A recent interview with Pentax Japan’s development chief confirms that Pentax is working on a full frame camera; however, it won’t be hitting shelves until 2014 at the earliest.
The relevant, translated quote from the interview is:
We are working on it [the FF camera] as a product proposal, so it will, without doubt, be released.we are developing with an eye to a post-2013 release
While it is encouraging to hear Pentax has plans to make a full frame DSLR a reality, another 2-year wait is still a tough pill to swallow for the Pentax-faithful who have been waiting patiently thus far.
Are you a Pentax shooter?
[via Photo Rumors]
No more DSLRs, please.
Why not try to contribute to high IQ cameras with no moving parts rather than just copying an outdated concept.
I used to be a Pentax shooter, but I started doing professional work, and I needed a fast zoom with quiet focusing that didn’t have a tendency to die in a year. I ended up getting a D7000 and haven’t missed my Pentax gear at all.
I still use Pentax film cameras, though.
The K5 II is so good that I really wonder why Pentax thinks a FF is necessary.
Good to see the world moving toward full frame and higher quality but maybe they should just kick ass by making medium format digital affordable, now that would make my day.
I think I’ll be just about ready for a sensor-upgrade around then. Hopefully, Pentax’s take on the so-called Full Frame format won’t be a me-too effort, but will continue the firm’s legacy of feature-packed, compact, high build-standard DSLR. They didn’t stand still under previous owner, Hoya, but they lost ground to other manufacturers. Nikon and canon really need some effective competition in that part of the market, and the only way a small firm can do that is through quality and innovation. Sony’s tried, but failed so far to mount an effective challenge. Pentax, backed by Ricoh, may just do that.
“Sony’s tried, but failed so far ..”
It’s not over yet, Sony has just started !
That’s why I said “so far”. However, Sony seems to be putting more effort into their mirrorless range. Their DSLR range has probably not been helped by the translucent mirror (which requires slightly faster lenses as a result, to match the conventional mirror system cameras) and the premature adoption of an EVF. Many users will say that those matters aren’t troublesome to them, but the failure to make an impact on Nikon and Canon in the DSLR market is a failure to convince enough people that they won’t be troubled either. The name is also a barrier to people coming from any history with DSLRs. Sony might have been better off sticking to the Minolta name (Minolta used to be bigger than Nikon) when they bought the company, but that’s history now.