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Ricoh has announced the new Pentax WG-90. And true to form, it’s pretty much identical to its predecessor. In fact, I can’t see a single difference in the specs. The only change is that it has a Pentax logo instead of a Ricoh one.
The camera that’s been largely unchanged since 2017’s Ricoh WG-50 and sees no upgrades from the Ricoh WG-80 (buy here) whatsoever. It comes in either black or blue and will become available in early 2024.
Well, I think this has to be the dumbest snake oil nonsense product I’ve seen so far this year. Being sold by the “Ding ding dong crazybtplay Store” on AliExpress, these masks claim to turn your Ricoh GR into a Hasselblad XPan.
Of course, the claim is ridiculous. But, the product aims to let you see and shoot ultra-wide format panoramic images with your Ricoh GR, GR II or GR III. It does this by placing a mask over your lens, essentially cropping at the point of capture.
It’s no secret that Pentax is working on a film camera. They’ve actually made quite a big deal of it, with the launch of a video series documenting some of its development. At least, the parts of its development they’re currently prepared to post publicly. The first announcement that Pentax is pursuing film again came in December 2022. In May of this year, we saw an update that suggested the first film camera would be some form of compact.
Now, although there’s no new video yet, Pentax is showing off a prototype of the new camera at an exhibition in Japan. The PENTAX Film Project Exhibition, which runs til the end of July, is being run by Ricoh themselves. As with the videos, though, they’re not showing off all the details just yet. It’s encased in an acrylic display stand, with the winding lever and part of the grip being the only visible parts.
In December, Pentax announced they were developing a new film camera. At the time, there was no real information on exactly what type of film camera it would be. In fact, it wasn’t even revealed whether it would use 35mm film or medium format. And while many hoped for a modern-day update to the Pentax 67 or a fully mechanical 35mm SLR, it seems that the first new Pentax film camera will be a compact camera.
The information comes in the second video update for the Pentax “Film Project”, where they expressed gratitude for the overwhelming feedback they’ve received. Given that feedback, it seems that Pentax may be planning to do a range of cameras in the future and that this isn’t just a one-off.
Pentax is an odd duck, for sure. They’ve held onto DSLRs with a death grip against the onslaught of DSLRs, which could potentially become their undoing in a few years. Now, though, it seems that instead of taking a step towards the future, they’re taking one into the past. But it’s not a backwards step! Film’s resurgence over the last decade or so is no secret. New film brands seem to be popping up regularly and even Kodak is struggling to keep up with demand.
It’s a trend that has not gone unnoticed by Pentax, who have always been a more familiar brand amongst film shooters than digital. So now, they’ve launched a new Film Camera Project. In a press release, the company said the project entails research and developing new Pentax brand “film camera products”, bringing together both veteran and younger engineers to take advantage of both old and new tech.
In a recent article on Japanese outlet Newswitch, Ricoh CFO Shun Kawaguchi says that the company is looking to essentially dump some of its business in order to be able to focus its time and money on more lucrative areas of the company. There was no explicit mention of Pentax, Ricoh’s own branded cameras or the Theta series of 360° cameras, although logically, they might be some of the first up for the chopping block – and probably in that order.
Pentax’s defiance of market trends and its steadfast refusal to enter the mirrorless market could be its downfall. Who could’ve seen that one coming, huh? Pentax proclaimed in 2019 that users would start switching from mirrorless back to DSLRs within 1-2 years. Well, it’s 2022, and that hasn’t happened. In 2020, they reaffirmed their commitment to DSLRs. And just last month, they released the entirely underwhelming Pentax KF – which is basically just a K-70 with a flippy-out LCD.
Pentax has now officially announced the new Pentax KF APS-C DSLR. I say “new”, but it’s not really that much different to the K-70. It’s had a few minor tweaks, but one major update is that it now has a proper flippy out LCD with a slightly higher resolution than its predecessor. It has some new custom image modes and features the special edition Kyushu and Katen Custom Image modes (with supported lenses).
Other than that, though, not much has really changed. It’s almost identical to the K-70 in its exterior other than the LCD, assuming you don’t go for one of the fancy limited edition Crystal Blue or White colour options, and you’d be hard-pushed to tell the difference between them if not for the fact it has “KF” written on it. It’s more of an incremental replacement rather than an upgrade.
Ricoh has reportedly sent out an email to customers informing them that they’re shutting down their EU website at Ricoh-Imaging.eu on September 5th. It seems that the singular all-encompassing website is to be replaced by a number of brand-specific websites. This will allow them to target each specific demographic rather than having a single catch-all website for all their customers across all sectors.
According to the email sent out by Pentax, they “are currently creating new exciting websites for you. Our new websites will be brand oriented and will therefore have greater value for you. The first website will be opening soon” but some users fear that this may be Ricoh’s plan to split off Pentax to make it easier to sell off. Whatever the ultimate goal, existing Ricoh customers (in all markets) need to pay attention.
Ricoh’s limited-edition GR IIIx Urban Edition camera, released in March as a kit including some matching accessories now appears to have made it into the regular lineup. Ricoh has announced that the GR IIIx Urban Edition is going to be available to purchase as a standalone edition camera for $1,049.95.
It’s $50 more expensive than the standard Ricoh GR IIIx and $50 less expensive than the limited edition GR IIIx Urban Edition kit that was released in March. And for that $50 reduction, it seems that all you’re really losing out on is the matching leather strap compared to the Urban Edition kit.
Ricoh has announced their new WG-80, the latest in their line of rugged and waterproof compact cameras designed for underwater, outdoor and industrial photography. With the newest iteration, it actually sees a slight (very slight) redesign of the camera’s exterior, although the specifications remain pretty much identical to its predecessor (and its predecessor’s predecessor).
Aside from the slightly modified shell, the Ricoh WG-80 also sees a new macro LED ring light that Ricoh says is twice as bright as that found in the WG-70. They also say it has “enhanced functionality”, but it all appears to essentially be the same as the Ricoh WG-70.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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