Black & white lenses planned for March / April release

biz-engineer · 03-05-2019, 09:42 AM - **6 Likes**

According to unverified sources, Ricoh Imaging are planning to make a big splash in the camera market by announcing a series of k mount Takumar like lenses that render only grayscale images when you mount them on cameras. The date of release isn't quite sure, but information leak from deep China would indicate that the trio of B&W limited lenses would be announced somewhere around April 2019. Anyone already heard about the rumor?

---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 17:43 ----------

Edit: again, according to the rumors, the lenses would also be available in black , silver for the lens body , with black & white or sepia image rendering (customers should be happy about the choice, of course, manual focus only).

alpheios · 03-05-2019, 09:49 AM - **7 Likes**

What is the source for that? Interesting... but sounds a bit like they will be announced on April 1st.

steephill · 03-05-2019, 09:51 AM - **7 Likes**

You're a few weeks too early for that joke.

Mistral75 · 03-05-2019, 09:52 AM - **6 Likes**

Shrove Tuesday is about self-examination and repenting, not hoaxes.

photoptimist · 03-05-2019, 09:56 AM - **11 Likes**

Amazing!

If Ricoh has found a way to convert red, green, and blue photons in to "white" photons, they are wasting their new invention on lens making!

**c.a.m** · 03-05-2019, 09:58 AM - **3 Likes**

I think there were some language translation issues -- I had read that the lenses will be hand-painted in black and white stripes.

BarneyL · 03-05-2019, 10:01 AM - **3 Likes**

I wonder if this also makes it to pentaxrumors

**sergysergy** · 03-05-2019, 10:07 AM - **2 Likes**

Lost in translation?

RonHendriks1966 · 03-05-2019, 10:10 AM - **2 Likes**

Oh that is a great move from Ricoh-Imaging. Canon and Nikon will shiver and won't sleep the rest of the year!

**clickclick** · 03-05-2019, 10:11 AM - **1 Like**

And then they'll release the achromatic versions..... Must be a translation issue

biz-engineer · 03-05-2019, 10:20 AM - **1 Like**

Joke aside, no kidding. Apparently, the lenses would feature two rings: the ring at the back (on photographer side) for focusing, and the second ring (near the front of the lens) would allow to adjust the tone curve! It is a PATENT PENDING system (yet to be approved by the patent office, but the invention is protected against counterfeit by a letter of anteriority that provides evidence of who was first to have this idea).

---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 18:21 ----------

Originally posted by RonHendriks1966

Oh that is a great move from Ricoh-Imaging. Canon and Nikon will shiver and won't sleep the rest of the year!

Canon already got closed to it by using the front ring the their RF lenses to program some camera functions, but it's not the black & white tone curve.

---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 18:25 ----------

Ah I forgot: as you know Pentax is famous for the aerobright coating. Apparently, they found the magic coating recipe after an operator mixed up the chemical in the coating mix, after having had too much Sake the night before making a batch of HD FA35 2.

Docrwm · 03-05-2019, 10:55 AM - **5 Likes**

Personally, I'm waiting for the invisible lenses.

**TwoUptons** · 03-05-2019, 10:55 AM - **4 Likes**

I heard Andy Warhol tested an early prototype lens back in the 60s but that at the time Pentax couldn’t mask all the colors at once...

-Eric

**EssJayEff** · 03-05-2019, 10:57 AM - **3 Likes**

I heard through the grapevine that they won't work unless attached to a Pentax full-frame mirrorless camera . . .

biz-engineer · 03-05-2019, 11:07 AM

Originally posted by c.a.m

I think there were some language translation issues -- I had read that the lenses will be hand-painted in black and white stripes.

Nope, the black and white stripes are for MTF measurement (see how many line pairs per mm the B&W lenses can resolve! )

---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 19:09 ----------

Originally posted by alpheios

What is the source for that? Interesting... but sounds a bit like they will be announced on April 1st.

April 1st of what year? The 1st of April of two years ago happened to become true around the 1st of April of the year after.

