[Zygonyx]

Franckly, who cares ?

[normhead]

Franckly, who cares ?

Translation
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."

[Larrymc]

They are working on new cameras. Asahi man has already confirmed as much. I think they are full frame, but Kunzite doesn't believe anything until Ricoh says so.

The term "I think" means you are expressing your opinion so if its your opinion what is wrong with @Kunzite expressing his opinion? After all the people who know aren't saying and the people who don't know express their desires and wants as their opinions.

[reh321]

They are working on new cameras. Asahi man has already confirmed as much. I think they are full frame, but Kunzite doesn't believe anything until Ricoh says so.

I don't see much practical difference between "I think" and 'hopefully". In fact, Asahiman (*) has said they are working on full frame. Hopefully they are also working on a K-3ii replacement. I am guessing we will hear something by CP+ 2019.

(*) he was right on for Photokina.

[Winder]

I'm sure Ricoh is working on new bodies and new technologies. The question is can they close the gap? Ricoh is very close to being able to compete with everyone, but they have to address key features like AF, buffer, and processing. They have excellent build quality, image quality, ergonomics and controls. C-AF, buffer, image processing all need to speed up if they want to attract new users.

[normhead]

All I want here is K-1 type features.The problem being the 645z and K-1 both pushed back the release of other models. That is documented in actual Pentax interviews. It certainly sounds like there is only one design team, or at most one for the high end and one for entry levels. So asahiman's pronouncement that they are working on another full frame is ominous. In the past, they have certainly implied that they only work on one thing at a time, and something like the new sensor in the 645z pushed everything else back supports that.

Another possibility might be that releasing the K-1 seriously diminished interest in flagship APS-c. They do still seem to have stock of K-3ii bodies. Henry's currently lists no flagship APS-c bodies. Only KPs and K-70s. If my K-3 died right now, at least in Canada it appears I wouldn't be able to buy a suitable replacement at Henry's. Some suppliers still have Pentax K-3IIs in stock, but my guess is that is old stock. If Ricoh Canada was still shipping K-3ii bodies, they'd possibly still be in the Henry's catalogue. (Although Henry's attitude towards Pentax is spotty at best.)

They are listed on Camera Canada's website at $1399 CAD. That's actually quite a lot for a going on 4 year old APS-c body, and suggests that the bodies were bought at full price, leaving the seller little room to offer discounts (And Camera Canda offers better discounts than just about anyone else in Canada these days.)

All I want is the Accelerator chip, K-1II AF system, a larger buffer, and the tilting back screen. . And to have the info on the back screen changeable while the camera is clearing the buffer. Is that too much to ask?

When Pentax said half their K-1 customers were new to Pentax, that was good news for FF users. the other side of that is the other half were previously APS-c shooters. (Bad for APS-c). An awful lot of shooters have proclaimed that since they got their K-1 they've stopped using and in most cases sold their K-3s. With their small market share, I'm not sure flagship APS_c was in a position to take the hit those switching to FF facilitated. What I've seen lately from Pentax with regards to APS-c flagships seems more like testing the water to see if they will ever release another APS_c flagship. They certainly aren't getting us pumped up for the next model.

It looks like they might be at the "looking for suppliers and testing new technologies stage." rather than actually designing a camera. In other words, looking at tech that would be useful for all APS-c cameras, but not specifically for the APS-c flagship. The KPis a pretty serious upgrade to the K-3s, in many ways. Accelerator Chip, Tilting back screen, better AF. Most companies come out with their flagship first with new technologies. I don't know of any other company that releases features in their lower priced models not available in their higher priced flagship models. Pentax is certainly an anomaly in that regard. Pentax is behaving as if the K-1ii is the flagship of the product line, and APS_c is now entry level, even though the KP is expensive compared to when plastic entry level meant half the price of a KP.

My suspicion is Pentax hopes I will buy a KP and they just aren't coming out and saying it. The K-3 is 5 years old. It's time for another full featured APS-c camera. (Incrementatl upgrades like the K-3ii" don't count in my book.) But if they lost 9 months for the 645z and another 9 months for the K-1, we could be as much as 1.5 years late, (look at 1.5 more years before the K-3 replacement comes out, and if another FF has jumped the question, expect it to be 2.25 years late, or as much as 8 years between K-3 and the next series.

