A recent tweet from Japanese photographer Kimio Tanaka, a regular source of Ricoh/Pentax insider info, states that they have no plans to introduce a mirrorless camera in either 35mm or 645 medium formats. This time, it isn’t just a rumour leak. Tanaka says that in this case he is speaking on behalf of Ricoh and is not merely expressing an opinion.
Pentax has officially announced development of the HD PENTAX-D FA★85mm F1.4 ED SDM AW lens
Pentax has today officially announced the development of the new HD PENTAX-D FA★85mm F1.4 ED SDM AW K mount lens for Pentax. At the moment, this is just a development announcement, but some of the lens specs have been released, along with a single photo. And this one doesn’t appear to simply be a rebranded Tokina.
Ricoh announces HD Pentax-D FA 70–210mm F4 ED SDM WR telephoto zoom lens.
Pentax just announced the HD PENTAX-D FA 70–210mm F4 ED SDM WR Pentax K-mount lens. For Pentax APS-C cameras that is equivalent to 107–322mm. The lens will start shipping mid-March with a price tag of $1100.
Pentax informs us that this is a compact, lightweight and weather-resistant telephoto zoom lens for use with 35mm-format full-frame digital SLR providing great portability.
Pentax is not dead, as Ricoh announced development of new flagship APS-C DSLR
So, we don’t know what it’s called, but it will be a Pentax K mount DSLR, it will have an APS-C sized sensor and it will be released at some point in 2020. That’s pretty much all that Pentax has announced so far, other than the picture above. It doesn’t even have a name.
Perhaps some more info will appear in the coming days, though, as Ricoh say that it will be shown off at the “Pentax Meeting 100th Anniversary Special” event, scheduled to be held in Japan from September 21st.
Sigma dumps Pentax to focus on mirrorless – will no longer make K-mount DSLR lenses
Well, this is bad news for Pentax shooters. Sigma had already stopped creating Pentax versions of their newer Art, Sports and Contemporary series lenses, but was continuing to make the ones that had already been developed. Now, though, it seems they’ve finally ditched production of K-mount lenses completely, including the older ones.
According to a statement posted on the Czech Sigma Facebook page, the reason is to be able to focus on mirrorless systems, which is where Sigma sees the future of photography heading.
Ricoh denies rumors that it will stop using Pentax brand name
There has been a rumor going around that Ricoh will stop using Pentax brand name because it will lose the right to it. However, Ricoh has denied the rumor, saying that it will continue to use the Pentax brand when it comes to the camera business.
Ricoh thinks photographers will start switching from mirrorless back to DSLRs within 1-2 years
Imaging Resource recently published their interview with Ricoh execs at the CP+ trade show in Tokyo. They spoke about Ricoh’s plans for Pentax. But in amongst the conversation was Ricoh’s thoughts on the whole mirrorless vs DSLR debate. And, apparently, they think that the people who have switched to mirrorless will switch back to DSLRs within a couple of years.
The wait is over – The Pentax 11-18mm f/2.8 is here and so is a new 35mm f/2
The two new lenses from Pentax, the HD Pentax-FA 35mm f/2 and HD Pentax DA* 11-18mm f/2.8 ED DC AW leaked yesterday, are now official. People have been waiting a long time for that 11-18mm f/2.8, although the 35mm f/2 has been something of a surprise for Pentax shooters. Here are the full specs and prices, and now both lenses are available to pre-order.
Pentax is finally releasing their ultrawide 11-18mm f/2.8 zoom and new full frame 35mm f/2
It’s been a long wait. The HD Pentax-DA * 11-18mm f/2.8 ED DC AW was first announced way back in October 2017 at PPE. And, as Pentax shooters often do, they’ve been sitting patiently waiting for it to actually become a reality. Now, according to Nokishita, it’s finally coming. And there’s also a full-frame 35mm f/2 lens coming, too.
Why I switched from a full-frame DSLR to Pentax medium format
To shoot medium format has been a yearlong dream, but I have to admit I didn’t know it would be such a mind blowing experience. The Pentax 645Z (51,4 mega pixels) arrived on the market in 2014 and was the first camera to ever exceed 100 points in the DxOMark sensor test. For some unknown reason the score and review wasn’t published before 2017. There is plenty of info to be found on the internet concerning the camera specs so I won’t cover that in much detail. What is of greater interest to me and hopefully the reader is the medium format experience.
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