[Mistral75]

Financial performance is improving quarter after quarter but still poor. Previous full-year forecasts are retained in spite of a better than expected Q3 in view of uncertain outlook in Q4 owing to Covid-19 mutations spreading in major nations.

• Consolidated sales (FY2020 compared to FY2019)
  • Q1 = -26.2%
  • Q2 = -20.8%
  • Q3 = -13.6%
  ---
• Consolidated operating profit / loss
  • Q1 = loss of ¥20.7bn
  • Q2 = loss of ¥9.3bn
  • Q3 = profit of ¥0.8bn

Previous full-year forecasts are retained.

• Consolidated sales (FY2020f compared to FY2019a): -17.2%
• Consolidated operating profit / loss: loss of ¥49bn

No mention of Pentax. The only products quoted in association with Smart Vision are Theta and the related cloud services, which seem to gain traction.

Q3 Overview

• Smart Vision: Demand solid for THETA and related cloud services amid rising demand in 360° camera market

Year to date

• Achieved improvements in existing businesses (Smart Vision and Industrial Products)

This focus on the cloud services related to Theta is coherent with Ricoh's medium-term strategy toward FY2025 to accelerate their transformation into a digital services company.

Reference documents: Financial Highlights | Presentation | Consolidated Financial Figures

[Kunzite]

"Achieved improvements in existing businesses (Smart Vision and Industrial Products)" - good, even if it's not Pentax. Yet.
I expect they will mention the K-3 III next time.

They also announced an impairment loss in their consumer printing division, but it doesn't look bad.
https://www.ricoh.com/-/Media/Ricoh/Sites/com/release/2021/pdf/0204_1.pdf

And they're continuing the transition to a digital services company, whatever that means:
https://www.ricoh.com/-/Media/Ricoh/Sites/com/release/2020/pdf/1104_2.pdf
If I'm not mistaken, Smart Vision is under Ricoh Futures group - a bit ironic considering the DSLR-centric, 100 years old Pentax

[Michail_P]

Results are not good, but still not that bad, considering numbers of other brands. The Qs are alive..(?)

[reh321]

Results are not good, but still not that bad, considering numbers of other brands. The Qs are alive..(?)

Pentax has given every sign of having given up on both the “Q” and the “645”.
Their profitable lines seem to be down to K-mount.

[Serkevan]

Pentax has given every sign of having given up on both the “Q” and the “645”.
Their profitable lines seem to be down to K-mount.

And for Ricoh Imaging at large, not even Pentax... Theta and GR mostly.

[reh321]

And for Ricoh Imaging at large, not even Pentax... Theta and GR mostly.

I would have purchased an EVF-equipped “Q” if they had produced one.
I might sometime purchase a replacement for my KP.
We might have a lot less pressure on our budget in the future.

[JPT]

There's a big difference between 645 and Q.

- 645 has a currently available body, a full range of lenses and the 645z was sitting behind the company president when he made a commitment to the future of SLRs

- Q has no current bodies, a few lenses are still on the market and the brand that made it is now committed to a different type of camera

In summary, Q is discontinued, 645 is not. There is no evidence to suggest K-mount is more or less profitable than 645. And thinking logically, if you want to focus on high-end product, why would you steer away from your most expensive system, which has few competing systems?

You might be thinking that a new 645 camera is overdue, but that's just impatience. This is a system that has had just 5 models since 1984. It has long lifecycles.

[reh321]

There's a big difference between 645 and Q.

- 645 has a currently available body, a full range of lenses and the 645z was sitting behind the company president when he made a commitment to the future of SLRs

- Q has no current bodies, a few lenses are still on the market and the brand that made it is now committed to a different type of camera

In summary, Q is discontinued, 645 is not. There is no evidence to suggest K-mount is more or less profitable than 645. And thinking logically, if you want to focus on high-end product, why would you steer away from your most expensive system, which has few competing systems?

You might be thinking that a new 645 camera is overdue, but that's just impatience. This is a system that has had just 5 models since 1984. It has long lifecycles.

No, I am thinking of statements by Pentax that they are concentrating on the K-mount, and of equal reluctance at CP+ 2019 to talk about “Q” and “645”.

[JPT]

No, I am thinking of statements that Pentax is concentrating on the K-mount, and of equal reluctance at CP+ 2019 to talk about “Q” and “645”.

