It’s a case of rebuilding an older model with available parts. They have announced film camera bodies and no doubt, both K1 and K3 will be refreshed. The camera company is becoming more niche and the R and D focus is about establishing themselves with quality innovations for photographers who want their image making tools to be intuitive and highly customisable.
Pentax KF-Literally nothing new. And I am very happy with that. It is a worthy successor to my K7 which is starting to show defects. The menu structure is the same, the buttons are in about the same place, the controls are almost the same, and I can reuse all my lenses. I don't even have to buy new remote control and flash. It just works!!! There are 13 years between the introduction of the K7 and the KF. During this time the quality has improved. Just look at the image sensor, which has been great improved. That's the win and if you're disappointed with this because there are no fancy options, well. Why improve what was already good?
I'm ok with this. Not everyone wants a mirrorless and not everyone wants Sony that come with built-in AI analytics to make the cameras as simple and automated to use as possible.
While I was hoping for a K90 (still am) I am ok with the KF. In Pentax Forum there were a few articles about the aperture block problem being corrected in 2021. I have never had an issue with it. I have a number of screw mount Pentax cameras and lenses. May 20 2023 will be 50 years since I got my first Pentax and still have it. I do not use the camera bodies anymore but still use the lenses. I currently have a K110D, K200D, K50 and a K70. I use them all, but yes mostly the K70. I often shoot with 2 cameras, mostly the K50 and K70 but I am thinking of adding a KF to that. My only real complaint about the K70 and KF is that they can not also use AAs like my other 3 bodies can.
I had to fix my K30 with a solenoid from an old dober camera and I sold the K-70 and lenses for Lumix S5ii last week. My advice is get rid of it whilst you still can.
Just got my K-50 and wouldnt trade if for anything to include the mirrorless. Sure call it old tech but just like the k1000 35mm its still the most popular and reccomended 35mm camera still to this day. The lenses i see for pentax you can swap out to even the new cameras. I dont see pentaxians wanting other glass. But i see other brands using adapters. Reason im a pentaxian is becaise of the selection in the glass. And i am highly impressed even with my shakiness i can get clean photos. Yesterday at my niece and nephews birthday party i took alot of photos... 90% were clean and well withing the realm of being focused in. I also used the eye piece rather than live video to shoot.
@@semperfi-1918 You can't adapt anything or very little to Pentax K mount is why. I owned a K30 before too and the K50 is the same camera. Sure you can take nice photos with it as I did. I owned more than 30 lenses, most of Pentax lenses are nothing special with a few of the more expensive ones being good like F*300 f4.5 which I still own, I bet you don't gave the likes of that 😀
@@nocturnal1970 to each their own. I love my lenses i am using on my k50. And for what it is and need 16 megapixels are more than enough for 99% of the use for it out there. Also different lenses do different things. Some softer others sharper. Some do very clean and others give not the cleanest but a better look. Amd to adapt to the kmount... isnt really that hard. Same concept as doing the others and making an adapter for it. To be honest how the pentax smc f series look and feel in my hand and ability to quickly focus sometimes faster than auto... works for me. So nah... im sticking with my pentax k-50 for along time.
Keep in mind when you have awesome cameras to begin with is there a reason to change... i get the changes but what changes are we looking for? Take the k1000 for example ran for 30 years. Stayed pretty much the same. Amd still is one of the most reccomended starter 35mm cameras that even pro's are after.
Autofocus similar to the K-3iii would justify $850, especially considering one feature lacking in the K-3 is the articulating screen. I would buy it as an upgrade to my K-3i.
Why? There is still good IBIS, real pentaprism, rugged body and kit lens, all the IQ of Pentax. This is stills camera that is entry level for people interested in more then smartphones. Not a "give me all features for cheap". Those times are long gone. Is there any better camera in this price range? Nikon Zfc and what else? And even then you will be better off with KF then Nikon if you want to shot in the rain or snow.
