Ricoh developing new film cameras under Pentax brand

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Great stuff!

Imagine being retired and getting a knock on the door from a bunch of youngsters all wanting to know how you used to do it? Only in Japan!

I wish them every success. Seems like they're considering not just replicating the old, but taking it and making something 21st century from it. A camera that takes digital as well as film at the same time? What would it be like to be able to review your photos after you've taken each one? Bluetooth to allow your film selection to beam the Massive Dev times straight to your phone? Zone information overlay on a viewfinder? EXIF type data (date, time, gps, camera, lens etc) info embedded into the negative?

If it sells, the rest of the manufacturers will follow I reckon.
 
I hope they achieve their aims. I've been a Pentax fan and user for 55 years (only film though) and would happily buy into this journey if they produce a camera. The tantalising thought of a Pentax film SLR to improve on my go-to LX/MX/KX stable is mouth watering!
 
I'm hoping for the compact to collapse the silly Olympus mju ii market as with todays lens designs it should blow it out of the water,

For the Auto SLR I'm not sure what I would want more than my z-5 tbh, perhaps third stop shutter speeds and a rechargeable battery perhaps

For the fully mechanical everyone will be looking for the K1000 of the 21st century I expect

Toughest part of the puzzle will be to get the price right, and will they bother with new glass? There is a argument for up to date film cameras but glass of many years ago is still great and we dont just want a digital sharp film product
 
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Harlequin565 said:
A camera that takes digital as well as film at the same time?
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Hybrid?

No thanks!

Nonetheless it’s good to see that someone has their eyes wide open to the potential market of young film togs .

Long live toy 35mm slr cameras :p:D
 
Come on Pentax! I wish them every success and will be buying the first iteration of their camera no matter the form factor.
 
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acrobatic_Citron said:
For the fully mechanical everyone will be looking for the K1000 of the 21st century I expect
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I can't understand the obsession with the K1000. I also couldn't see the appeal of a new model based on it. For me the apotheosis of Pentax film SLR's is the LX, I love mine. It's hard to imagine what could be improved on it tbh, but if they could...a PX would be quite something.
 
There are so many great Pentax film cameras to collect and use...
 
It's interesting prospect but is the market big enough to justify the R&D costs and then the tooling up. Could the shutter be done electronically, it might be easier than a mechanical system.

Having said that I'd buy a compact camera, I'd prefer a range finder of course, maybe with interchangeable lenses. Leica can do it I'm sure Pentax can too.
 
MrDrizz said:
It's interesting prospect but is the market big enough to justify the R&D costs and then the tooling up. Could the shutter be done electronically, it might be easier than a mechanical system.

Having said that I'd buy a compact camera, I'd prefer a range finder of course, maybe with interchangeable lenses. Leica can do it I'm sure Pentax can too.
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I don't know for sure so take this with a large pinch of salt but I'd guess that a simple film camera is a relatively simple thing. The individual parts could be outsourced to willing suppliers probably already making similar things or could even in some cases be off the shelf components and assembly completed at bench level by hand. I may be wrong but I don't see mega bucks needing to be spent in either R&D or production tooling.
 
Ricoh/Pentax should just reissue the Ricoh GR1v and GR21 with updated electronics/focus and they'd struggle to keep up with demand, especially if they target GRIII/GRIIIx prices.

They could even update the 645n to be more in line with their 645z as well.
 
I dont see a market for any new cameras over 35mm, my bet is see how well the compact sells then do a limited run of eletric slr
 
acrobatic_Citron said:
I dont see a market for any new cameras over 35mm
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I would have thought there is a large market. The millennials with disposable income bored of DSLRs and mirrorless but enamoured with resolution are switching to 6x7 and above, not 35mm. Those Pentax 67s, Makinas 67, Fujis GW670/680/690 sell like hot cakes based on what I can see in my local photo community.
 