There were other interviews around the same time where they mentioned that the future 645 line being about about increased image quality and not about cost reduction. There was also an interview some time before that when they said how it would be desirable to reduce the size of future 645 bodies. I guess that one would be three years ago by now.

I think they tend to talk less about 645 when they speak to overseas journalists simply because they know the audience is not so interested, and maybe because they don't have anything new to promote at that particular show. They sell the majority of 645 gear in Japan. The system is very well regarded by landscape photographers over here, and Ricoh often features 645 photographers in their galleries.

We'll see what happens. I'd be surprised to see Ricoh suddenly go all-in with multiple lens releases for 645. But I'd be even more surprised to see them move towards discontinuation. My best guess is an updated more compact 100mp model later this year, possibly with IBIS for Real Resolution. And then sporadic lens refreshes with updated coatings over the next few years. In other words, just keep it going for their existing market.

But anyway, I think to talk about Q and 645 in the same sense because of the omission of those words in a sentence that was about commitment to K-mount is a misreading of the situation. They didn't mention GR, Theta, WG or binoculars either. Does that mean they are not going to be continued?

[ThorSanchez]

But anyway, I think to talk about Q and 645 in the same sense because of the omission of those words in a sentence that was about commitment to K-mount is a misreading of the situation. They didn't mention GR, Theta, WG or binoculars either. Does that mean they are not going to be continued?

Have they not released any new verions of the GR, Theta, WG or binoculars since 2013 or 2014?

I still tend to think of the GRIII as a pretty new camera, but it's been out almost as long as the GRII was before replacement (a little over three years) and people wondered if the GR line was dead. Both the Q and 645 bodies have been untouched for seven years. In consumer electronics that's a long time, especially with no rumored replacement even under development, much less ready to be released.

Q and 645 are mostly dead more than the Dread Pirate Roberts.

[Zygonyx]

There were other interviews around the same time where they mentioned that the future 645 line being about about increased image quality and not about cost reduction. There was also an interview some time before that when they said how it would be desirable to reduce the size of future 645 bodies. I guess that one would be three years ago by now.

I think they tend to talk less about 645 when they speak to overseas journalists simply because they know the audience is not so interested, and maybe because they don't have anything new to promote at that particular show. They sell the majority of 645 gear in Japan. The system is very well regarded by landscape photographers over here, and Ricoh often features 645 photographers in their galleries.

We'll see what happens. I'd be surprised to see Ricoh suddenly go all-in with multiple lens releases for 645. But I'd be even more surprised to see them move towards discontinuation. My best guess is an updated more compact 100mp model later this year, possibly with IBIS for Real Resolution. And then sporadic lens refreshes with updated coatings over the next few years. In other words, just keep it going for their existing market.

But anyway, I think to talk about Q and 645 in the same sense because of the omission of those words in a sentence that was about commitment to K-mount is a misreading of the situation. They didn't mention GR, Theta, WG or binoculars either. Does that mean they are not going to be continued?

I would agree with that, and i personnaly advised 2,5 years ago to the RI European president to issue a "compact" 645, let it be of the mirrorless type (conversely, i indicated him that i didn't see any global benefit to go mirrorless for the K-mount).
My only concern is twofold in this respect :
- would RI put the R&D funds for such a now ultra-competitive medium format market (Fuij...) ; if the answer is "yes", they should imho bring the "full MF format" sensor up, in order to justify the price gap.
- what sensor format would they choose, depending on the mostly old lens lineup that will risk poor performance against it (and the conversely discontinuation/replacement for the 645 DA28-45mm lens if they choose the "big" sensor).
But for sure, it would have to be 100 Mpix resolution.

[Belnan]

One thing for sure is that this forum will be around long after the last Pentax camera is released... Which could be this year for all we know.

[Zygonyx]

I - for sure - bet that we at least get a 42-61 Mpix K-1 III within 18 months from now

[Mistral75]

(...)

I still tend to think of the GRIII as a pretty new camera, but it's been out almost as long as the GRII was before replacement (a little over three years) (...)

The GR III under development was presented at Photokina 2018 but the camera was announced on 22 February 2019, less than two years ago and almost four years after the GR II (18 June 2015).

[biz-engineer]

I - for sure - bet that we at least get a 42-61 Mpix K-1 III within 18 months from now

Of course