[Mistral75]

The roadmap does say 2019 "or later".

The Pentax 645 roadmap still says '2017 or Later' for the Standard Zoom and the Tele Zoom...

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/japan/products/lens/images/645_Mount_Lens.pdf

[Rondec]

The road map issue is an interesting one... I've never seen these things as anything more than aspirational - indications of what is might be coming and when, but with no commitment or promise involved...

Do many of our members treat them more seriously? That's a genuine question, not a rhetorical one...

It definitely isn't a promise, either of an exact item (hence I suppose the general terms and lines rather than dots indicating focal length) or of an exact date. Things pop up suddenly and unexpectedly like the HD FA 35 and some vanish like the fish eye (possibly replaced by the 10-17 with removable hood?).

I do think there is a general commitment to make the lenses that appear on the map, but when we can actually buy them remains an open ended question.

[clackers]

Roadmaps, for companies that decided to use them, indicate proposals, that's all.

Executives and boards decide which products go ahead, which go on the backburner, and which are cancelled, according to changing circumstances and better data. They would laugh at the idea of being told what to do by someone's chart from the past. That's not how you do business.

It's certainly not some kind of election promise, or a contract between a company and the rest of the world. They would never release one if that's how it was regarded.

It's always been that way. Jun Hirakawa was working on a 31mm f2.4 when the project was scuttled and the company went with other designers' FA 31mm f1.8 Limited, for example.

[Sandy Hancock]

It definitely isn't a promise....some vanish like the fish eye (possibly replaced by the 10-17 with removable hood?)

For mine, the 10-17 re-boot was a masterstroke. We now have a fisheye which is nearly a full circle at 10mm on full frame thanks to the removable hood, and still covers a 180º diagonal angle of view (with the hood on) at 15mm. While on crop it goes from 180º diagonal rectangular fisheye at 10mm to an almost rectilinear ultra-wide at 17mm.

I see it completely replacing both my other fisheyes, so the place on the Road Map is more than filled for me.

Can't wait for that DFA*85 though....

[BarneyL]

Meanwhile in the Fuji land, predictions from their July 2018 roadmap have been fullfilled with no problems. Things planned for 2019 are either already there (16mm 2.8) or almost there (16-80 F4, pre production samples already in the hands of the reviewers). AFAIK in the past there were no hiccups either.


So I guess someone may treat Pentax roadmap seriously if approaches it similarily to Fuji roadmap.

In my humble opinion, Pentax lens roadmap is pointless.

[Sandy Hancock]

In my humble opinion, Pentax lens roadmap is pointless.

You are entitled to your opinion.

Pentax is not Fuji.

[BigMackCam]

Meanwhile in the Fuji land, predictions from their July 2018 roadmap have been fullfilled with no problems. Things planned for 2019 are either already there (16mm 2.8) or almost there (16-80 F4, pre production samples already in the hands of the reviewers). AFAIK in the past there were no hiccups either.


So I guess someone may treat Pentax roadmap seriously if approaches it similarily to Fuji roadmap.

In my humble opinion, Pentax lens roadmap is pointless.

Understood, but I was really asking in relation to the Pentax roadmap... FujiFilm is a very different company; I don't shoot Fuji (except for an XF-1 compact I've owned for a few years), I've no experience with them and that's unlikely to change...

[Rondec]

Meanwhile in the Fuji land, predictions from their July 2018 roadmap have been fullfilled with no problems. Things planned for 2019 are either already there (16mm 2.8) or almost there (16-80 F4, pre production samples already in the hands of the reviewers). AFAIK in the past there were no hiccups either.


So I guess someone may treat Pentax roadmap seriously if approaches it similarily to Fuji roadmap.

In my humble opinion, Pentax lens roadmap is pointless.

Fuji has a bunch of Instax money. Maybe there will be a little more money if theta Z1 and GR III continue to sell well, but Fuji and Pentax are very different brands with different budgets and if Fuji's releases work for you, then it might be best to go with them. It is unlikely that Pentax will suddenly in 2020 start to release dozens of cameras and lenses a year.

