Pentax just announced that they are planning to release a series of new film cameras, and they want your input on what to make.
A few months ago Pentax surveyed 3,000 photographers in Japan and determined 20% of them used film cameras still. From this, Pentax says they determined that film is still in demand and yet very few film cameras are currently being produced. Noticing this gap, Pentax has decided to fill it with not just one, but a whole series of new film cameras.
In this video, Pentax explains that they want to release affordable SLRs first with the eventual goal of producing a modern fully mechanical camera. While no sneak peeks are given, Pentax assures viewers that this is a direction the company wants to take. Pentax calls this effort a “co-creation” project between them and the film community, and encourages all to participate.
You can watch my reaction to this announcement in the video below. What do you think of Pentax reentering the film market after so many years? Do you think we’ll get a new K1000? A new MZ-S?
A very surprising development. But since I still have my K1000, I wouldn’t need a new version of that; assuming I would ever put a roll of film into it again, which is highly unlikely.