Update: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Pentax Film Project was paused. Ricoh Imaging Japan has said the project is not paused but seeking further feedback before committing to more models. We apologise for any confusion this error has caused. The comments provided by Ricoh Imaging Europe in this story are not an official statement, but were provided for context. We apologise for the confusion.
TKO (Takeo Suzuki), the designer who helped create the Pentax 17 film camera last year, has announced he has left its parent company Ricoh Imaging.
Ricoh Imaging has said the Pentax Film Project – which led to the release of the Pentax 17 last summer – will seek further feedback from film photographers to gauge whether there is demand for further new film models.
TKO made the announcement on his Instagram account on Tuesday (25 March), saying: “I have decided to leave Ricoh Imaging: the beloved and glorious brand Pentax in March. Since joining the company, I have been involved in the design and planning of many digital cameras, and especially in the past few years, in the world of analogue cameras. And it has been an irreplaceable asset and happiness for me to have been able to interact with many people involved and fans. I have been very busy for several years, so I would like to take a break for a while.”
The Pentax 17 was the first Pentax film camera in nearly 20 years and was one of the most anticipated cameras releases of last year.
In the run-up to its release, Ricoh Imaging had said that it was investigating a raft of camera releases that could include a film SLR in due course.
Comments from Ricoh Imaging Europe sent to Kosmo Foto read: “TKO contributed significantly to Pentax design and development throughout his career, most recently playing a key role in the launch of the Pentax 17. We remain grateful for his valuable input and wish him the best as he moves on to new endeavours. Through the film project, he earned the respect and admiration of many in the film community. After working so hard, it’s entirely understandable that he would want to take some time for himself and focus on what’s important to him.
“The Pentax 17 was an important product to reintroducing film photography under the Pentax banner, reflecting the renewed interest among younger generations. We received a phenomenal response from the film community and remain focused on inspiring photographers worldwide to shoot film.
“On the business side, film cameras currently play a smaller role than our established GR line. Because this is our first new film camera in more than 15 years, we need time to gather feedback, meet with customers, and learn what they appreciated – or felt was missing – before making decisions on future film products.
“So, while TKO played a significant role in the Pentax Film Project, his departure does not affect the possibility of future film models; rather, we are continuing to evaluate the Pentax 17’s reception and considering how it may set the direction for our long-term approach to film photography.
“We appreciate your continued interest and will share more details as soon as they become available.”
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
So Ricoh Imaging shelved the Pentax Film Project and TKO couldn’t take it, so he left the company.
Sad.
Let me translate it from marketing damage control into simple words:
Pentax 17 is another financial disaster. Key responsive guy was fired. Once they sell remaining stock we will see Pentax 17 to go into “discontinued” page. Early next year probably.
It is barely $150 camera but offered for $500+ in US and $700+ in EU. Even after recent price drop it is still brutally overpriced. Who bought it cannot sell it for more than 1/3 the original price. That alone says a lot.
It does not have manual exposure control. Shutter speed range is joke. Lens focusing is joke. Lens alone is also very cheap. Whole assembly inside is VERY cheap (check disassembly videos). All that for very premium price, but focusing with half-frame on those, who want to shoot film cheaper. Does it make sense? No. You have to shoot about 5000 frames to even start noticing any savings on shooting half frame. But who would take so many shots with such camera. Guys who love film use hi-end compact or of course film SLR or even medium format cameras. Half frame makes sense in some $200 camera in case it has at least some level of manual control.
But that is Ricoh. Always experimenting. Like with GXR with interchangeable modules. Whole project is dead. They quietly killed Q mount. Then 645 medium format line. Now even K mount follows this fate. No new cameras, no new lenses. Many lenses discontinued. Well done Ricoh. Well done.
This is sad, however Ricoh spins it, clearly it is “paused”, consultations are what you do before you launch a product not after. The Pentax 17 is an odd camera, and I say that as someone who bought one to support the project. It can take nice pictures, but it’s weirdly compromised in lots of ways for no apparent reason aside from I guess nostalgia? It needs an aperture priority mode to really make it more useful as a photographic tool rather than a novelty. As it is the image quality is very dependent on whether the aperture closes down or not as the sharpness and contrast wide open aren’t amazing. The auto exposure is basic at best and who remembers to dial in exposure compensation on a point and shoot? The plethora of P modes are just confusing, zone focusing not working in auto mode is confusing. The blue and orange blinking LEDs are confusing. If you want to make a basic camera for beginners you don’t make reading the instruction manual from cover to cover a requirement to understand basic operation. If you want to make something more advanced then don’t go with all these weird half measures like we’re still dealing with 1970s technology.
I thought there were more “bells & whistles” than needed for a half-frame camera along with the price (ironically, the Soviet-era Aget half-frame had good features & can be found for less online). The price was a deal breaker for a film camera user like me (for that price I could easily equip a new darkroom). In retrospect, perhaps a simpler, completely manual half-frame is the better option. Still, I don’t think any other camera company should be discouraged – this appears to have gone in the wrong direction but new directions/resurrecting old ideas is an option. For what it’s worth, I still like the Kodak Ektar:).