Pentax FF Dead, Maybe

Lancer3397
Posted 18/10/2013 - 09:38 Link
i think with the imminent release of a neat sized FF camera from sony in the form of the A7 and A7r, that will kill off any remaining consideration by pentax for FF.
Pentax K3, DA 18-55 WR, Sigma 50-500 EX DG HSM, Pentax M-50, a bucket load of SD cards, some lights and a lightbox
MattyH
Posted 18/10/2013 - 09:43 Link
michaelblue wrote:
MattyH wrote:
Now before I start, I know this is yet another thread of thousands that have been started before. But.

I work in marketing and happened to speak to someone in China last night who works for a firm who is contract out to another firm that works with Pentax/Ricoh in Far East marketing.

I was informed that Ricoh have pulled all the funding and the contract for the future Pentax FF camera from that contract and informed the said company they may require them again in the next 18-24 months.

Now I just thought Ricoh may have just wanted to change contracts to a different company, but as far as any of us can tell, no one else has had any other contact or info on why they have done this, except the whole FF project has either been pulled or put back due to other projects.

Please be aware this is third hand info, but it is from someone I have had dealings with for the past 10 years and who I trust.

Just thought I would share..
......so you heard this from someone in China who works for someone else who is contracted by someone else who works with (not for) Ricoh.....seems pretty reliable
Come on I posted that 2 months ago, keep up will you, I know there is a slight time difference, a lot can happen in this market place in that time, but with cheaper and cheaper FF cameras coming on the market, like the post above states, I don't think Pentax/Ricoh could compete now even if they wanted to.
Edited by MattyH: 18/10/2013 - 09:44
Algernon
Posted 18/10/2013 - 10:29 Link
Pentaxophile wrote:
Well of course I drive a Honda Civic 1.6 and can't imagine why anyone would need anything 'better'... horses for courses
Glad your happy..... but if ever you feel the urge....
you could always ask Honda to make a 3.2 Litre version!

I'm sure they will oblige!

--
Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi
tyronet2000
Posted 18/10/2013 - 10:48 Link
Algernon wrote:
Ricehigh's just posted a link to some photos taken with
a Pentax K-5iiS + NEW 21mm HD. Looking at them I can't
imagine why anyone would need anything better

http://news.mapcamera.com/KASYAPA.php?itemid=22519

Some good samples of other Pentax/Ricoh gear...
http://news.mapcamera.com/KASYAPA.php?catid=281&blogid=64

You could take two shots and stitch them together to
make a FF shot


--
love that image of the cat with the made for Royal Ascot style blue hat
Regards
Stan

PPG
Edited by tyronet2000: 18/10/2013 - 10:49
Vaards
Posted 18/10/2013 - 10:56 Link
Algernon wrote:
Ricehigh's just posted a link to some photos taken with
a Pentax K-5iiS + NEW 21mm HD. Looking at them I can't
imagine why anyone would need anything better

http://news.mapcamera.com/KASYAPA.php?itemid=22519

Some good samples of other Pentax/Ricoh gear...
http://news.mapcamera.com/KASYAPA.php?catid=281&blogid=64

You could take two shots and stitch them together to
make a FF shot

--
I am rather shure that new 21mm limited has zero improvement compared to previous one.

Besides this - now it is cheaper look lens (everybody in crowd uses red colors for lenses). HD is abreviation what is used for cheap items to make look them more expencive. Although SMC was true legend and all of us was proud with these letters, believieng that these letters would never produce flares like we can see with scyscraper sample.
Pentaxophile
Posted 18/10/2013 - 11:37 Link
Algernon wrote:
You could always ask Honda to make a 3.2 Litre version!

I'm sure they will oblige!

--
One thing I wouldn't do is go around saying that the 2.4L vtec version doesn't offer any performance benefits and therefore isn't worth considering. I'm happy with a midrange car and a midrange camera, but for those people who are really serious about their motoring and their photography, and have reached a certain level of skill, upgrading to a better engine / sensor format might make sense
Edited by Pentaxophile: 18/10/2013 - 11:38
Smeggypants
Posted 19/10/2013 - 03:28 Link
Pentaxophile wrote:
Algernon wrote:
You could always ask Honda to make a 3.2 Litre version!

I'm sure they will oblige!

