Yes my K1 mki very occasionally does almost exactly this but just the first image black then normal without having to turn off etc.

Perhaps I should update to the latest firmware, though that fills me with dread!

Quote "Like I said, it's sad. So keep posting images and comments on here. Otherwise our hosts will be faced with the same problem."

Very true!

Text of the interview as translated by Google:
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Ricoh / Pentax made its big comeback at the Paris Photo Show for this year 2024 after 6 years of absence. A period during which the market evolved well and Pentax refocused its activity on sometimes surprising niche sectors, such as film, with the Pentax 17. We had the opportunity to discuss these different points with Yazid Belmadi, sales manager for France and Switzerland at Ricoh.

Let's get to the interview.
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In what frame of mind is Ricoh approaching this 2024 show?

We are particularly pleased to be back this year, after an absence since our last participation in the Salon de la Photo in 2018. In 2019, we were unable to attend due to events related to the brand's centenary, and subsequent events, including the Covid-19 pandemic, have further delayed our return.

It is therefore with great enthusiasm that we are returning to this event that we had missed. This edition is also an opportunity for us to present an important new product: the Pentax 17, one of the flagship products of the year.
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How is Ricoh doing this year?

The company is doing very well in 2024. It is certain that in terms of overall volume, we are quite far behind the other manufacturers. On the other hand, on the margin, we have excellent results. For the fourth year in a row, the company is making a profit.

We are profitable because we have niche products that stand out in their sector. The Ricoh GR III expert compacts are all the rage, as are the Pentax WG rugged compacts, which are almost alone in their segment. Not to mention the latest Pentax 17.

We have also been able to make the right savings, whether in human resources, R&D or manufacturing.
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Were you surprised by the success of the Pentax 17?

In Japan, and here too, we conducted a lot of research in the two years leading up to the launch of this project. Even before that, we had already noticed a growing interest in film photography.

We did some research, not formal like surveys, but enough to understand the profile of people buying used cameras, because this market was really recovering. In terms of photo work and sales of used cameras, the numbers were impressive.

That’s why Japan decided to enter the market with a new product, new and guaranteed, which is rare for used film cameras. However, targeting this specific market is never easy. Our main objective was well defined, but it was not only about this specific target.

We launched the product in June, and it started off very promising. Then the summer holidays and back-to-school season slowed the momentum, and we saw a decline in late summer. Currently, we are waiting to see if demand will pick up again, but it is still too early to say if the product will be a long-term success or if it will have a successor.
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Are you able to attract new customers to SLR? Or rather, are you consolidating your base?

To be honest, it is complicated to attract new customers to SLR. The market is constantly shrinking. Sales remain correct for us, but we see that the trend is downward.

We also observe that customers looking for SLRs are mainly older people.
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How to sell SLRs in 2024?

In 2024, it is becoming increasingly difficult. At the beginning, we could still highlight elements such as the optical viewfinder, but there has been so much progress in electronic viewfinders since then. And that's without counting the other advances. Frankly, this is no longer part of our current strategy, because sales in this area are decreasing.

We continue to offer this type of product, of course, but today, criteria such as weight and size have become essential for consumers. For our part, we can still highlight the image quality, which remains excellent.

It is therefore difficult to promote the advantages of these devices, except for purists, who still appreciate the charm of an optical viewfinder or a prism. It offers a different experience, but it is no longer really what the new generations are looking for.

Young people, on the other hand, have grown up with screens, whether on their phones or on hybrid devices. Their approach to photography is different, and it is this reality that we must take into account in our strategic choices.
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Is the hybrid market definitely closed for you?

I don’t have any data on this subject. I can’t say whether we won’t come back to it one day or whether the subject is definitely closed.
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When will there be a new full-frame SLR, a potential K-1 Mark III?

Unfortunately, I have no information about a new SLR model to come.
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Is the hybrid market definitely closed for you?

I have no data on this subject. I can't say whether we won't come back to it one day or whether the subject is definitely closed.
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When can we expect to see a successor to the Ricoh GR III?

Sales of the Ricoh GR III (and its variants) are phenomenal. We had to increase our production capacity this year, and we will have to do it again before the end of 2024. The market for expert compacts is quite limited, and even within this sector, we occupy a special place with a really very compact and discreet product.

The success is there, but nothing has leaked about a possible successor, even if it would not be illogical. I think that, if necessary, the fixed focal length should be kept. If I had to dream, I would lean towards a new choice of focal length, and perhaps a monochrome version. But, these are only hypotheses without any basis.
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Thanks to Yazid Belmadi for answering our questions. We would also like to thank the Ricoh France team for this interview.

Thanks, they look great!

I suspect it's to do with demosaicing which is needed to reconstruct a colour image from a Bayer type colour image sensor. Demosaicing inevitable produces artifacts of edge softening. With monochrome sensors or other unusual colour sensors like what Sigma used in their dslr's demosaicing is not needed hence the improved sharpness.

Indeed, it's one of the things that made me choose the K1 over the K1 mkii.

This information from dpreview could be useful:

link

Particularly look at this the 'Raw DR: ISO-invariance' image comparison tool, if you select the K1 and the K1 mark ii and look at a dark area say at ISO 640 it's apparent that what should be black looks fine in the K1 but has a purple tint with the K1 mark ii. You can play around with the ISO from 100 to 6400 and move the zoomed in area around the test image.

Quote: "In summary, given that the K-1 and K-1 II share the same sensor, we expect the K-1 II's sensor and electronics itself to be essentially ISO-invariant, like the K-1. However, noise reduction makes the K-1 II appear less ISO-invariant, but only due to forced noise reduction at higher ISOs. In fact, to retain more detail, you may be better off shooting at lower ISOs and boosting exposure to retain more detail and apply selective noise reduction yourself. Ultimately though, that's a workaround for an arguably poor decision on Pentax's part: namely, to force noise reduction - typically reserved for JPEG - onto even Raw shooters."

This purple tint is talked about and shown in this YouTube from timestamp about 4:40.

link

It seems the Mkii applies extra NR as the ISO is increased, this cannot be turned off even for RAW file!

Interesting, any chance of posting monochrome images from the converted camera in the image gallery?

I particularly like your final image. It takes me way back!

Cheers
Mike

I love the FA 50mm f1.4 on full frame, also the FA 50mm f2.8 macro which is a fantistic lens, it's so sharp!

M and K manual prime lens are very nice to, and even M42 Pentax or even Russian Helios 58mm show all their film charm. You can't really go wrong, they may not be perfect but I don't mind that.