That's probably a worst case scenario, but well within the possible.

[Kunzite]

I don't see much practical difference between "I think" and 'hopefully". In fact, Asahiman (*) has said they are working on full frame. Hopefully they are also working on a K-3ii replacement. I am guessing we will hear something by CP+ 2019.

(*) he was right on for Photokina.

They are working on a new APS-C flagship camera.

---------- Post added 04-11-18 at 04:57 PM ----------

All I want is the Accelerator chip, K-1II AF system, a larger buffer, and the tilting back screen. . And to have the info on the back screen changeable while the camera is clearing the buffer. Is that too much to ask?

Or too little.

[Winder]

My guess is the new APS-C body has been pushed back and we will see it with the new DA* zoom lens that was pushed back.


Ricoh needs to put a full 6x4.5 sensor on the 645z body and get it to market at the $10,000 mark and it need to be image stabilized. They need to update the glass as well.

Ricoh needs to address AF and buffer for all models.

Ricoh needs to get glass to the market for all mounts.


Even Fuji is in need of updating its lenses and they are only a few years old. The stepper motors they used in the first generation of X-mount lenses are way too loud for video and now that they are moving into bodies with excellent video capabilities they have a problem. The Fuji 35mm F/1.4 is about a quiet as a screw drive 31mm LTD. Canon, Panasonic, Sigma, and Nikon are both going to be launching a lot of new glass for their new mounts. Sony has 12 lenses on the roadmap for the next 2 years. The industry is moving really fast. I know existing K-mount users don't care, but if Ricoh wants to attract new users they have to figure out a way to move a little faster.

[Kunzite]

Ricoh needs to put a full 6x4.5 sensor on the 645z body and get it to market at the $10,000 mark

They do? Why?

[normhead]

Or too little.

Maybe that's the hold up, they think they have to come up with something splashy. Like a super duper accelerator chip or AF comparable to an A9. Making a camera just for me would definitely bankrupt them, sad as that is for me.

[Winder]

They do? Why?

So that you have something to argue with people on the internet about.

[Kunzite]

Maybe that's the hold up, they think they have to come up with something splashy. Like a super duper accelerator chip or AF comparable to an A9. Making a camera just for me would definitely bankrupt them, sad as that is for me.

I'm guessing a platform change - new processor, new everything. Maybe even a new AF (which I'd really like).
In any case, next year we better see what they're working on.

---------- Post added 04-11-18 at 07:16 PM ----------

So that you have something to argue with people on the internet about.

I thought you could have some sort of an explanation; my apologies for making assumptions. The Hasselblad is triple that price; I don't know what's expected from the upcoming Fuji but 10,000 seems low.

[Winder]

I don't know what's expected from the upcoming Fuji but 10,000 seems low.

Fuji already announced a price of $9,999

[reh321]

My guess is the new APS-C body has been pushed back and we will see it with the new DA* zoom lens that was pushed back.

Ricoh needs to put a full 6x4.5 sensor on the 645z body and get it to market at the $10,000 mark and it need to be image stabilized. They need to update the glass as well.

Ricoh needs to address AF and buffer for all models.

Ricoh needs to get glass to the market for all mounts.

Even Fuji is in need of updating its lenses and they are only a few years old. The stepper motors they used in the first generation of X-mount lenses are way too loud for video and now that they are moving into bodies with excellent video capabilities they have a problem. The Fuji 35mm F/1.4 is about a quiet as a screw drive 31mm LTD. Canon, Panasonic, Sigma, and Nikon are both going to be launching a lot of new glass for their new mounts. Sony has 12 lenses on the roadmap for the next 2 years. The industry is moving really fast. I know existing K-mount users don't care, but if Ricoh wants to attract new users they have to figure out a way to move a little faster.

Reading "between the lines" of their Photokina interview, I believe that Pentax isn't quite convinced that the 645 family has a good future ..... as of a month ago, they were still studying which paths to go down.

[Kunzite]

Fuji already announced a price of $9,999

You could have said so.
Then, if Pentax decides to compete, they will more or less match this price. And they're working on 645, aren't they? Maybe...
(Not like I care; 10,000 for a camera is too much for me, and the K-1's image quality already overkill).