@@jerzyjablonski1432 It's not just about the camera, but the whole system the camera is supposed to be a part of. There really isn't a system for a Ricoh Pentax. Where does a potential user go? This dilemma doesn't exist for the Canon/Nikon user. Yes, the K70 is a fine camera as it is...but there are comparable as well as more capable cameras and systems to buy into for ~$1000 range. This is a $500 body, not an $850 system body.
As a long time Pentax user and current owner of three Pentax cameras, you can call me disappointed. The K3 III and K1 II are nice but a bit pricey. The Nikon Z5 is looking nicer by the day.
Pentaxians like me are fond of Lumix S5ii FF system. Have a research of it and forget Pentax, I had Pentax for years but it's the final chapter. A financial downturn will be last nail in coffin as Ricoh tries to save money.
I 'll keep my K70 I just had the aperture block replaced has Pentax fixed the aperture block problem yet ? I've had the same problem with the K50 as well maybe they fixed it with new components I the KF only time will tell. I see no real upgrade in the Pentax KF over the K70 at the higher price point. Pentax should have at least upgraded the autofocus system to 27 autofocus points like the KP then it might be worth the price
@@camerazone_It would have been nice if Pentax offered an intermediate camera between the K-70 and K-3, at a price closer to $1000, but considering the price and capabilities of the KF, I'd rather keep my K-70, at least until that I have definitely failed (the solenoid has been having problems for two years), or that there is a better model at a reasonable price (the idea is to be able to continue using the lenses I have bought from Pentax, especially my favorite, a 300mm f/4 made in the 70s).
Just got the k-50. Seller said it had issues with dark photos... well i got it andndid some adjustments and is worth every penny i paid for it. Used the pentax smc f series lense this weekend for my niece and nephews bday and well it performed better than expected 90% of photos turned out clean and well within focus. And tbh there is a point of limited returns on megapixels as well as other elements. I could never go frame less as example as i will always use the eye piece. Also i do better in manual focus as well as other features pertty fast. When you have a camera thats already well made not much for improvement is nessisary. Like the k1000. Made for 30 years. Still is the most highly reccomended 35mm camera.
J'ai utilisé pentax le k500 les photos que je revoie aujourd'hui sont aussi belles sinon mieux que celle de mon fuji xt2. Il est vrai qu ils construisent des appareils contre les intempéries et ils sont tropicalisés. Mais il reste toujours le problème de la cellule selinoide qui fait que quand vous enclencher tout est noir. Espérant qu avec le kf et le k3 mark 3 qui est vraiment sublime comme appareil tout ira mieux.
Yup, have the same question too ( being a videographer too) but all the answers I'm getting is that Pentax is photo camera and not a video camera. Really unfair, almost all of the other brands have both great photo & video features on their camera.
Got a canon r7 for the so vaunted image quality , disappointed, got a sony a7iii , better but still bad,than a 7riii again better but far from impressive for 45 mp. Got a kf and was blown away by the image quality with kit lens , so much i also bought a k1 mii for the full frame and it is simply stunning. Only ones a bit better i have seen are the Leica sl , but far to expensive.
I would buy Pentax and Nikon only because it started as a Pure Camera /Lens Co over and above non Camera cos startups like Canon (Printers/Copiers ) and Sony (Tvs )
You're wrong about Canon. You may be confused by the fact that it is a big company, but Canon also started as a camera manufacturer, even more so in the beginning they used Nikon optics, because they didn't have their own.
Canon started making cameras decades before Nikon . Sony camera division is actually the ex camera division of Minolta. Pentax belongs to Ricoh after belonging to Hoya. Note that Minolta-Konica, Ricoh and Canon made copiers because they were from the camera and optic industry.
I remember my first serious camera being a Pentax. Film camera, back in the days when digital cameras were still in prototype. That camera was a K1000 -- entry-level, and already at least twelve years old since its initial release (and arguably obsolete when it first came out). Now maybe the KF is a "disappointment" to those who have been twenty-years-plus into DSLRs. But for a first-timer to DSLRs, who remembered Pentax from the days of film, . . .
