lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Many of those of us that are interested will probably be following this new for a while. Ricoh plans on releasing their new product line in the Spring of 2016. Not this Fall like we had thought earlier this year.

I knew it had to happen eventually as Ricoh Pentax has as of late been releasing new model D FA Full Frame lenses, and of course it would make no sense to make new lenses for film cameras they no longer manufacture.

Any one care to speculate on a model name or how Pentax will designate this new line? Say like Nikon's DX vs. FX Cameras and Lenses. Pentax uses the same mode designations as Nikon, Av, Tv, etc. Yet, Pentax's numbering of models never made any sense.

I might suggest a few names:

KF (K-Full-frame)
PF (Pentax Full)
DFA (like the lenses, DA/FA>DFA)
PK (Pentax K)

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

Canon uses Av, Tv, etc.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Yes, you are correct, I had Nikon on the mind. I noticed that fact a couple years ago.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Are you asking about how they will ultimately name the lenses or how they will name the cameras? DX and FX are lens mount designations, kind of like Canon's EF and EF-S designations. If I understand correctly, Nikon has adapted a standard of giving FF cameras three digit designations and APS-C cameras four digit designations. Although I formerly owned a Canon Rebel, I never quite understood their camera naming.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

I wonder if they are using a Sony BSI sensor. I hear that Sony requires that those that use their sensors cannot come out with the new models until Sony has been using it for 6 months. I think I had previously heard that they were using the BSI sensor but it was never confirmed.

There are at least several other manufacturers supposedly going to use the BSI sensors also.

Should be interesting.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Could that be the (Ricoh) Pentax release delay?

I'm not really up on these type of senors (BSI) if they are only used in Mirrorless systems.

What I have been hoping for is Pentax to use FF sensors similar to the ones Nikon uses in the D600, D610, D750, Df, D800, and D810. But I'd be happy with a 24 to 32 MP count.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I know Nikon's naming system. I'm talking about Pentax's rather random names -- my brand!

Say while I was paying attention to their digital line:

Pentax K100D (2006–2007) *
Pentax K110D (2006–2007)
Pentax K10D (2006–2008)
Pentax K10D Grand Prix (limited edition) (2007)
Pentax K100D Super (2007–2008)
Pentax K200D (2008–2009)
Pentax K20D (2008–2009) *
Pentax K-m (Pentax K2000 in U.S.) (2008–2009)
Pentax K-7 (2009–2010)
Pentax K-x (2009–2011)
Pentax K-r (2010–2012)
Pentax K-5 (2010–2012) *
Pentax K-01 (2012–2013)
Pentax K-30 (2012–2013)
Pentax K-5 II (2012–2014)
Pentax K-5 IIs (2012–2014)
Pentax K-50 (2013–present)
Pentax K-500 (2013–2014)
Pentax K-3 (2013–present)
Pentax K-S1 (2014–present)
Pentax K-S2 (2015–present)
Pentax K-3 II (2015-present)

Names up and down and all around.

At least they changed slower in the Film K- & M- days, again while I was in the market:

KM *
KX
K2
K2 DMD (deluxe motor drive model & other added features) *
K1000 *
K1000SE *

ME (1976–1980) *
ME Super (1980–1987) *
MG (1982–1985)
MV (1979–1982)
MX (1976–1985) *

* Models I own / have owned.

Anyway, see my point. No rhyme nor reason to the names for cameras. The Pentax lens naming is complex too but makes some sense.

Noting the earlier K-, M-, A- bayonet mount lenses.

F- = AF (film)
DA- = Digital cropped factor
(DA/FA) Limited = Price ^$. Not sure of meaning, but all really great lenses, many of the ones everyone should have.
DA*- = deluxe pricey
FA- = modern AF full frame digital and film
D FA- = new Full Frame Digital AF with Auto Crop for Cropped factor (similar to Nikon).

I am sure someone else can explain this better.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Nikon uses Sony sensors also. I suspect they are considering the BSI (Back Side Illuminated) sensors that Sony is now using. These new sensors pick up about 30% more light with less noise. And there is no reason that it has to go into a mirrorless.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Yeah.

BTW - you missed the "Super Program" (introduced in 1983, bought by me in 1984). Personally, I'd be in favor of their "naming" the FF, like the "Super Program", but most of the guessing I've heard has had them re-using K-2, or perhaps switching to something like K-F2, but all this is guessing ... so far nobody knows nothing.

K-S1 and K-S2 may be the beginning of a consistent K-S? sequence of low level cameras, but I guess we can't really believe that until we see a K-S3.

BebuLamar

It could be the the L-X.

n3eg Loc: West coast USA

The Pentax K-BIG 1.

Ramsey Loc: Elida, Ohio

Here's a great page that explains Pentax lenses:
http://www.mosphotos.com/PentaxLensesExplained.html

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Yes, I know that model, but it came after the ones I meant but while I was actively following models. I do remember selling a Pentax Super Program in a store that I worked at once. It seemed like a nice one with Shutter Priority as well that I might have liked. But I never bought another or SLR camera until the digital era, a K-20D in 2009.

I was thinking that too but did not write it out initially, re-using K2 as "K-2". As they did KM as K-M.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Here is a rumor on this camera. Supposedly is the Sony Sensor and it also supposed to be able to use pixel shift resolution to be able to increase resolution.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

How about RICOH-PENTAX instead of Ricoh-Pentax. LOL