"When the team members traveled to Germany to attend the Photokina event, they were approached by a Pentaxian — an affectionate name given to PENTAX enthusiasts. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of a full-frame model in PENTAX’s SLR lineup. “Thanks to my PENTAX camera, I found the fun of photography, and I want to step up to the next level. However, all PENTAX now offers is the choice of an APS-C-size model or a much larger 645-series model, and nothing in between.”
The team member recalls the event: “At that moment, all of us were reminded that we must do everything to serve our existing PENTAX users. And we were convinced that a new lens mount is out of the question. We would have to develop an SLR camera which would let our users use their K-mount lenses, and would feature the optical viewfinder that has been so highly praised by them.”
Challengers | PENTAX K-1 Special site | RICOH IMAGING