I've held tested this camera and its very well made.. it is no way an entry level camera.. a pro could be happy with this level of performance and feel... My personal impression is that this camera ifeels really good in the hands. Very good balance, nice viewfinder without all the buttos of a pro level camera which might be a benefit for some users as pro level bodies can be a bit heavy...
@@bansheep1 Lumix S5ii with Lumix S 24-105 f4 and 70-300 f4.5-5.6. I bought all this for £2598 GBP on combo discounted camera and lenses deals. It's an amazing system with the 70-300 at least matching and beating my previous Pentax F* 300 f4.5 prime as I tested them on the S5ii. The S5ii is getting yet another major firmware update soon including pre-burst, and adding animal eye, car and motorcycle AF subject recognition tracking to the previous modes.
Pentax is going to the graveyard as Minolta, Konica, Practica, Contax, Yashica , Bronica, Rollei and Mamiya. After the last Pentax user dies then they stop producing Pentax cameras. Kudos for them for supporting senior citizens and their old lens lineup from the seventies.
Ah yes, senior citizens, like the ones with decades of experience and highly developed photographic skills. Vintage lenses? You mean like the Zeiss Flektagon or Meyer Gorlitz Pancolar? I guess you would like the Sony G- masters, sharp as a scalpel and equally sterile, you can do your own lobotomy with them. I wonder if you will ever make it to senior citizenship.
@@rauliflemington7045I switched to Lumix FF from Pentax and it's a new beginning and the lenses are gorgeous. I've heard every Pentaxian delusion and wrongly stated facts possible. He does have a point regarding senior citizens let's face it. 😊
Well, a year and half in, the KF has proven to be truly excellent camera. Pentax, under the curatorial efforts of Ricoh, has become the brand of dicernining photographers who appreciate quality over fad and gimmick with cameras that reward their skill and experience. The continuation of the K70 is well appreciated.
no one left in DSLR division except useless designers. 645 team was totally closed at 2013, and now, optics/mechanics/software, all engineers were quited or re-assigned to the GR/360-degree camera division. KF means "K (mount) Final" actually they decided run away from digital. Film camera can manufacture more easy than digital even if only a temporary staffs so they going to be film speciality company. I couldn't believe this when I heard but now I'm sure this is true.
Thanks, however anonymous sources on the internet are dubious and not to be relied on. As one of those 'useless designers', or perhaps useless technicians myself with involvement in many aspects of this industry, I would suggest what you heard, albeit detailed is actually utter fiction.
It’s a case of rebuilding an older model with available parts. They have announced film camera bodies and no doubt, both K1 and K3 will be refreshed. The camera company is becoming more niche and the R and D focus is about establishing themselves with quality innovations for photographers who want their image making tools to be intuitive and highly customisable.
Pentax KF-Literally nothing new. And I am very happy with that. It is a worthy successor to my K7 which is starting to show defects. The menu structure is the same, the buttons are in about the same place, the controls are almost the same, and I can reuse all my lenses. I don't even have to buy new remote control and flash. It just works!!! There are 13 years between the introduction of the K7 and the KF. During this time the quality has improved. Just look at the image sensor, which has been great improved. That's the win and if you're disappointed with this because there are no fancy options, well. Why improve what was already good?
I'm ok with this. Not everyone wants a mirrorless and not everyone wants Sony that come with built-in AI analytics to make the cameras as simple and automated to use as possible.
While I was hoping for a K90 (still am) I am ok with the KF. In Pentax Forum there were a few articles about the aperture block problem being corrected in 2021. I have never had an issue with it. I have a number of screw mount Pentax cameras and lenses. May 20 2023 will be 50 years since I got my first Pentax and still have it. I do not use the camera bodies anymore but still use the lenses. I currently have a K110D, K200D, K50 and a K70. I use them all, but yes mostly the K70. I often shoot with 2 cameras, mostly the K50 and K70 but I am thinking of adding a KF to that. My only real complaint about the K70 and KF is that they can not also use AAs like my other 3 bodies can.
