[Pål Jensen]

Mr. Nozomi Tanaka:
Nozomi Tanaka: "I had the impression that it was completely different from the K-3 / K-3 II, another dimension, and the image was better than the K-1 Mark II." :w00t:

https://twitter.com/thisistanaka/status/1362223910310137856

How on Earth is that possible?

They have said from day one that it was rivaling FF in image quality. That's what I am most exited about....

[Serkevan]

Did Ricoh say that the K3 mk III is delayed but the D-FA 21 will instead come earlier (for us , full frame users)? That's good news.

I'll be unemployed for a while because of PhD shenanigans, so if they choose now to move a release forward I'm gonna be right miffed

---------- Post added 02-18-21 at 09:50 AM ----------

Wow, over three years since the discontinuation of the K3II aps-c flagship, with (still) no replacement in sight. Thank God I am not holding my breath...

Did you miss the pandemic? Lucky you...

[11GTCS]

I feel like every camera fandom is feeling this right now.... MFT fans are sweating about Olympus, the Canikon fans are always prognosticating doom and gloom whenever anything other than double digits margins increases are reported, etc.

Everyone needs to just enjoy their cameras! Pentax of all brands is not one fixated on keeping up with the Joneses, they instead seem to only answer to their own internal conscience and timing. Arguing over prices when they aren’t known for sure in each market, or arguing over a translation choice to try and justify hopes for a feature you wanted doesn’t seem productive to me...

Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m just the new guy, but to me Pentax is a brand that is normally filled with people content to shoot the bodies and lenses they have to make beautiful images. It’s part of what drew me to this system. Don’t let a long delay change that!

[normhead]

Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m just the new guy, but to me Pentax is a brand that is normally filled with people content to shoot the bodies and lenses they have to make beautiful images. It’s part of what drew me to this system. Don’t let a long delay change that!

My K-3 still does everything I want at the moment. I don't know what's going on with all these people in a hurry.

What's funny to me is how everyone complained Pentax didn't tell them anything. SO Pentax told us everything, now the camera is delayed. Good thing they told us about all that stuff, about a camera we can't buy.

Oh the irony.

[repaap]

Ricoh is sorry for more delays and they actually were afraid of something like this to happen. Every company has the same situation. What exactly is the problem at here?

[luftfluss]

What exactly is the problem at here?

Internet Culture. That's the problem.

[pentaxus]

The high ISO make me think that there might be something different about the sensor which might be the issue.

[repaap]

Internet Culture. That's the problem.

Ah, okay. Thanks for clarification

[reh321]

The high ISO make me think that there might be something different about the sensor which might be the issue.

I photographed at ISO over 800K with my KP using technology from several years ago.
Pentax used processing and the 'accelerator' to extend what the processor could do to accomplish that using generic sensors - not 'magic'.

[Mistral75]

Quo usque tandem abutere, Pentax, patientia nostra?

Shut up, you Bulgarian Cicero!

[normhead]

The high ISO make me think that there might be something different about the sensor which might be the issue.

They've already produced working pe-production models. It's unlikely at this point. They did have a delay of 6 months with the K-3 because they had issues with crosstalk on that sensor. But the K-3 was at a much earlier stage of development when they discovered the problem.

[FozzFoster]

I've been looking to buy a Canon Pixma Pro 200.
All stock has dried up for months.
My local camera store has had an order in since the beginning of the year and have not even heard an ETA from their rep when more stock will arrive.
All companies are hurting for supply chain management and manufacturing, not just Ricoh.

[repaap]

They've already produced working pe-production models. It's unlikely at this point. They did have a delay of 6 months with the K-3 because they had issues with crosstalk on that sensor. But the K-3 was at a much earlier stage of development when they discovered the problem.

Most likely they use part/parts in K-3III which has been ordered from other company. And if they can’t send them over, it is hard to make the camera they made pre production with already. So, when they get the parts, we will get to buy it if desired, that should be it..

[reh321]

Most likely they use part/parts in K-3III which has been ordered from other company. And if they can’t send them over, it is hard to make the camera they made pre production with already. So, when they get the parts, we will get to buy it if desired, that should be it..

Last March, when some Americans were comparing Covid to the flu, I did some research, and discovered a serious Covid situation in Thailand, where the average temperatures are around 90F year-round.
I am not aware of what adjustments have been made in SouthEast Asia, but between production and transportation, the Pandemic could explain parts shortages all by itself.
They will figure this out - but we need to be patient with them.

[luftfluss]

I'll repost this...

I'm pretty sure the delay is still because of the AKM fire back last October. they make all kinds of chips and sensors including several kinds that could be used in the K-3 III. Given the factory was completely taken out of action and they were saying six months to fix it, it seemed pretty optimistic at the time for Ricoh to say they were "targeting CP+ in February". I think they were just kicking the can down the road a little. Now they have caught up with it and they have to make another statement.

I wonder if some of the most unique and critical parts could have been sources from AKM, like the AF or metering sensor. It might be difficult to get custom parts like that from anywhere else. Mirrorless cameras seem to have more commonality in their parts. They may have more options to buy from elsewhere. If that's the case, Pentax cameras could be hit worse than mirrorless.

So it's disappointing but I'm not surprised. Ricoh has got their bit of bad news out of the way in advance of CP+. Hopefully they have some good news in the coming days about lenses, Theta and maybe GR.

Also...

In late October, a massive fire completely destroyed the AKM parts factory in Japan. While mostly responsible for A/V parts manufacture, speculation that it could affect the camera industry popped up a few weeks later. A new notice of camera parts shortage from Sony appears to confirm that link.Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) is responsible for producing parts that are critical to the production of A/V products, namely analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs). Both parts are hugely important in televisions, mobile phones, and any device that turns digital audio or video signals into analog video signals. At the time, there was some concern that the loss of this factory would have dire implications for parts availability in televisions, soundbars, disc players, and more.

Sony Parts Supply Shortage May Indicate AKM Factory Fire Directly Impacting Camera Industry