Looks like Pentax has discontinued their KF, K3iii, k3 monochrome, and K1mk2. Basically, their entire line of dslr's. Really sad to see Pentax closing its operations. They were good cameras! 😞
freaklikeme wrote:
Isn't it a little early to start writing obituaries? They could just be winding down on the existing products in anticipation of new releases.
Most companies replace one camera at a time, not their whole lineup!
freaklikeme wrote:
Isn't it a little early to start writing obituaries? They could just be winding down on the existing products in anticipation of new releases.
I have a soft spot for Pentax ... but, since owning the K1 ... I reckon they're down to about 3 customers that are waiting for some new gear to drop. Not sure what their next move might be. Maybe they're working with Kodak and Polaroid to come up with a retro lineup.
Okay, a little snarky fun, but seriously ... what might they do for new release(s) that would keep them in the game? If they came up with a 30x30 (or up to 33x33) square format sensor, they could create a mini 6x6 system waist level viewing, that uses FF glass. Could be something niche vintage - modern.
Point being, I see pretty much anything they bring to market that is conventional / mainstream ... DOA ... just waiting for the coroner to make the announcement. Hopeful for them, but as iconic as their place in photographic history has been, their days are numbered ... at least in terms of a conventional place in the mainstream market (imo).
I kinda dug the concept of their mono with its build ... as an industrial tool, but never went there. The rest of the industry just offers too much to choose from for their positions to garner traction.
RustyBug wrote:
I have a soft spot for Pentax ... but, since owning the K1 ... I reckon they're down to about 3 customers that are waiting for some new gear to drop. Not sure what their next move might be. Maybe they're working with Kodak and Polaroid to come up with a retro lineup.
Okay, a little snarky fun, but seriously ... what might they do for new release(s) that would keep them in the game? If they came up with a 30x30 (or up to 33x33) square format sensor, they could create a mini 6x6 system waist level viewing, that uses FF glass. Could be something niche vintage - modern.
Point being, I see pretty much anything they bring to market that is conventional / mainstream ... DOA ... just waiting for the coroner to make the announcement. Hopeful for them, but as iconic as their place in photographic history has been, their days are numbered ... at least in terms of a conventional place in the mainstream market (imo).
I kinda dug the concept of their mono with its build ... as an industrial tool, but never went there. The rest of the industry just offers too much to choose from for their positions to garner traction....Show more →
As the last DSLR manufacturer, I think their audience is a little larger than three. The mirrorless cameras don't do it for everyone. And, for all either of us know, they've got a 61MP K1 mIII and a 40MP K mIV coming.
As far as I know they haven't made any announcements about ending their DSLR line. Also on the Ricoh Imaging Japan site there is a note about Pentax K-1 Mark II (Body only) stating that:
This item is currently out of stock. We are temporarily suspending order acceptance as the next shipment is expected in early July. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
All PENTAX K-3 Mark III monochrome sets are shown as Sold Out with comment "Due to popular demand, this item is now sold out." Most KF sets are also shown as Sold Out, but double zoom kit is available.
Maybe they are in a low volume production mode doing new production runs when there is enough demand back-log. Maybe something new is in the pipeline too.
Personally I've not had any of their DSLRs but my first cameras were Pentax film pocket cameras and I have a little collection of Pentax K-mount lenses (1st K-mount series). Always liked the brand.
Also, Pentax 17 and various WG series compact cameras remain in production / available. I think Ricoh would definitely keep using the Pentax brand for other types of releases even if there were no new DSLRs.
RustyBug wrote:
I have a soft spot for Pentax ... but, since owning the K1 ... I reckon they're down to about 3 customers that are waiting for some new gear to drop. Not sure what their next move might be. Maybe they're working with Kodak and Polaroid to come up with a retro lineup.
Okay, a little snarky fun, but seriously ... what might they do for new release(s) that would keep them in the game? If they came up with a 30x30 (or up to 33x33) square format sensor, they could create a mini 6x6 system waist level viewing, that uses FF glass. Could be something niche vintage - modern.
Point being, I see pretty much anything they bring to market that is conventional / mainstream ... DOA ... just waiting for the coroner to make the announcement. Hopeful for them, but as iconic as their place in photographic history has been, their days are numbered ... at least in terms of a conventional place in the mainstream market (imo).
I kinda dug the concept of their mono with its build ... as an industrial tool, but never went there. The rest of the industry just offers too much to choose from for their positions to garner traction....Show more →
When I still wrote my blog, a Pentax exec told me they would introduce a fixed lens medium format body in about six months time. This would have been way before the Fuji RF. Obviously nothing came of it.
I have a soft spot for the brand, because it was my first ‘real’ camera, but also because I prefer small gear and excellent lenses. But DSLRs aren’t for me anymore and when they were, Pentax didn’t offer the kind of lenses I needed.
Doubt Ricoh will abandon it, though. It’s clearly already not a core line for them and hasn’t been for ages.
I have a soft spot for Pentax too. I really like the Pentax K-1mII. In anticipation of a time when it will not be possible to buy anymore new full frame Pentax cameras, I bought a couple more K-1mIIs from a major retailer in Germany. The born-on dates for the two cameras, purchased in early May, were 12/2025 and 2/2026, which seems fairly recent to me, and may indicate there is not a lot of stock sitting around waiting for purchase. This probably means they are using their "workshop" production practice to do short runs and not build up a lot of unused stock. At any rate, I'll be surprised if we ever see another full-frame camera with the Pentax logo on it, and even though they've said on a couple of occasions that something new was coming, I'm only cautiously optimistic about an APSC model. If nothing happens in the next six months, I think it'll be safe to say they're done.