I had to fix my K30 with a solenoid from an old dober camera and I sold the K-70 and lenses for Lumix S5ii last week. My advice is get rid of it whilst you still can.
I sold my K-70 and Limited and * lenses last week for Lumix S5ii Full Frame. They shrunk to a very small niche brand with Jurassic technology.
Just got my K-50 and wouldnt trade if for anything to include the mirrorless. Sure call it old tech but just like the k1000 35mm its still the most popular and reccomended 35mm camera still to this day. The lenses i see for pentax you can swap out to even the new cameras. I dont see pentaxians wanting other glass. But i see other brands using adapters. Reason im a pentaxian is becaise of the selection in the glass. And i am highly impressed even with my shakiness i can get clean photos. Yesterday at my niece and nephews birthday party i took alot of photos... 90% were clean and well withing the realm of being focused in. I also used the eye piece rather than live video to shoot.
@@semperfi-1918 You can't adapt anything or very little to Pentax K mount is why. I owned a K30 before too and the K50 is the same camera. Sure you can take nice photos with it as I did. I owned more than 30 lenses, most of Pentax lenses are nothing special with a few of the more expensive ones being good like F*300 f4.5 which I still own, I bet you don't gave the likes of that 😀
@@nocturnal1970 to each their own. I love my lenses i am using on my k50. And for what it is and need 16 megapixels are more than enough for 99% of the use for it out there. Also different lenses do different things. Some softer others sharper. Some do very clean and others give not the cleanest but a better look. Amd to adapt to the kmount... isnt really that hard. Same concept as doing the others and making an adapter for it. To be honest how the pentax smc f series look and feel in my hand and ability to quickly focus sometimes faster than auto... works for me. So nah... im sticking with my pentax k-50 for along time.
@@semperfi-1918I used Pentax DSLR for 12 years so not each to their own, I know the system far more than you do
Keep in mind when you have awesome cameras to begin with is there a reason to change... i get the changes but what changes are we looking for? Take the k1000 for example ran for 30 years. Stayed pretty much the same. Amd still is one of the most reccomended starter 35mm cameras that even pro's are after.
Very true!
Pentax was everywhere when I was a kid...Now nobody even remembers them!
It is what it is!
The true photographers remember all of Pentax. French Photographer Doisneau used it. Love the brand and the great history!
@@Amia67360History is to be remembered, enjoyed and studied. It's almost museum time.
@@brunowolff5937 Niche, totally and this confirms 😎
This warmed over K70 should be priced accordingly ~$500 or less. Interesting option at the right price. $850 is NOT the right price.
Ricoh is a joke.
$500 is too low for camera with proper pentaprism and sealed body.
They could've added more features to justify that pricepoint.
Autofocus similar to the K-3iii would justify $850, especially considering one feature lacking in the K-3 is the articulating screen. I would buy it as an upgrade to my K-3i.
Why? There is still good IBIS, real pentaprism, rugged body and kit lens, all the IQ of Pentax. This is stills camera that is entry level for people interested in more then smartphones. Not a "give me all features for cheap". Those times are long gone.
Is there any better camera in this price range? Nikon Zfc and what else? And even then you will be better off with KF then Nikon if you want to shot in the rain or snow.
@@jerzyjablonski1432 It's not just about the camera, but the whole system the camera is supposed to be a part of. There really isn't a system for a Ricoh Pentax. Where does a potential user go?
This dilemma doesn't exist for the Canon/Nikon user.
Yes, the K70 is a fine camera as it is...but there are comparable as well as more capable cameras and systems to buy into for ~$1000 range.
This is a $500 body, not an $850 system body.
Do they still have a product development department . Even Ricoh is not very active .
As a long time Pentax user and current owner of three Pentax cameras, you can call me disappointed. The K3 III and K1 II are nice but a bit pricey. The Nikon Z5 is looking nicer by the day.
