[gaddigad]

I don't want a camera with a Kodak manufactured sensor!

Kodak never understood why people expect more than 36 photos taken using the same sensor.
just kidding..
My Kodak Retina still fully works, no power source needed, and the lens is tack sharp.

[Adnan EROL]

ogl,
... FF camera would also be able to size down and use aps-c lenses...
wll

on the contrary,
isn't it possible to use aps-c lenses on FF camera without cropping the sensor ie to get FF image by changing the focus distance via a K-mount adapter?

[Ash]

ogl, all I can say is: you're a tease!
Great 'news' (if we can call it a 'truthful rumour'!)

Look forward to more news like this from you when you can share it mate!

(Also love the sarcastic title of your blog...)

[junyo]

Kodak has a long history of screw ups. The only thing I can think of is that Kodak is offering Pentax a FF sensor at an extremely low price. Kodak is such a messed up company; I really hope Pentax does not do business with them.

Kodak has been trying to peddle junk for how long?

Ever since that crappy Kodachrome, their optically perfect but undoubtedly screwed up mirror for the Hubble, and making sensors for low end POS's like Hasselblad and Leica.

Pentax should never do business with such a screwed up company.

[Angevinn]

Kodak had some decent film products like Kodachrome, Porta color and TMAX B&W (Porta and TMAX are both T-Grain) films. When I was shooting film I would use Porta for portraits. Kodak also had truly horrible, like 110, disc and APS films. For printing I was never a big fan of Kodak papers, I always used Fuji for color and Ilford for black and white. Now that I've gone digital I prefer Epson premium photo paper.

Back to the discussion:

Listen to Leica's Stephan Daniel's Discussion about the FF Kodak CCD
used in the new M9:

An Interview with Leica's Stephan DanielKarbe

Minute 36.39

A CMOS sensor would be necessary for Live View and Video.

Kodak shuts down its CMOS division:

Image Sensors World: Layoffs, Layoffs

A look at Kodak's sensor product page shows no CMOS products:

Kodak Image Sensor Solutions - CMOS, CCD, full frame, interline, linear image sensors

I also didn't mention another lawsuit of Kodak's; the one where Kodak sued Sony:

Kodak, Sony bury hatchet on digital camera patents - Ars Technica

The Hubble lens that is currently in the Hubble was manufactured by a subsidiary of General Motors. No wonder it's messed up. I'm not looking to shoot pictures of distant stars and galaxies. I just want the best, affordable K-Mount FF DSLR with Video and Live View to use my current and future Pentax glass on. I'm very happy with the Samsung CMOS sensor in my K20D and the new Pentax K-7 features an updated version of K20D sensor. The Pentax K-7 sensor also supports video and live view.

I still stand by what I said, Kodak stinks. Who is Kodak going to sue next?

Ever since that crappy Kodachrome, their optically perfect but undoubtedly screwed up mirror for the Hubble, and making sensors for low end POS's like Hasselblad and Leica.

Pentax should never do business with such a screwed up company.

[Urkeldaedalus]

1. New camera with crop-sensor with 8-9 fps (higher specs than K-7).
Second half of 2010.
P.S. K-7 goes to lower $900-1000.

2. 645D will be launched on spring, 2010. Very good featured. Very good price.

3. FF camera with 5 new FF lenses will be announced close to the end of 2010.
No info about date of sales. Forecast - first part of 2011.
Sensor - two options Not SONY.

4. Micro-APS system will announced too. Maybe it will be the camera like Leica X1 with 40 mm lens. Not clear.


Is it beyond Hoya's power?

Accomplishing all of it might be outside of Hoya's power, but even if only a few of these rumors come true Pentax will be in good shape. I think there is reason to be more optimistic for the future than we have been in awhile, but that's more of a gut feeling from what I've been reading lately.

1. This would be great. One way or the other I hope the K-7 gets lowed nicely into that Nikon D90/vacant Pentax K200D price slot within the next year. I think it will perform very well there through early to mid 2011.

2. Looks like this will come true as well. The price may make a huge difference in how successfully it performs.

3. This would also be great, even without the 5 new lenses (pretty ambitious unless they're just adapting old designs) Pentax could use this full frame camera to fill the $1,000-$2,000 price range.

