The launch of the Pentax 17, a brand-new half-frame film camera, has been hugely successful for Ricoh. So much so that the company has been forced to stop accepting orders for it as it scrambles to catch up to demand.
Since it is being produced by a company that already has a hard time keeping its GR III cameras in stock, it should come as no surprise then that pre-orders for the Pentax 17 have been far greater in number than anticipated and that there may be a significant wait to deliver them all.
I’ve been in the camera review business for over 15 years and in that time I’ve been fortunate enough to have tested and taken photographs with countless cameras, spanning a wide variety of designs and intentions. Curiously, as I prepared to review the Pentax 17 it occurred to me that I had never once reviewed a new production 35mm film camera in all that time.
The brand-new film camera from Pentax that has been in development since 2022 is finally here. Called the Pentax 17 and teased last month, it is a half-frame, vertically oriented, fixed-lens camera that captures two 17mm x 24mm pictures within a single 35mm-format frame.
Pentax announced a pair of new underwater, rugged cameras in the WG-1000 and WG-8. As the latest members of the company's WG series of all-weather cameras, they sport a rugged chassis and are waterproof, dustproof, and shock-resistant.
Pentax published a new teaser for its anticipated half-frame 35mm film camera, which it has been developing for two years. The short video ends with the number "17."
Pentax's Film Camera Project, which was first announced in December 2022, is moving on to the next stage of its development and is scheduled to launch in summer 2024.
Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation announced the Pentax PF-85EDA spotting scope, a portable terrestrial telescope designed for birdwatching and nature observations.
Alongside PetaPixel's recaps for major camera manufacturers, including Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Canon, we also recapped the year for the L-Mount Alliance and the Micro Four Thirds mount. Now it's time to wrap up the year in review equipment recaps with a highlight of the "best of the rest" cameras and lenses released this year from the smaller, or at least less mainstream, brands.
This year included some fantastic new cameras, lenses, and accessories. From the Nikon Z8 and the Sony a7CR to the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 and Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, nearly every camera maker brought something amazing to the table. However, some of them also announced products that slipped through the cracks by virtue of being dreadfully boring, if not outright bad.
At a marketing event in Taipei earlier this month, Ricoh executives answered wide-ranging questions about Pentax's strategy, including the status of the company's DSLR cameras and its highly anticipated film camera revival.
The Pentax K-3 III Monochrome is among the most affordable cameras designed exclusively for black-and-white photography and a very good APS-C DSLR.
A new Christmas-themed Toyota commercial focuses less on the company's automobiles and more on the power of photography.
Now in its third year, PetaPixel has gathered its team together to guess the things they just know are going to take place over the next calendar year. All of us are, as usual, ready to be very, very wrong.
Ricoh published firmware version 2.40 for the Pentax K-1 II that brings the Astrotracer Type 2 and Type 3 modes to the full-frame DSLR. These features originally launched on the K-3 III last year.
Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation has announced the Pentax WG-90, an all-weather camera designed to succeed the Ricoh WG-80.
I consider myself an ardent supporter of Ricoh/Pentax products and have always endeavored to review its cameras and lenses when many others have chosen not to. I also think that the Pentax brand has really found its niche as more of a boutique manufacturer, focusing on the classic SLR design -- a move that I think makes a ton of sense in today's waning market.
While the European Union's move to make USB-C the common charging standard for nearly all electronics by the end of next year is good news for many consumers, it may spell the end for DSLR cameras.
The Ricoh GR III, a compact point-and-shoot camera originally brought to market in 2019, is proving so popular that the company can't keep it stocked on store shelves around the world.
Ricoh chose not to exhibit at CP+ earlier this year, so I took advantage of my extended stay in Japan to visit their corporate headquarters in Ota-ku, Tokyo. (Ota is southwest of central Tokyo, about a 50-minute train ride from where I was staying in Asakusa, on the northeast side of the city.)
It's time for a State of the Union, Camera Edition. In recent years, we have seen some dramatically positive changes from all the major camera manufacturers, but nobody is perfect. Let's talk about each one's weak points.
OM System has been granted a patent for an astronomy tracking function that combines a camera's in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system alongside optical image stabilization (OIS).
Ricoh Imaging marches to the beat of its own drum -- I love this about the company. Pentax refuses to jump onto the mirrorless camera bandwagon, and I'm all for the company sticking it out with DSLR cameras.
Cameras all have a pretty solid set of features and design elements that appeal to a wide range of users. But, for the most part, pretty much all of them lack a set of features that would make them all a lot more powerful and enjoyable to use.
Ricoh has announced two new 50mm f/1.4 lenses that look very similar on the outside but are designed to produce distinctively different image renditions.
Last December, Pentax announced that it was developing a new film camera in response to the resurgent popularity of the medium. In its most recent update, the company has revealed more about what that camera will look like, including the fact it will have a fixed lens.
When it comes to macro photography, having the right lens is critical for achieving the best possible images. As such, the updated $547 HD D FA Macro 100mm F/2.8 ED AW from Pentax brings a refreshed optical formula optimized to work better with larger megapixel DSLR's but, sadly, not much else.
The monochrome digital camera is an odd beast - something talked about in revered terms - with echoes reverberating from those hallowed Leica halls because it is only Leica that had dipped its toe in the proverbial monochrome waters... until now.
Ricoh has already sold out of its Japanese allocation of Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome cameras twice. Clearly, the company's latest DSLR is extremely popular.
Ricoh has announced a new Pentax K-3 Mark III digital SLR camera designed exclusively for black and white photography. The new Pentax K-3 III Monochrome is the only monochrome-specific DSLR on the market.