[Reed]

Thanks for posting this summary JPT


How long before this info will circle back from that rumor site back here as a "new info" again?

[RonHendriks1966]

Not a word about Theta?

It seems that Theta is realy Not part of the Ricoh group in Japan that makes GR and Pentax.

Or Theta is going the route of Q.

[PJ1]

Sadly, it looks like the Q was a great product, generating lots of revenue in the Pentax heartland of Japan and lots of love from selected members here, too, but its time is up.

Never, Clackers. NEVER!!

[JPT]

Not a word about Theta?

It seems that Theta is realy Not part of the Ricoh group in Japan that makes GR and Pentax.

Or Theta is going the route of Q.

Sorry, Ron. There was a question and answer about Theta, but I left it out because I didn’t understand enough. They said the Theta was selling well as always. The the part I couldn’t understand was something about the upgrade cycle of Theta. I think they were saying that it is faster than traditional cameras, because the whole segment is at an earlier stage of development. However, it could have been the opposite.

I’m quite wary of writing things I’m not sure of, because as Reed said above, this information gets repeated all over, and I don’t want my misunderstanding to mislead people.

Anyway, I’m pretty certain they don’t intend to stop Theta.

[biz-engineer]

If Ricoh engineers are so Tokyo-centric, how come most of their cameras are marketed as “field cameras”, and how come Pentax cameras have such a following among landscape photographers?

The reason of my comment is that I am not sure if Ricoh Imaging will follow the Pentax path. I use a Pentax K1, I like it, but there are a number of things that could be better on how the camera operates and missing user programmable features. My point is, if Ricoh Imaging are small and have not enough resources to make complete new products, why don't they just deliver a firmware update that add great features to existing hardware. Typically, Pentax cameras have had SR for years, but the cameras don't take advantage of it (shutter speed computation is the same regardless if SR enabled or diabled), and there is no good work around things such as shutter shock beside noise reduction on the K1 II that mask out shutter shock effects, e.g. why not implement EFCS delay for OVF shooting? How much would that cost? Not much. On the K1, there are a number of software things that let me perplex, such as mirror going up and down when pressing the INFO button in LV mode to enable or disable ES (looks like implementation was an afterthought), why can't I enable of disable ES while LV keeps running?

By the way, Nikon are based in Tokyo, too.

Yes, that's why user find so weird interfaces behaviour such as for instance when you use the joystick to move the cursor in the frame of the Nikon to focus on an are and push the joystick, instead of validation of the cursor position the camera get out of the mode, that's works in the lab for the team who wrote the firmware and tested it, but clearly that software behavior doesn't make sense for a photographer using the camera. I feel like the older engineering staff are being replaced by young staff who have no interest in photography and don't have interest in how camera are used by people who have no interest in software development. So that's a problem for all camera companies, so that's where Ricoh Imaging could make a bigger difference without needing lot of resources, but they don't seem to do so either.

[clackers]

Never, Clackers. NEVER!!

That pocket rocket will keep on working, PJ1.

I took a couple of pictures only yesterday with my first camera, a K-x and the DA12-24, and it was just fine.

Heck, there are people still taking great photos with the LX, doesn't matter if it hasn't been manufactured in decades.

[biz-engineer]

There are a lot of us who dont want K1, nor any FF stuff... wouldnt use one even if they payed me to do it :/

I'm not say apsc isn't great, apsc is great at the price point of Pentax apsc. Currently, I see more investment going to full frame systems and Fuji selling apsc at the full frame prices...

[Docrwm]

Happy New Year to you as well. Thank you for sharing your translation.

It has always been this way with trying to devine the intent of Pentax officials. Will new products come out of n 2019? Almost certainly. Beyond that- no idea.

[ffking]

Note to self - don't get too excited about centennial - looks like business as usual.

[JPT]

The reason of my comment is that I am not sure if Ricoh Imaging will follow the Pentax path. I use a Pentax K1, I like it, but there are a number of things that could be better on how the camera operates and missing user programmable features. My point is, if Ricoh Imaging are small and have not enough resources to make complete new products, why don't they just deliver a firmware update that add great features to existing hardware. Typically, Pentax cameras have had SR for years, but the cameras don't take advantage of it (shutter speed computation is the same regardless if SR enabled or diabled), and there is no good work around things such as shutter shock beside noise reduction on the K1 II that mask out shutter shock effects, e.g. why not implement EFCS delay for OVF shooting? How much would that cost? Not much. On the K1, there are a number of software things that let me perplex, such as mirror going up and down when pressing the INFO button in LV mode to enable or disable ES (looks like implementation was an afterthought), why can't I enable of disable ES while LV keeps running?


Yes, that's why user find so weird interfaces behaviour such as for instance when you use the joystick to move the cursor in the frame of the Nikon to focus on an are and push the joystick, instead of validation of the cursor position the camera get out of the mode, that's works in the lab for the team who wrote the firmware and tested it, but clearly that software behavior doesn't make sense for a photographer using the camera. I feel like the older engineering staff are being replaced by young staff who have no interest in photography and don't have interest in how camera are used by people who have no interest in software development. So that's a problem for all camera companies, so that's where Ricoh Imaging could make a bigger difference without needing lot of resources, but they don't seem to do so either.

Thank you for explaining. I don’t have a K-1, so I’m not familiar with the problems and behaviors you want to fixed. But I hope you get the changes you want somehow.

From my point of view, I don’t have a lot of issues with the Pentax interface (on my K-5 IIs) and the GR interface might be even better, so I think the Ricoh/Pentax interface designers are some of the best in the business.

[ogl]

are there any serious and concrete information...??? all this information are well-known already for us...

[Docrwm]

are there any serious and concrete information...??? all this information are well-known already for us...

That's always the story when Pentax executives give interviews. Nothing to see here, move along.

[biz-engineer]

Or Theta is going the route of Q.

Theta business looks like Ricoh Imaging execs read and believed in the fable "The tortoise and the hare", except the hares did not wander away, and the tortoise was overtaken :-)

[arv]

God I hope its a DA 23mm f1.8

It's centennial - hope for 100mm (f/2 Ltd...)

[northcoastgreg]

They have a lot of demands from full frame users, especially for lightweight tele zooms.

Hopefully that means the ~70-300 on the roadmap will be a compact lens in the style of the DFA 28-105. But we also need a compact wide-angle zoom as well.