Three Years of the PENTAX Film Camera Project. I first discovered that Pentax was developing a new film camera in 2022: analog.cafe/r/film-photogr…. However, the company likely initiated this journey much earlier, beginning with the recruitment of engineers who had worked on film cameras such as the K1000 (analog.cafe/r/asahi-pentax…). The project was promoted for more than a year, particularly by TKO, and debuted in the market on June 17, 2024 (analog.cafe/comments/gbyq) to significant demand (petapixel.com/2024/06/20/n…). The camera received mostly favorable reviews (alongside some criticisms analog.cafe/comments/z76c) and earned several accolades (digitalcameraworld.com/cam…). Nevertheless, a recent challenge occurred when the president of RICOH (the parent company of Pentax) stepped down (asahi.com/ajw/articles/150…), followed by TKO's departure (kosmofoto.com/2025/03/rico…). Pentax is now reevaluating whether to continue with its PENTAX Film Camera Project. Currently, the ongoing success of the Pentax 17 in a volatile market will likely determine the future of the Film Camera Project. I hope it thrives. #editorial🔥
I initially discovered that Pentax was developing a new film camera in 2022: https://www.analog.cafe/r/film-photography-2022-year-in-review-jtlm#pentax-is-working-on-a-new-film-camera-series. However, it seems the company likely started this initiative well before that, beginning with the recruitment of engineers who had experience with film cameras such as the K1000 (https://www.analog.cafe/r/asahi-pentax-k1000-film-camera-review-r96o). #editorial.