4. An EVIL crop camera in addition to all of this? I'm not sure if I could see them pulling that off, especially considering how much Samsung is struggling to get a similar camera off the ground. Maybe either this or the full frame cam will actually materialize. Unless, of course, those rumors about Ricoh doing/cooperating on the development of this particular camera turn out to be true. Then it wouldn't be such a drain on Pentax's R&D.

[bogiesbad]

"At the beginning of the development of the K-7, the camera body designers assigned to the project team were given two formidable goals to achieve. First was to design a camera body that would make it the perfect partner for top-of-the-line Limited-series lenses — invaluable assets for Pentax. Second, to downsize the camera body to the dimensions of the *ist-D (as the K20D was felt by many to be too cumbersome). In short, these goals were set to make the K-7 the flagship model of Pentax’s digital camera lineup."

That's a quote from OK1000 Pentax Blog, Monday Sept. 21 entry.

I'm not sure where the K-7 stands in the lineup but the notes from the designers reveal how much Pentax pride went into it's design and execution.

[ogl]

K-8 (?) is under development. with new AF-C system and high fps.
it's true.

as for FF - Pentax is bringing into development the camera and lenses. But don't hope for quick release.

K-8 (?) is under development. with new AF-C system and high fps.
it's true.

as for FF - Pentax is bringing into development the camera and lenses. But don't hope for quick release.

Also with improved video function is what I heard. Also they should get rid of that stupid knob on the right upper hand corner of the lens mount. It is aesthetically not appeasing. They really wanted to for K-7, but they were not able to.

[ryan s]

A few years ago Walgreens (a large American drug store chain based in suburban Chicago) kicked Kodak photo equipment out of their stores and replaced all the Kodak photo processing equipment with Fuji. There was a big write up in the Chicago Tribune about it. Kodak had originally sold Walgreens photo processing equipment that was prone to break down and messy among other things. Kodak sourced the photo processors from Germany and wasn't able to service or supply parts for the machines. Walgreens was left holding the bag on all these useless, expensive machines. Walgreens dumped Kodak and went with Fuji (Wal Mart later did the same thing). I couldn't find the article on the web, but I remember it being a prominently placed article and thinking how badly Kodak must have ticked off Walgreens to make them do something like this.

Those were Agfa machines (who went under), and that's the reason why your local, older store's lab probably still sports bright yellow Kodak decor. Only the slowest labs are stuck with the Agfa machines.

The Fujis are actually really easy to work with/on. After a while, stuff like paper jams (damn you, Frontier 350 ) were 10 second fixes.

Ever since that crappy Kodachrome, their optically perfect but undoubtedly screwed up mirror for the Hubble, and making sensors for low end POS's like Hasselblad and Leica.

Pentax should never do business with such a screwed up company.

All I can say: "Remember the MZ-D and Contax..."

K-8 (?) is under development. with new AF-C system and high fps.
it's true.

as for FF - Pentax is bringing into development the camera and lenses. But don't hope for quick release.

Leave already.

Also with improved video function is what I heard. Also they should get rid of that stupid knob on the right upper hand corner of the lens mount. It is aesthetically not appeasing. They really wanted to for K-7, but they were not able to.

Upper right...? What knob is that?

[monochrome]

Ogl - all your baseless rumors are belong to us.

Somebody set up us the bomb on these rumors.

[Ash]

K-8 (?) is under development. with new AF-C system and high fps.
it's true.

as for FF - Pentax is bringing into development the camera and lenses. But don't hope for quick release.

If you're not sworn to secrecy, please disclose the source of these so-called truths...

You know, it is right between the AF assist lamp and the "SR" sign. A slightly raised "bump," just behind the lens mount at about 10 o'clock. If you put your right hand around the grip, and if you push the shutter button with your index finger, it is at about where the tip of your middle finger will end up. I think a part of the mechanism that control the aperture blades is housed there is what I told.

[ogl]

I've got new info - FF could be cheaper than we expect.

I've got new info - FF could be cheaper than we expect.

How much? Less than $2,000 US???