Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
07-01-2023, 03:37 AM
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So, here are my thoughts on Ricohs or rather Pentaxes Future:
Lets take a look at their current line up of cameras:
The K3 III was a long awaited an very good continuation of the popular K-3 series. Introduced in 2021 it was on par or better to the also respected Nikon D500 from march 2016. It got better AF Performance, more AF Points, finally 4K and an even improved Viewfinder along much more features.
However for about half of a K-3 Mark III you could buy a Sony a6400 (from 2019) with better AF if you can live with an EVF. Given the far better AF Performance of the a6400 through the eye AF and also tenacious tracking in continuos AF i would consider it to be more versatile. Given the fact that it still is a tad more than half as expensive as a K-3 Mark III (without lenses) it is easier to recommend (unless you are heavily invested into K-Mount.) Besides the AF there are also a lot mor lens options nowadays on e mount than on k mount.
How about the K-1.
Introduced in april 2016 it was also long awaited and finally adds a digital Fullframe option to the K-Mount System. The K-1 Mark II did add a few more features but other than that there was no significant upgrade to the K-1 line in the mean time. Meanwhile Canon and Nikon dropped the DSLRs entirely and moved to mirrorless systems which became more and more capable.
And the K-F als an Entrylevel Camera?
Honestly speaking. This camera is just outdated. The AF System though with minor improvements is essentially the same as the one from the K-200D from 2008. For its recommended price from about 1k $ it is just overpriced and the rest of its features are basic (which is not a bad thing, but not enough to justify the high price).
Given their current lineup of cameras it is pretty clear, that pentax can not compete with modern mirrorless cameras and that is also not what the should try. Which in turn also means that the amount of new customers who are looking for good all around cameras deciding for pentax will be rather limited. (Some stores in my city completly ceased to sell Pentax gear and as bad as that sounds I can understand that.)
So will there be a K-1 Mark 3 with 4K, better AF and a higher resolution Sensor? They know that whatever K-1 Update they can bring out, they will only attract pentaxians and an negligible amount of people from other systems. So on one side we have the high development cost and on the other an decreasing amount of potential customers which in turn requires again a higher pricetag to make up for that. That does not really make the camera competitive. So i think a K-1 Mark 3 in the near future is rather unlikely. Will it come eventually? I actually do think so, probably in the next 5 years but don't hold your breath for that.
As Pentax can not compete directly with the mirrorless systems. They can only search for niches. And i think that is their current plan and also something they are quite good at. The K-3 Mark 3 Monochrome obviously hit a nerv, so did the Ricoh GRs and remember the Filmproject. I think that this is the general direction Ricoh will go. Focus on niche markets and grow as well as cater its fanbase.
So what will come next in the Pentax system?
Probably a few good fullframe film cameras with some digital tech. Which again is very niche but also unique. I expect some more lenses focussed on that direction as well. Maybe a few more tiny limited lenses with character. I do not really see any high quality fullframe zoom lenses comming to be honest. Whoever wants that is now far better off with the other brands. I see them rather digout some old designs and improve upon them. A monochrome GR will probably come eventually.
A new K-1 will probably come after the have established some new film cameras. Maybe the film cameras will come in 2024. Which means that a new K-1 may follow in development which migth be done in 2026. And the update for the K-F will probably not come for the next five years. But that is pure speculation.
So is Pentax doomed?
I do not think so. But they are on a different path now that may not be to everyones liking, but it is in my mind a solid way to not just stay relevant but also add something very unique to the photographic community.
So keep fingers crossed, that the make it!
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-21-2019, 02:54 AM
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Hi everyone,
i have been keeping a close eye on our online store from Ricoh Imaging, as i wanted one of these Covers. They are now availabele and can be ordered since about this weekend. Blitzschuhabdeckung O-HC171
I did order mine and they have shipped it already.
Greetings
Tau-Ceti
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
06-19-2019, 07:03 AM
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Security of your files is neither the easiest task, nor the cheapest.
I would not recommend using USB Sticks.
- they can be lost easily
- they can break easily trough a few bad handlings
- they won't be more reliable than a usual harddrive
Before you buy into stuff, you should consider this common and good working rule for securing your data.
The 3-2-1 Rule:
- 3 Copies of your Data
- 2 places for them
- 1 out of your house (a friends house or a family members house)
Why is this a common principle?
- Some people say Data stored at one place should always be considered lost, no matter on what physical storage it is safed. (Harddrives fail, USB Sticks fail, SSDs fail, SD Cards fail, everything failes eventually)
- Data at your home can still be lost. For example through fire, lightning or burglary.
So, what are common solutions for this.
You might buy something like a NAS. (Network attaced Storage.) QNAP builds some of these and they are easy to use. (But expensive)
Thant NAS would then be filled with several HDDs. (Make a RAID 5 and you are safe from the failure of one drive.)
After that your data should still be safed on a additional HDD. Maybe again a RAID System.
Yes this is quite an expensive solution. But recovering 1 TB of Data through a qualified Service Company will cost you almost as much AND there will be no guarantee, that your Data can be restored.
If you have the money to buy expensive lenses an cameras, you should not spare on your data security.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
02-25-2019, 08:24 AM
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-07-2018, 03:07 PM
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This pattern is far to regular to be random noise.
Perhaps it is more visible here:
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
03-24-2017, 01:50 PM
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-27-2017, 01:00 PM
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
12-31-2016, 10:57 AM
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This is a remarkable shot. I almost want to cuddle them =)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-23-2016, 07:40 AM
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Well, there are some differences that you should consider.
1. The AF: The K-70 features the 11 Point AF System, with an updated chip? (SAFOX X instead of SAFOX IXi+ from the K-30/50)
The K-3 ii features the 27 SAFOX 11 Chip
2. Battery Capacity
K-70 D-Li 109 1050mAh
K-3 ii D-LI 90 1860mAh
3. GPS (K-3 ii) and no GPS (K-70)
Though the K-70 is very tempting, i am curious on the K-3 ii replacement.
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
01-15-2016, 02:36 PM
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Things i learned so far, that i consider helpful.
Well:
- the onboard flash is not as bad as its reputation. Set the settings on - 0.7 ev and every person will look rather normal instead of looking like someone who hasnīt showered in years.
- underexposure might be helpful to get faster shutter speeds or lower iso settings. This seems rather obvious, but - 0.7 ev can be easily corrected and aditional time might prove valuable in darker places. (If you use RAWs)
- you want to try Macrolenses, but havenīt decided yet if you want or need one at all. You could by an adapter to mount your kit-lens the other way around, works perfectly well and is a quite cheap solution too.
(Totally only five sentences ;)
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