I have never used Pentax other in my old first film days around 1985 when I inherited an older Pentax SLR with M42 mount and two lenses (28 and 50 mm). I never used a digital Pentax, so I can't judge their quality. Sad to see that this brand needs to consolidate their product lines - always good to have competition in the market which is getting less by this move of Pentax.
freaklikeme wrote:
As the last DSLR manufacturer, I think their audience is a little larger than three. The mirrorless cameras don't do it for everyone. And, for all either of us know, they've got a 61MP K1 mIII and a 40MP K mIV coming.
Maybe, but ...
We'll see, one can hope.
Rollie, Bronica, Contax ... as film went, DSLR Pentax may be inevitable with the maturation of mirrorless to the degree it has (and continues) to evolve. Not saying it is a must, and RIcoh will likely stay in the market with their smaller stuff, but again ... as a mainstream, competitive offering ... they're very much a fringe scenario these days. I haven't looked much at them of late, but what has been their lens development pipeline over the last 10 years. Imo, that's as much a telling tale (or more) vs. their bodies, as to their future. That, and 3rd party lens development offerings in the K mount =
Would cheer them on for a turnaround, but ... I just don't have anything on my radar that suggests it'll be much. A digital K1000 would be kinda cool, but here again, the nostalgia is in play. I mean, when they were all excited about their new pentaprism a few years back ... yeah, not a lot of traction there for most folks.
Juha Kannisto wrote:
Also, Pentax 17 and various WG series compact cameras remain in production / available. I think Ricoh would definitely keep using the Pentax brand for other types of releases even if there were no new DSLRs.
I think the Pentax 17 is doing really well after what was probably a slow start. It seemed like a hard sell: a pretty expensive half-frame film camera with a slow lens and a slow maximum shutter speed, and scale focus only, but a lot of people love that camera and it's one of the few decent film cameras available today that you can get new with a warranty. The lens is quite good and people are getting great photos with it. Pentax hinted for a while at more film cameras to come; it may not happen but a lot of people are hoping.
If Ricoh ever re-released its film GR1/GR1s for a reasonable price they'd sell thousands of them, and maybe that could help bankroll some further Pentax film camera development.
2. We have very little doubt that Pentax will be introducing anything new anytime soon.
If I had the opportunity to speak with any higher up decision maker at Pentax, I would suggest the following:
Please don't give up! Create a retro, vintage-inspired full frame camera in a compact dslr body (one that would look like the old Pentax Super Program) using the same K mount. It would appeal to the younger generation looking for that "vintage look", and it would also appeal to older generations because of the nostalgia. It would also appeal to people who are more interested in stills photography than using video "hybrid cameras". Pentax lenses are legendary. Use that legendary reputation to create a new, vintage-inspired masterpiece. This would definitely be taking full advantage of the Pentax brand and reputation.
EB-1 wrote:
I thought Pentax went out of business like 20 years ago.
Like Contax they failed to make a good digital transition.
EBH
They at least tried - but sometimes took a middle way which left the customer still shining away. One example is the K3 monochrome which was a great addition IMO for a good price - but they cheapened out with cropped sensor instead of FF sensor. This came at a time when most other brands had fully switched to FF DSLRs and MLCs.
If Fuji ever released a monochrome camera with their MLC lines, it would been more accepted since Fuji has established itself with APS-C sensor technology and their smaller sized MLCs. But Pentax with DSLRs - nobody still wanted a cropped sensor based DSLR at the time, maybe only for a lower price point in the used market.
The 645Z was their best shot, I think, but they were only really half in it. Too much hedging of bets, and not enough investment. The K series are nice, but came too late. Most people moved on to mirrorless.
EB-1 wrote:
I thought Pentax went out of business like 20 years ago.
Like Contax they failed to make a good digital transition.
EBH
Contax was kind of ahead of its time with digital with a digital N1 or so and then Kyocera (which owned the brand) ditched it all.
I don’t think Ricoh ever really tried and the move to mirrorless was where their lack of R&D effort forced them to either commit or potentially sink.
That’s the thing, though, Contax is just a brand name, now again owned by Zeiss, and Pentax is just a brand under the Ricoh umbrella. The real ties to the past are long broken so it takes the kind of commitment that Cosina gives to its Voigtlander brand to succeed and even then Cosina probably makes more money producing lenses for other brands than its VL glass.
That 6MP Philips sensor was not very good. IIRC Minolta had an option on it earlier and gave up due to cost and technical issues. By the time the N1 Digital was out Canon had the 1Ds soon after in a pro body and with 11MP. Pentax suffered from Ricoh just like Minolta suffered from Konica.
freaklikeme wrote:
As the last DSLR manufacturer, I think their audience is a little larger than three. The mirrorless cameras don't do it for everyone. And, for all either of us know, they've got a 61MP K1 mIII and a 40MP K mIV coming.
That would be great with my two-dozen+ Pentax K and K-AF lenses. I'd even buy a SMC Pentax-FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited, to celebrate.
jcolwell wrote:
That would be great with my two-dozen+ Pentax K and K-AF lenses. I'd even buy a SMC Pentax-FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited, to celebrate.
The last 3 cameras I bought were all Pentax (K2, 6x7, Spotmatic F) so I‘d be taking a close look at a new FF DSLR if they ever make one
But it would need to be a retro-design, I think. The K1 looks okay but is a bit bulky. Something more similar in size to the KP but still FF would be nice!
