[thibs]

I don't think the camera was promised released at CP+.....

It wasn't. All these delay blablas are PITA and nothing but spreading FUD IMO.

[Serkevan]

The MZ-D also went through a hype cycle of public updates and displays before the project was quietly aborted. It's not unknown in Pentax.

It's not even the same company, it's not even the same market, and it was a decision made when they saw that Contax was throwing themselves off a cliff with their model. The MZ-D would have killed Pentax.

[Pål Jensen]

It's not even the same company, it's not even the same market, and it was a decision made when they saw that Contax was throwing themselves off a cliff with their model. The MZ-D would have killed Pentax.

Actually, the Pentax engineers thought the MZ-D was madness. Fortunately the marketing people came to their senses but not until the production line was ready. Contax actually asked Pentax for help for their version, but Pentax declined. I believe the ill fated Contax 645 also helped to kill off the Contax brand....

[rawr]

The MZ-D would have killed Pentax.

Who really knows. They bailed before bringing a product to market.

Just like the MZ-D, maybe the available chip technology can't deliver the performance the K-new technicians envisaged in their camera, maybe the bean-counters at HQ can't see the camera ever making money. All speculative, but not without precedent.

[Mistral75]

Who really knows. They bailed before bringing a product to market.

Just like the MZ-D, maybe the available chip technology can't deliver the performance the K-new technicians envisaged in their camera, maybe the bean-counters at HQ can't see the camera ever making money. All speculative, but not without precedent.

There is a difference between, let's say the Pentax MZ-D or Nikon DL on the one hand, the so-called Pentax KNEW on the other hand. The formers were / would have been a venture into a new territory, the latter is the continuation of the K10D / K20D / K-7 / K-5 / K-5 II(s) / K-3 / K-3 II series.

If Ricoh Imaging weren't able to give a proper successor to the above cameras, yes they'd better close shop. Which they won't, because they are perfectly capable.

[Serkevan]

Who really knows. They bailed before bringing a product to market.

Just like the MZ-D, maybe the available chip technology can't deliver the performance the K-new technicians envisaged in their camera, maybe the bean-counters at HQ can't see the camera ever making money. All speculative, but not without precedent.

Contax didn't bail and died immediately after. The available chip technology in 2002 was terrible, period: Philips made a sensor that was worse than the cheapest of films, which were the competition then. Sony nowadays makes sensors with performance that was straight up unthinkable a decade and a half ago. Other cameras in the market already manage the stuff that the Ricoh Imaging engineers want to do - or Pentax cameras already manage most of that, in terms of astrotracer, accelerator, etc.

You're not only speculating, you're ignoring reality and and historical context. The bean counters you mention haven't ever had anything to do with Ricoh Imaging's, so the point is moot. And, most importantly, there is no precedent whatsoever of Ricoh Imaging (completely unrelated to Pentax Corp) cancelling a product after hyping it so.

[dicki]

I can wait. These are very spezial times,today.
But if I think that have to stay at home. So I like to play with a new toy. Have time enough to learn about new camera.

[MMVIII]

Who really knows. They bailed before bringing a product to market.

Just like the MZ-D, maybe the available chip technology can't deliver the performance the K-new technicians envisaged in their camera, maybe the bean-counters at HQ can't see the camera ever making money. All speculative, but not without precedent.

I like that a tweet of a private person in Japan starts to grow into something like that in some brains...

Someone, who does not know it, said he expected (guessed) the camera would be released in fall. Now he said, his guess might not have been that accurate.

And now the unavoidable starts. "blabla, delay, blabla, stopping project, blabla, quitting market, blabla..."

"All speculative", yeah, right, but just - why?

[normhead]

I like that a tweet of a private person in Japan starts to grow into something like that in some brains...

Someone, who does not know it, said he expected (guessed) the camera would be released in fall. Now he said, his guess might not have been that accurate.

And now the unavoidable starts. "blabla, delay, blabla, stopping project, blabla, quitting market, blabla..."

"All speculative", yeah, right, but just - why?

As my. mom used to say "Sometimes I think you just like to hear the sound of your own voice."

[repaap]

We should remember exactly what has actually been promised. They try their best to get it out 2020(K-new) and pandemia(covid) should not affect it, atleast they will try their best.

That is what has been said.

