[clackers]

I understand losing money on medium-format cameras to earn money on medium-format lenses.
I understand losing money on point-and-shoot cameras to lure people into a brand of ILCs.
I can even understand losing money on cameras to earn money on prints and digital services.

But I cannot understand losing money on a $5000 GFX wedding portrait camera just to entice the bridesmaids to use $80 instax cameras for candid snapshots at the reception.

I sure hope that Ricoh isn't losing money on $14000 web offset printing presses just to sell $120 nifty-fifty f/1.8 lenses!

No, they're not an enticement, it's the other way round. Film and printing presses offset losses in digital cameras.

Canon, Nikon and Sony clearly regard medium format as an indulgence they can't make a profit out of. They have *never* entered that market, despite being desperate for extra sales.

So it seems to make sense only for an attempt by a niche player, and even then ... it's tenuous. Ricoh have not sunk money into a new product - either lens or body - for some years, and Hasselblad couldn't make money and were sold to the Chinese drone manufacturer DJI.

[gaweidert]

Or like me, you just want a camera with an autofocus system that makes the 150-450 perform like a $2000+ lens. The K-3 doesn't, and the K-1 isn't that much better.

I am reasonably happy with the D FA 150-40 on my K3, pretty happy with it on my K1 and K1-II. If the new K3-III makes it sing, then I am all in and will not fully abandon the APSc format. In the last three years I have taken my K3 out exactly twice though I do pull it out more often to verify operation. If a new full frame camera comes out with the same performance level I will definitely get that too.

[boriscleto]

I am reasonably happy with the D FA 150-40 on my K3, pretty happy with it on my K1 and K1-II. If the new K3-III makes it sing, then I am all in and will not fully abandon the APSc format. In the last three years I have taken my K3 out exactly twice though I do pull it out more often to verify operation. If a new full frame camera comes out with the same performance level I will definitely get that too.

I guess I found the end of the rainbow today



Now Ricoh just needs to ship.

[sprint113]

I'm wondering, did anyone ever DIY their own grip for their KP? If the KP were more popular, I would expect to have seen a market for third party/custom grips. In theory, you could have done something like a custom headphone or shoe insoles and have a grip designed for your particular hand.

[carlb]

I'm wondering, did anyone ever DIY their own grip for their KP? If the KP were more popular, I would expect to have seen a market for third party/custom grips. In theory, you could have done something like a custom headphone or shoe insoles and have a grip designed for your particular hand.

This sort of thing is about the only improvement I wished for with the KP. Something like the carveable grip you used to be able to buy for the LX so you could get a grip that fitted your own hand perfectly. Alas, now that the KP has been discontinued it's not going to happen. I did toy with the idea of trying to make one myself from the rear frame of one of the KP grips and a piece of timber but it would have been way too complex to make something to fit the grip frame (at least with my limited woodworking skills).

[noelpolar]

I'm wondering, did anyone ever DIY their own grip for their KP? If the KP were more popular, I would expect to have seen a market for third party/custom grips. In theory, you could have done something like a custom headphone or shoe insoles and have a grip designed for your particular hand.

I have a wood one half finished.... but then found the medium one ok.... so lost interest..... I quite like the medium one when using the battery grip as well.

Initially.... when I got a KP.... I think I suffered from K3/K1 grip'itis.... but .... this soon cleared up and I found the KP nice to handle in it's own right.... and it has attributes that will keep it relevant in a multi camera garage.

[ffking]

I originally thought it was a silly move to get rid of the KP -rather ditch the K-70 - but now I'm coming round t thinking that it could be quite a smart move to produce a series of one-off when it's gone it's gone models - quite an encouragement not to put off getting one -not that that's necessarily what the plan is, but it could work

[PocketPixels]

No, they're not an enticement, it's the other way round. Film and printing presses offset losses in digital cameras.

So it seems to make sense only for an attempt by a niche player, and even then ... it's tenuous. Ricoh have not sunk money into a new product - either lens or body - for some years, and Hasselblad couldn't make money and were sold to the Chinese drone manufacturer DJI.

Companies don't tolerate money-losing products for very long. Either a product earns money outright, or it earns attention and glory for other products that do earn money outright. If a GFX camera doesn't earn money for Fujifilm, then a GFX camera must make some other Fujifilm product—digital lenses, Instax cameras, film cameras—more desirable.

You seem to be saying that GFX is a complete money loser for Fujifilm, and that Fujifilm earns so much profit on other, unrelated film products that it doesn't mind this dead weight on its balance sheet. Do I understand you correctly? I remain skeptical. Fujifilm management (and shareholders) would insist on killing off the GFX line if it brought no direct OR indirect benefit to the company.

Pentax is still its own brand, so the "attention and glory" of Pentax cannot redound to Ricoh's larger reputational delight as a printing press manufacturer. Therefore, I'm sure that Pentax—from the 645Z down to the OME-53 eyepiece—earns money for Ricoh directly. If DJI cannot make money off of Hasselblad cameras, they will either squeeze a lot of branding goodwill via "Hasselblad Drone Lenses" or they will kill the brand after a few quarters.

Companies can be frustrating, disappointing, polluting, or even criminal, but companies cannot be irrational, not for very long.

[mikesbike]

this soon cleared up and I found the KP nice to handle in it's own right.... and it has attributes that will keep it relevant in a multi camera garage.

I very much agree. You've also got me curious about how the medium grip works with the battery grip. The largest supplied grip is designed to fit together with the battery grip, so when I get around to it, I'll try out the medium grip setup instead.

[noelpolar]

I very much agree. You've also got me curious about how the medium grip works with the battery grip. The largest supplied grip is designed to fit together with the battery grip, so when I get around to it, I'll try out the medium grip setup instead.

I just spent a week or two with it in this configuration... mostly because I don't like swapping the grips when I want to use it without the battery drip..... anyway... with the medium grip in conjunction with the battery grip I find.... my main fingures fit the medium grip with the pinky finger on the battery grip..... the "ridge" between the grips actually positively helps locate the fingures.