Why Not?
I'm going against the grain here, but why not?
Of all camera makers, Pentax is in the absolute best position to release a new 35mm film body (all together now...K-Mount!), with Nikon already having one and Canon WAY back, because of their bayonet compatability changes. Olympus would be a contender, too, we won't mention Minolta, though.
The K mount makes this a viable, if quite niche, potential product, and I'll go one further. An A/F, fully auto-capable 35mm-film SLR body that works well with all legacy lenses (in M or Av). Metal body/frame construction, grip and/or winder available, DX-encoded or manual ISO, DOF preview, self-timer, mirror lock-up, changeable finder (or, at least, focusing screen). Around $1,000 USD. Bear in mind, this is a body you buy once, not every three years.
After it's developed, there'll be no need to upgrade nearly as often as a digital body. It might be a low-volume seller, but it would be a major publicity coup (yes, I know Nikon sells a 35mm film body. Besides you and I, who else knows about it?) especially if promoted correctly.
Pentax has a long history of making entire systems in a wide range of formats, especially in the film era. 110 (an SLR, no less!), 35mm, 645, 6x7. No, we don't have digital FF, but 35mm IS full frame, right?
Maybe Ricoh can coax a few pre-Hoya Pentax designers out of retirement(?) for one more run at it. Heck, if the clunky and clustered Df can sell a few units and create a major buzz by being a film-wannabe, what would real A/F LX do?
OK, it ain't gonna happen. There's zillions of Spotties, K1000's, ME's and everything newer, on the bay. I have three myself and wouldn't spend a grand for a newer version.
But, somebody might. And the publicity around a new 35mm film-body release? Priceless.
JMO,
Ron
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