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trypdal said:
I would have thought there is a large market. The millennials with disposable income bored of DSLRs and mirrorless but enamoured with resolution are switching to 6x7 and above, not 35mm. Those Pentax 67s, Makinas 67, Fujis GW670/680/690 sell like hot cakes based on what I can see in my local photo community.
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Haha I am one of them but I think the market is much smaller than we think, the “insta” lot want the camera that is quick and easy to use like the olympus and the contax, id love to be proven wrong, my Pentax 67 is still going and the spare body will keep it safe for parts

My actual wishlist is an accurate large format shutter to be released but pigs might fly
 
acrobatic_Citron said:
Starting with a compact, slr then fully mechanical slr. Quite honest as well that it might not work but they are trying

Exciting!
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As y'all may know, I use Pentax almost exclusively: the ME I bought new in 1978-ish, the MX (my second...) and the LX. So I am... very keen on this. I think Ricoh/Pentax is very much the right company to try this; if they had jumped into mirrorless like most of the others, that's where all their R&D would be. But they're still mostly a K-mount (D)SLR company, with a suite of full-frame lenses, modern and ancient. I'm guessing that a bunch of things that have caused problems for new entrants into the film SLR field (particularly shutters), would be less of an issue for them. That's part of the reason why an auto-style SLR probably makes sense to me... getting fully mechanical shutters right probably involves engineering skills that are among those that have retired.

I did have a Pentax Z1 for a time (one of those all-electronic film cameras with auto-wind etc) but in the end decided that there were too many menus to set things, so traded it at WYC for my LX. So I'm a bit sceptical about whether I would buy a new all-electronic Pentax. But I would cheer it to the rafters. And certainly save my pennies for a mechanical one. As has been said a ever-s-slightly modernised LX would be fantastic.

I don't think I've ever tried a Pentax compact, so I'm neutral on that. OTOH something pocketable with a bit more control than my Oly mju II would be very nice, thank you!

One of the things I liked about the video at the top of this thread was how calm and understated it was (this is completely the opposite take to the second video with the Pentax 100 guy). And I liked, I dunno, the sense of "respect" that came across to me.

So yes, let's hope they can convince the Money folk not only to finance the R&D, but to get the proposed products (or whatever the final versions are) into production, and at a "reasonable" price. Don't think they're going to be cheap, though. Maybe not M6 prices, but I hope not more than the K1 Mark 2 (ie some £1600!)...
 
I think it'll be a fantastic exercise, bringing down the cost of mechanical components with modern technology. Probably the most exciting development in photography in recent years. I also think they'll have to look at film too. Particularly if it is expected to perform more functions.
 
While it's nice to think it'll become reality, I do wonder if the demand is there. Yes I know lots of film shooters want one, but is there enough for a production run? Nikon made I think 4000 D4 a month, and thats an expensive top of the range camera used by many pros.
Are there enough film shooters with spare cash to buy maybe 30.000 - 50.000 cameras a year? Companies dont get ritch selling a few hundred.
 
Well a new film camera is intriguing but we shall have to wait and see what we get. A new Espio Mini quality camera would be great. A Pino 35 or PC-303 less so. Kodak and others are selling what amounts to a reloadable SUC for £40-50 so what price a sophisticated modern compact? £500? £1000?
With the SLR a new LX would be great. Another rebadged Cosina, not so bad tbh but short of the promise.
Speaking of Cosina let's not forget they have been making film cameras for years now under the voigtlander brand (and Rollie), maybe these give us a pricing clue?
 
Excellent. I wish them every success.. Was going to look for a lightly used Olympus XA/XA2 or equivalent (not that I need it) but will hold my horses and see what Pentax comes out with.
 
Still exciting, although targeting at a younger audience be interesting to see how they balance price and quality/features
 
Latest guidance/hot rumour on this is as above but probably half-frame to keep the youngsters keen, as it will give them a lot of shots for their money, with a vertical viewfinder to align with the portrait format of half frame.
 
Apparently, there will be two new Pentax compact cameras released in spring 2024.

kosmofoto.com

Pentax to release 'two film compact cameras in Spring 2024'

Pentax will release two compact film cameras in Spring 2024, according to comments made by a Ricoh representative in France this weekend.
kosmofoto.com kosmofoto.com

Pentax will release two compact film cameras in Spring 2024, according to comments made by a Ricoh representative in France this weekend.


Yazid Belmadi, a promotions manager at Ricoh Imaging France, told a French photography podcast the cameras would be “high-end in terms of technical specifications but not in terms of price”.
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I'm gonna get it probably, my working assumption is theyll go mid to high so should easily compete with Contax T series
 
Will they supply film at an affordable price to go with the new camera ?
 
ha well if you dont mind pre rolled cinema film, with their dev you can probs do 3 rolls for a roll of snapfish portra


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