they can afford new gear, a K-70, the 55-300 PLM for telephoto duties, the 18-135 for general walk-around, the DA 50 1.8 for portraiture, what's left? An ultrawide? DA 15 or the 12-24 are both right there. Or shop the various 3rd party offerings. Or or or. The lens situation isn't perfect on crop but it's not some abysmal situation and I would feel happy knowing I could suggest affordable weather resistance bodies that offer in-body anti-shake that works nicely, offering good high-ISO performance, with a lens selection like that.