Pentax 100 YEARS anniversary 2019!

**monochrome** · 01-02-2019, 11:34 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by The Squirrel Mafia

^ It's all good!

Only 57 more days until CP+! Will we see something before, during, or after CP+? Who knows!

Only 52 days until they turn asahi man loose.

The Squirrel Mafia · 01-02-2019, 11:40 AM

^ Hahahaha!

He'll probably start posting some random stuff in the near future.

**Merv-O** · 01-17-2019, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

Asahi Optical Co and successors no longer exists. It was wholly merged into Hoya Corp. Pentax isn’t a company, per se. It is just a brand of cameras and lenses marketed by Ricoh Imaging Co. Ltd., and not even a trade name until 1957 or so. If Ricoh does anything to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Asahi Optical Co. It will be purely a marketing gimmick.

That is absolutely correct, and therein lies the rub. Pentax is a surprisingly resilient brand given its history between Asahi, Honeywell, Hoya and now Ricoh....hell of a ride.

deus ursus · 01-18-2019, 12:59 AM - **1 Like**

Yeah, we're lucky that Ricoh bought the brand and not Sony. Just look at what happened to Konica/Minolta (or even Ericsson) to know why.

yucafrita · 02-07-2019, 10:37 PM - **3 Likes**

Just yesterday I realized that this years it's not only 100 years of Asahi Pentax, it was 50 years ago that Pentax introduced the 67. I way always under (wrong) impression that K-mount was the first bayonet type mount of Pentax but it was 67. I dont even know if there are 6x7 sensors out there but it would be a nice surprise if Pentax would come out with a digital 67. Now, since 645 has come down considerably in price and new players enter the MF game, Pentax could blow them if they produced a 67 for let's say 10k. They could even consider going mirrorless with it since the old 67 system is long gone. I wonder if Pros would appreciate such an adding format-wsie.

Zooland · 10-19-2019, 03:51 AM

Originally posted by Albert Siegel

The old Tokiwadai building can be seen here: Google Maps

I used to live a ten minute walk away from it. I used to visit fairly often. There used to be another building across the street, but it's now a massive apartment complex.

The old Pentax museum was closed by Hoya. They gave away most of the stuff inside to JCII Camera Museum

The Pentax Forum in Shinjuku is still around, but called Ricoh Square. It was recently renovated and still going strong. I was there yesterday and picked up a little something I needed.

You’re very lucky to live next door to Pentax.

PePe · 10-19-2019, 04:35 AM

Originally posted by yucafrita

Just yesterday I realized that this years it's not only 100 years of Asahi Pentax, it was 50 years ago that Pentax introduced the 67. I way always under (wrong) impression that K-mount was the first bayonet type mount of Pentax but it was 67. I dont even know if there are 6x7 sensors out there but it would be a nice surprise if Pentax would come out with a digital 67. Now, since 645 has come down considerably in price and new players enter the MF game, Pentax could blow them if they produced a 67 for let's say 10k. They could even consider going mirrorless with it since the old 67 system is long gone. I wonder if Pros would appreciate such an adding format-wsie.

Big sensors do exist. They are used in medical imaging and other special applications. However, they are very, very expensive, and producing a 67 for 10k is not feasible at the moment. But who knows, maybe some day !
File sizes and image processing would also be an issue.

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01-02-2019, 11:34 AM - 1 Like	#61
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by The Squirrel Mafia ^ It's all good! Only 57 more days until CP+! Will we see something before, during, or after CP+? Who knows! Only 52 days until they turn asahi man loose.

01-02-2019, 11:40 AM	#62
The Squirrel Mafia Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 3,056	^ Hahahaha! He'll probably start posting some random stuff in the near future.

01-17-2019, 02:46 PM	#63
Merv-O Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Philadelphia Photos: Albums Posts: 2,098	Originally posted by monochrome Asahi Optical Co and successors no longer exists. It was wholly merged into Hoya Corp. Pentax isn’t a company, per se. It is just a brand of cameras and lenses marketed by Ricoh Imaging Co. Ltd., and not even a trade name until 1957 or so. If Ricoh does anything to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Asahi Optical Co. It will be purely a marketing gimmick. That is absolutely correct, and therein lies the rub. Pentax is a surprisingly resilient brand given its history between Asahi, Honeywell, Hoya and now Ricoh....hell of a ride.

01-18-2019, 12:59 AM - 1 Like	#64
deus ursus Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Stårheim, Norway Posts: 659	Yeah, we're lucky that Ricoh bought the brand and not Sony. Just look at what happened to Konica/Minolta (or even Ericsson) to know why.

02-07-2019, 10:37 PM - 3 Likes	#65
yucafrita Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 459	Just yesterday I realized that this years it's not only 100 years of Asahi Pentax, it was 50 years ago that Pentax introduced the 67. I way always under (wrong) impression that K-mount was the first bayonet type mount of Pentax but it was 67. I dont even know if there are 6x7 sensors out there but it would be a nice surprise if Pentax would come out with a digital 67. Now, since 645 has come down considerably in price and new players enter the MF game, Pentax could blow them if they produced a 67 for let's say 10k. They could even consider going mirrorless with it since the old 67 system is long gone. I wonder if Pros would appreciate such an adding format-wsie.

10-19-2019, 03:51 AM	#66
Zooland Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 370	Originally posted by Albert Siegel The old Tokiwadai building can be seen here: Google Maps I used to live a ten minute walk away from it. I used to visit fairly often. There used to be another building across the street, but it's now a massive apartment complex. The old Pentax museum was closed by Hoya. They gave away most of the stuff inside to JCII Camera Museum The Pentax Forum in Shinjuku is still around, but called Ricoh Square. It was recently renovated and still going strong. I was there yesterday and picked up a little something I needed. You’re very lucky to live next door to Pentax.

10-19-2019, 04:35 AM	#67
PePe Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Helsinki, Finland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 597	Originally posted by yucafrita Just yesterday I realized that this years it's not only 100 years of Asahi Pentax, it was 50 years ago that Pentax introduced the 67. I way always under (wrong) impression that K-mount was the first bayonet type mount of Pentax but it was 67. I dont even know if there are 6x7 sensors out there but it would be a nice surprise if Pentax would come out with a digital 67. Now, since 645 has come down considerably in price and new players enter the MF game, Pentax could blow them if they produced a 67 for let's say 10k. They could even consider going mirrorless with it since the old 67 system is long gone. I wonder if Pros would appreciate such an adding format-wsie. Big sensors do exist. They are used in medical imaging and other special applications. However, they are very, very expensive, and producing a 67 for 10k is not feasible at the moment. But who knows, maybe some day ! File sizes and image processing would also be an issue.