Pentaxians like me are fond of Lumix S5ii FF system. Have a research of it and forget Pentax, I had Pentax for years but it's the final chapter. A financial downturn will be last nail in coffin as Ricoh tries to save money.
I 'll keep my K70 I just had the aperture block replaced has Pentax fixed the aperture block problem yet ? I've had the same problem with the K50 as well maybe they fixed it with new components I the KF only time will tell. I see no real upgrade in the Pentax KF over the K70 at the higher price point. Pentax should have at least upgraded the autofocus system to 27 autofocus points like the KP then it might be worth the price
Exactly our point! Thanks for sharing.
@@camerazone_It would have been nice if Pentax offered an intermediate camera between the K-70 and K-3, at a price closer to $1000, but considering the price and capabilities of the KF, I'd rather keep my K-70, at least until that I have definitely failed (the solenoid has been having problems for two years), or that there is a better model at a reasonable price (the idea is to be able to continue using the lenses I have bought from Pentax, especially my favorite, a 300mm f/4 made in the 70s).
@@corvostokI sold Pentax system but still have the F*300 f4.5 which is a different leaque to that 1970s 300mm you have.
Just got the k-50. Seller said it had issues with dark photos... well i got it andndid some adjustments and is worth every penny i paid for it. Used the pentax smc f series lense this weekend for my niece and nephews bday and well it performed better than expected 90% of photos turned out clean and well within focus. And tbh there is a point of limited returns on megapixels as well as other elements. I could never go frame less as example as i will always use the eye piece. Also i do better in manual focus as well as other features pertty fast. When you have a camera thats already well made not much for improvement is nessisary. Like the k1000. Made for 30 years. Still is the most highly reccomended 35mm camera.
My favorite brand in 80’s i had LX and ME Super
J'ai utilisé pentax le k500 les photos que je revoie aujourd'hui sont aussi belles sinon mieux que celle de mon fuji xt2. Il est vrai qu ils construisent des appareils contre les intempéries et ils sont tropicalisés. Mais il reste toujours le problème de la cellule selinoide qui fait que quand vous enclencher tout est noir. Espérant qu avec le kf et le k3 mark 3 qui est vraiment sublime comme appareil tout ira mieux.
Why wouldn't they improve the video on their camera bodies?
I still am a PENTAX diehard user
Pentax need new management.
Yup, have the same question too ( being a videographer too) but all the answers I'm getting is that Pentax is photo camera and not a video camera. Really unfair, almost all of the other brands have both great photo & video features on their camera.
@@dimensiomat For video, I use a video cam & not a dSLR. Perhaps the best solution, as you say, is a SONY or a Fuji camera.
@@farzinshokooh2085No a new Lumix S5ii FF which ex-Pentax are flocking to
@@nsnoesuarezPentax video is a joke, it was woeful.
Got a canon r7 for the so vaunted image quality , disappointed, got a sony a7iii , better but still bad,than a 7riii again better but far from impressive for 45 mp.
Got a kf and was blown away by the image quality with kit lens , so much i also bought a k1 mii for the full frame and it is simply stunning.
Only ones a bit better i have seen are the Leica sl , but far to expensive.
Hopefully built to not fail in a few years like so many of their other consumer class cameras.
Pentax need a better management team.
@@camerazone_It's too late
It would be ok if it was the same or slightly more money than the K70 but they want a lot more totally unacceptable....
As the video says, it is pointless investing into such a tiny market. Even Leica had to join forces with Lumix and Sigma.
I would buy Pentax and Nikon only because it started as a Pure Camera /Lens Co over and above non Camera cos startups like Canon (Printers/Copiers ) and Sony (Tvs )
You're wrong about Canon. You may be confused by the fact that it is a big company, but Canon also started as a camera manufacturer, even more so in the beginning they used Nikon optics, because they didn't have their own.
Sony bought Minolta imaging division.. and Minolta was amongst best.