Other than that it is wishful thinking/tweeting to get it in our hands sooner than that. It would be great. But we will have it when it is ready, who know what is the last obstacle. It could be even minor thing or then there is nothing and they are about to release it in few weeks?

[rawr]

If Ricoh Imaging weren't able to give a proper successor to the above cameras, yes they'd better close shop.

K-new is probably just one project in their pipeline. I doubt it's so critical to them that if they cancel it, Ricoh Imaging dies.

I agree that it would be logical to expect that K-new would build on previous Pentax design and production experience.

It's not impossible that the K-new might be able to do both: continue tradition but also as you say, 'venture into new territory', even though that may involve risk to deadlines and budgets.

[normhead]

K-new is probably just one project in their pipeline. I doubt it's so critical to them that if they cancel it, Ricoh Imaging dies.

I agree that it would be logical to expect that K-new would build on previous Pentax design and production experience.

It's not impossible that the K-new might be able to do both: continue tradition but also as you say, 'venture into new territory', even though that may involve risk to deadlines and budgets.

Let me get this straight, you are suggesting it may be cancelled because Pentax's first attempt at digital failed?

The reasons why that is nonsense.

It's not 2002.
There are good sensors to chose from, unlike 2002.
The pre-productin model has briefly been in people's hands for more than 6 months now. People have commented on the AF module and viewfinder.
Pentax would be writing off quite a bit of R&D money to cancel it.

And the reasons for suggesting it's cancelled would be the interesting claim that the conditions that existed in 2002 are still relevant today. A claim unsupported by, well nothing. Really, if you're going to be outrageous at least go with a current reason for thinking that way. Nothing in that analysis even makes any sense.

There is one reason it might be cancelled, Ricoh pulls the plug, and that's extremely unlikely.

[Wheatfield]

I think people really underestimate the effect COVID has had on manufacturing new stuff. Whether it is getting parts, keeping factories going and workers healthy or just local shut downs, these are challenging times and it isn't surprising if the K-new is delayed.

All that has to happen is for one part out of the hundreds in a camera to be delayed or be unavailable to make the entire camera delayed or unavailable. I’m running into this on a daily basis with suppliers not being able to fulfill orders on everything from magnesium anode rods to circuit breakers. It sometimes makes little sense, but if a factory that makes rivets is shut down, everything that uses those rivets in manufacturing or assembly is also shut down unless an alternate supplier can be found, which can range from being difficult to impossible.

---------- Post added Oct 18th, 2020 at 09:16 AM ----------

Who really knows. They bailed before bringing a product to market.

Anyone who was following the development of the product at the time knows.
The MZ-D was supposed to leapfrog Pentax into an early lead in DSLRs and revive the company, which was showing signs of being in trouble. Marketing wanted it badly, the engineers at both Pentax and Kyocera knew they had a losing hand with the sensor, which was an unmitigated disaster.
Pentax bailed and survived in the short term, but with little financial reserves, Kyocera was somewhat more desperate and knew that if they bailed they were dead, but if they were able to make the sensor work they stood a chance of surviving.
Obviously, it ended badly for both companies. Kyocera disappeared shortly thereafter, Pentax lasted a few years longer, but the company failed anyway. They simply didn’t have the resources to compete after that.

[repaap]

K-new is probably just one project in their pipeline. I doubt it's so critical to them that if they cancel it, Ricoh Imaging dies.

I agree that it would be logical to expect that K-new would build on previous Pentax design and production experience.

It's not impossible that the K-new might be able to do both: continue tradition but also as you say, 'venture into new territory', even though that may involve risk to deadlines and budgets.

This and previous things said does indeed sound reasonable reaction to - 'be patient and wait' - phrase being said.

[TwoUptons]

I can wait. These are very spezial times,today.
But if I think that have to stay at home. So I like to play with a new toy. Have time enough to learn about new camera.

Ha. My travel camera packed it up a week ago.
It's been threatening to die for a while, but now it's really dead, and there's no reasonable way to repair it.

But since it's 2020, I've been putting off a replacement until I can go somewhere... (trips this year cancelled... Switzerland, Portugal, Tokyo, Boston, Montreal... it was going to be a big year for travel...)

In the meantime, I've been playing around with the film cameras and lenses I don't normally use... I can wait for the new toy...

-Eric