[BarneyL]

Fuji has a bunch of Instax money. Maybe there will be a little more money if theta Z1 and GR III continue to sell well, but Fuji and Pentax are very different brands with different budgets and if Fuji's releases work for you, then it might be best to go with them. It is unlikely that Pentax will suddenly in 2020 start to release dozens of cameras and lenses a year.

I know Fujifilm is bigger and all that jazz, and I'm not asking Pentax to match its pace.


I'm just asking if Ricoh could make more reliable predictions on its roadmap; or if they cannot (because too many variables or whatever), drop it entirely and don't mislead people who happen to treat declarations like "70-200 F4 Spring 2019" seriously. Because it does harm their reputation.

[Larrymc]

I know Fujifilm is bigger and all that jazz, and I'm not asking Pentax to match its pace.


I'm just asking if Ricoh could make more reliable predictions on its roadmap; or if they cannot (because too many variables or whatever), drop it entirely and don't mislead people who happen to treat declarations like "70-200 F4 Spring 2019" seriously. Because it does harm their reputation.

No one forced you to look at their Lens Roadmap. Don't look at it and your problem is solved. See how easy that was? So whats all the grousing about......its not a promise!

[ThorSanchez]

I know Fujifilm is bigger and all that jazz, and I'm not asking Pentax to match its pace.


I'm just asking if Ricoh could make more reliable predictions on its roadmap; or if they cannot (because too many variables or whatever), drop it entirely and don't mislead people who happen to treat declarations like "70-200 F4 Spring 2019" seriously. Because it does harm their reputation.

In the past I think the roadmap meant something. With the resources available today it doesn't really, at least the schedules are optimistic guesses at best. But they can't just drop it. If the roadmap disappeared we'd have a 97-page thread about this being a sign of the impending apocalypse. Best to leave it out there and miss all the soft deadlines. Guessing and hoping is better for the bottom line than honestly announcing that they have no idea if or when they'll have the resources necessary to finish the next lens or body.

[ogl]

In the past I think the roadmap meant something.

It means a lot for another photo brands. It's fact. They are developing the new lenses under roadmap's data and roadmap's dates.

[ThorSanchez]

It means a lot for another photo brands. It's fact. They are developing the new lenses under roadmap's data and roadmap's dates.

Which is why I think Pentax would prefer to drop it. But the PR hit would be substantial. It would sow seeds of doubt even among the true believers. Better to miss deadlines than not have plans at all. Look at the speculation around the K3ii successor.

[biz-engineer]

It means a lot for another photo brands. It's fact. They are developing the new lenses under roadmap's data and roadmap's dates.

Yes, although you'll be fine with the Pentax road map no matter how far in time it'd be delayed, because you'd still have to catch up in buying Pentax gear from the road maps that have been executed more than fives years ago. The risk for you is more like the K3 model is discontinued when you'd finally decide to buy one in 2021 . Just kidding .

[Rondec]

In the past I think the roadmap meant something. With the resources available today it doesn't really, at least the schedules are optimistic guesses at best. But they can't just drop it. If the roadmap disappeared we'd have a 97-page thread about this being a sign of the impending apocalypse. Best to leave it out there and miss all the soft deadlines. Guessing and hoping is better for the bottom line than honestly announcing that they have no idea if or when they'll have the resources necessary to finish the next lens or body.

Really? Do you remember how many times the DA *60-250 and DA * 55 were delayed under Hoya? It's all well to think positive thoughts about the past, but there were plenty of years under Hoya where what we mostly got were sealed versions of older lenses. Not even versions with in lens motors.

Pentax has been doomed since I started shooting with a film *ist back in 2004. The only thing that changes is the owner of the Titanic, at least from the standpoint of the passengers...

(I don't actually believe Pentax is doomed, but it has been repeated for a long time and isn't really something that is new).