03-05-2019, 09:42 AM - 6 Likes	#1
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,231	Black & white lenses planned for March / April release According to unverified sources, Ricoh Imaging are planning to make a big splash in the camera market by announcing a series of k mount Takumar like lenses that render only grayscale images when you mount them on cameras. The date of release isn't quite sure, but information leak from deep China would indicate that the trio of B&W limited lenses would be announced somewhere around April 2019. Anyone already heard about the rumor? ---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 17:43 ---------- Edit: again, according to the rumors, the lenses would also be available in black , silver for the lens body , with black & white or sepia image rendering (customers should be happy about the choice, of course, manual focus only).

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03-05-2019, 09:49 AM - 7 Likes	#2
alpheios Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Bremen Posts: 410	What is the source for that? Interesting... but sounds a bit like they will be announced on April 1st.

03-05-2019, 09:51 AM - 7 Likes	#3
steephill Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2018 Photos: Gallery Posts: 585	You're a few weeks too early for that joke.

03-05-2019, 09:52 AM - 6 Likes	#4
Mistral75 Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 7,527	Shrove Tuesday is about self-examination and repenting, not hoaxes.

03-05-2019, 09:56 AM - 11 Likes	#5
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,122	Amazing! If Ricoh has found a way to convert red, green, and blue photons in to "white" photons, they are wasting their new invention on lens making!

03-05-2019, 09:58 AM - 3 Likes	#6
c.a.m Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ottawa, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,189	I think there were some language translation issues -- I had read that the lenses will be hand-painted in black and white stripes.

03-05-2019, 10:01 AM - 3 Likes	#7
BarneyL Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 899	I wonder if this also makes it to pentaxrumors

03-05-2019, 10:07 AM - 2 Likes	#8
sergysergy Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,170	Lost in translation?

03-05-2019, 10:10 AM - 2 Likes	#9
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Oh that is a great move from Ricoh-Imaging. Canon and Nikon will shiver and won't sleep the rest of the year!

03-05-2019, 10:11 AM - 1 Like	#10
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,903	And then they'll release the achromatic versions..... Must be a translation issue

03-05-2019, 10:20 AM - 1 Like	#11
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,231 Original Poster	Joke aside, no kidding. Apparently, the lenses would feature two rings: the ring at the back (on photographer side) for focusing, and the second ring (near the front of the lens) would allow to adjust the tone curve! It is a PATENT PENDING system (yet to be approved by the patent office, but the invention is protected against counterfeit by a letter of anteriority that provides evidence of who was first to have this idea). ---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 18:21 ---------- Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 Oh that is a great move from Ricoh-Imaging. Canon and Nikon will shiver and won't sleep the rest of the year! Canon already got closed to it by using the front ring the their RF lenses to program some camera functions, but it's not the black & white tone curve. ---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 18:25 ---------- Ah I forgot: as you know Pentax is famous for the aerobright coating. Apparently, they found the magic coating recipe after an operator mixed up the chemical in the coating mix, after having had too much Sake the night before making a batch of HD FA35 2.

03-05-2019, 10:55 AM - 5 Likes	#12
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Personally, I'm waiting for the invisible lenses.

03-05-2019, 10:55 AM - 4 Likes	#13
TwoUptons Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,213	I heard Andy Warhol tested an early prototype lens back in the 60s but that at the time Pentax couldn’t mask all the colors at once... -Eric

03-05-2019, 10:57 AM - 3 Likes	#14
EssJayEff Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: near Saxapahaw, NC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 969	I heard through the grapevine that they won't work unless attached to a Pentax full-frame mirrorless camera . . .

03-05-2019, 11:07 AM	#15
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,231 Original Poster	Originally posted by c.a.m I think there were some language translation issues -- I had read that the lenses will be hand-painted in black and white stripes. Nope, the black and white stripes are for MTF measurement (see how many line pairs per mm the B&W lenses can resolve! ) ---------- Post added 05-03-19 at 19:09 ---------- Originally posted by alpheios What is the source for that? Interesting... but sounds a bit like they will be announced on April 1st. April 1st of what year? The 1st of April of two years ago happened to become true around the 1st of April of the year after.