--
One thing I wouldn't do is go around saying that the 2.4L vtec version doesn't offer any performance benefits and therefore isn't worth considering. I'm happy with a midrange car and a midrange camera, but for those people who are really serious about their motoring and their photography, and have reached a certain level of skill, upgrading to a better engine / sensor format might make sense
So you think there's a correlation with how serious someone takes their photography and their level of skill and FF ?
[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
kh1234567890
Posted 19/10/2013 - 18:08 Link
Algernon wrote:
Ricehigh's just posted a link to some photos taken with
a Pentax K-5iiS + NEW 21mm HD. Looking at them I can't
imagine why anyone would need anything better

http://news.mapcamera.com/KASYAPA.php?itemid=22519

That flare is a bit worrying.

Comment Image


The best thing about the old SMC DA21 is that you can shoot right into the sun - at worst you get a starburst

Comment Image

Winter Sun by kh1234567890, on Flickr

Comment Image

Canopy by kh1234567890, on Flickr
DrOrloff
Posted 19/10/2013 - 18:42 Link
The 'better' really isn't for general, middle ground photography. My K5 at ISO100 or 200 is very good indeed and any improvement really would be fairly marginal for a large additional outlay. The benefits I think manifest themselves in more specialist areas. High ISO is essential for certain situations/genres and it is there where the larger sensor comes into its own. Nothing is proved at 800pixels wide. For large prints then the larger sensor makes sense. On the margins of excellence then the additional resolution counts. It counts for those who can make use of it. We have seen numerous photographers pass through the ranks and then go full frame when they need that extra quality, be it because they have found a specialism or have reached a level of accolade where they need to push on. I hope Pentax does something more to keep them. I think they are ideally placed to do so.
Edited by DrOrloff: 19/10/2013 - 18:44
Smeggypants
Posted 19/10/2013 - 20:39 Link
Restricting images to 800px wide on this forum is so Dinosaur.
[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
DrOrloff
Posted 19/10/2013 - 20:43 Link
I agree, very difficult to properly appreciate an image at that size.
Algernon
Posted 19/10/2013 - 21:08 Link
It's hard to tell what's causing the flare on the 21mm HD building shot.
It might be made worse by reflecting off the glass on the building.
It's also summer so I assume the sun would be stronger, but that
would depend on the exact location.

--
Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi
johnriley
Posted 19/10/2013 - 22:39 Link
Quote:
Restricting images to 800px wide on this forum is so Dinosaur.
Quote:
I agree, very difficult to properly appreciate an image at that size.
The gallery will accept larger images, but it's always a balance between file size and speed.

Sadly, 800px will have to serve so it's better to make your images the right size and not let the forum software do it for you.

It doesn't look too bad, and having said that I use my EPZ sized images (1000px)and they look OK to me. It's a message forum, not a gallery. Use the gallery for larger images?
Best regards, John
Smeggypants
Posted 19/10/2013 - 23:30 Link
johnriley wrote:
Quote:
Restricting images to 800px wide on this forum is so Dinosaur.
Quote:
I agree, very difficult to properly appreciate an image at that size.
The gallery will accept larger images, but it's always a balance between file size and speed.
That's why I say dinosaur. There's no need to limit image size for the download speed excuse in 2013. Won't be long before most of the country is on Fibre to cabinet broadband. I've just moved from 2MB/s to 75MB/s copper to fibre and there was no need for the 800px limit for download speeds when I had 2MB/s


Quote:

Sadly, 800px will have to serve so it's better to make your images the right size and not let the forum software do it for you.

It doesn't look too bad, and having said that I use my EPZ sized images (1000px)and they look OK to me. It's a message forum, not a gallery. Use the gallery for larger images?
I prefer to keep my images at a better, larger size. Then people can click on them and see the correct size.

As for 'message forum' ..... Images are frequently used to convey a message and there's even a dedicated forum called "Your Photos" specifically images collections.

The 800 limit is so dinosaur.
[i]Bodies: 1x K-5IIs, 2x K-5, Sony TX-5, Nokia 808
Lenses: Pentax DA 10-17mm ED(IF) Fish Eye, Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8, Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8, Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.2, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8, Sigma 135-400mm APO DG, and more ..
Flash: AF-540FGZ, Vivitar 283
Edited by Smeggypants: 19/10/2013 - 23:36
DrOrloff
Posted 20/10/2013 - 10:16 Link
Lancer3397 wrote:
i think with the imminent release of a neat sized FF camera from sony in the form of the A7 and A7r, that will kill off any remaining consideration by pentax for FF.
I think those cameras are turning a lot of heads. Surely Pentax is very well placed to compete in that sector should they so wish. The compact primes would be a perfect partner (apart from non weather sealing), it would just need a couple of wider options for a very attractive lineup.

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