Canon started making cameras decades before Nikon . Sony camera division is actually the ex camera division of Minolta. Pentax belongs to Ricoh after belonging to Hoya. Note that Minolta-Konica, Ricoh and Canon made copiers because they were from the camera and optic industry.
That makes no sense as Sony make the sensors for Nikon, Pentax, Lumix and most cameras LoL
What nonsense! 😊
The KF is no improvement, I would like longer battery life, a remote especially for portraits and more megapixels and call it the K-90
P.S, I use full frame lenses on my K-70
I guess it was the final nail in the coffin, You hear nothing about it anymore.
I probably died a silent death.
maybe
Apparently they are releasing a 1/2 frame toy film camera...
I.e. they are fucked 😮
I'm glad I got rid of mine
I remember my first serious camera being a Pentax. Film camera, back in the days when digital cameras were still in prototype. That camera was a K1000 -- entry-level, and already at least twelve years old since its initial release (and arguably obsolete when it first came out).
Now maybe the KF is a "disappointment" to those who have been twenty-years-plus into DSLRs. But for a first-timer to DSLRs, who remembered Pentax from the days of film, . . .
thanks for sharing
I've held tested this camera and its very well made.. it is no way an entry level camera.. a pro could be happy with this level of performance and feel...
My personal impression is that this camera ifeels really good in the hands. Very good balance, nice viewfinder without all the buttos of a pro level camera which might be a benefit for some users as pro level bodies can be a bit heavy...
The K-70 was nice to hold but that won't save Pentax. I sold mine last week
@@nocturnal1970 What did you replace it with?
@@bansheep1 Lumix S5ii with Lumix S 24-105 f4 and 70-300 f4.5-5.6. I bought all this for £2598 GBP on combo discounted camera and lenses deals.
It's an amazing system with the 70-300 at least matching and beating my previous Pentax F* 300 f4.5 prime as I tested them on the S5ii.
The S5ii is getting yet another major firmware update soon including pre-burst, and adding animal eye, car and motorcycle AF subject recognition tracking to the previous modes.
Pentax is going to the graveyard as Minolta, Konica, Practica, Contax, Yashica , Bronica, Rollei and Mamiya. After the last Pentax user dies then they stop producing Pentax cameras. Kudos for them for supporting senior citizens and their old lens lineup from the seventies.
Ah yes, senior citizens, like the ones with decades of experience and highly developed photographic skills. Vintage lenses? You mean like the Zeiss Flektagon or Meyer Gorlitz Pancolar? I guess you would like the Sony G- masters, sharp as a scalpel and equally sterile, you can do your own lobotomy with them. I wonder if you will ever make it to senior citizenship.
@@rauliflemington7045I switched to Lumix FF from Pentax and it's a new beginning and the lenses are gorgeous. I've heard every Pentaxian delusion and wrongly stated facts possible. He does have a point regarding senior citizens let's face it. 😊
Well, a year and half in, the KF has proven to be truly excellent camera. Pentax, under the curatorial efforts of Ricoh, has become the brand of dicernining photographers who appreciate quality over fad and gimmick with cameras that reward their skill and experience. The continuation of the K70 is well appreciated.
thanks for sharing
no one left in DSLR division except useless designers.
645 team was totally closed at 2013, and now, optics/mechanics/software, all engineers were quited or re-assigned to the GR/360-degree camera division.
KF means "K (mount) Final" actually they decided run away from digital. Film camera can manufacture more easy than digital even if only a temporary staffs so they going to be film speciality company.
I couldn't believe this when I heard but now I'm sure this is true.
Who exactly did you hear this from?
@@rauliflemington7045 possibly, ex-employee. it was anonymous post but detailed to the inside.
Thanks, however anonymous sources on the internet are dubious and not to be relied on. As one of those 'useless designers', or perhaps useless technicians myself with involvement in many aspects of this industry, I would suggest what you heard, albeit detailed is actually utter fiction.
PENTAX is stupid.
why do you think so?
Why are you so negative ?
are we?
they've done it before. At the 2011. The only fifference between Kr and Kx was the resolution of the screen