Ricoh is the current iteration of Asahi Pentax
Best of Pentax Forums Newsletter September 3, 2025
Ricoh was founded in 1919 as Asahi Optical
That’s according to…Ricoh. Because I am a giant nerd, I read everything, including the fine print at the bottom of press releases. Here’s the fine print from Ricoh’s press release last month announcing the launch of the Ricoh GR IV: The company operating now as Ricoh Company Ltd. was originally founded in 1919, under the name Asahi Optical Joint Stock Co. and launched its first SLR camera in the 1950s under the PENTAX name. Today, the company continues to produce the heritage-rich, award-winning line of PENTAX DSLR cameras, lenses and sport optics equipment as well as Ricoh’s offering of stylish and compact digital cameras, known for their wide-ranging, rich set of features.
This is especially interesting given the “Pentax is DOOOOMED!!” threads we’ve had here on Pentax Forums arguing that Pentax has been reduced to just another brand in Ricoh’s portfolio, and a fading brand at that. What do you think? Is Ricoh the current iteration of Asahi Pentax? Is Pentax just another brand? Vote in this week’s poll, and share your thoughts in the comments!
Elsewhere in this week’s newsletter, Forum Member Angus_M89 would like to introduce you to Lloyd, his Pentax Spotmatic F; Pentaxian jcdoss reviews the legendary SMC Pentax 28mm F3.5 Shift; and Pentax UK Ambassador Bill Ward gives us a sneak peak at his new book IMMERSIVE.
If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, please take a moment to join the more than 1,500 Pentaxians who have subscribed to our free curated compendium of the hundreds of great images and post shared each week in our Pentax community. Please let us know your thoughts here in the comments and on our Pentax Forums, and have a perfect Pentaxian week!
Threads of the Week:
"IMMERSIVE" - Brand New Book by Pentax UK Ambassador Bill Ward
August 29, 2025 • Photographic Industry and Professionals • 7 replies • 544 views
mbthing said — Hi all. Bill Ward here. A long time lurker over here since 2011, a long time member of Pentax User in the UK, and a Pentax Ambassador in the UK since 2014. I do hope this finds you all well and in very fine fettle indeed. Just sharing some exciting news: I'm delighted to launch “IMMERSIVE”, my very first book with Kozu Books, all photographs exclusively made with Pentax Cameras! Pre-Orders are now open at Kozu Books, published in the UK, shipping worldwide! “IMMERSIVE” is my pioneering Ocean ICM project, my 4 year investigation into water, energy and movement, and what happens when you physically get into the sea with a wetsuit, waterproof housing and a moving camera, and become literally immersed within the very thing you’re photographing. Read more »
Pentax showing at Sept. 20 Dallas Film Photography Meetup
September 2, 2025 • Pentax News and Rumors • 3 replies • 143 views
cjfeola said — I don't have a lot of details yet; I'll add them as I get them. I have inquiries to Ricoh Imaging Americas as to who will be there, what they'll have to show, etc.
August 31, 2025 • Site Suggestions and Help • 1 replies • 198 views
Adam said — We are now back online after some hefty maintenance. Please post here if you encounter any missing posts or unusual errors on the forum. Read more »
Pentaxian User Reviews
Pentax Lenses
SMC Pentax 28mm F3.5 Shift
Reviewed by Pentaxian jcdoss
Review Date: August 29, 2025 Recommended | Price: $700.00 | Rating: 8
Pros: Unique, good center sharpness, good color
Cons: A bit large, push-on lens cap, a little soft at the edges, esp shifted
Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 8 Handling: 9 Value: 8 Camera Used: K-1mII, film
I purchased this lens seven years ago since it's a unique piece of Pentax history, being the only shift lens in the K-mount collection. It's much larger than my other 28mm lenses and significantly heavier, but I wouldn't say it's too large or too heavy. There is more mass there to make room for the shift mechanism and aperture rings. The lens has a push-on lens cap which I'm no fan of. Mine has electrical tape lining the inside rim to provide some grip, otherwise it falls off on its own. The lens requires a good amount of practice to master, and I don't think I'm quite there yet. There are two aperture rings, the outer one sets the taking aperture with firm clickstops, and the inner one spins freely. Set the desired aperture with the outer ring, and leave the inner one wide open to focus. Meter with the lens stopped down. The shift mechanism has 11mm of freedom, rotating smoothly without click stops. It's important to meter with the lens in its 0mm position, as shifting then metering will produce metering errors. There is also a rotating mechanism close to the lens mount, allowing the lens to be rotated around its axis and shifting the lens in pretty much any direction. This is pretty cool, giving compositional freedom in any direction. Shifting the lens down, for example, will stretch details at the bottom of the frame and compress those at the top, allowing for some interesting effects. Image quality is mixed, in my opinion, with sharp details in the center but getting a little squishy at the edges wide open, and when shifted it looks a little smeary. But overall, I'm glad I have the lens and I use it in my monthly rotation regularly.
I have a collection of images here, shifted to various degrees and often with non-shifted images for comparison. Check the keywords for how much and in which direction the lens is shifted, if at all.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcdoss/albums/72177720309082870/
Third-Party Pentax Lenses
Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar MC 50mm F1.8
Reviewed by VintageLensKid
Review Date: August 27, 2025 Recommended | Price: $95.00 | Rating: 9
Pros: Very sharp, pleasing bokeh and colors
Cons:Build quality, you have to be careful with the aperture or servicing because if you break something you're screwed, having broken pancolar zebra and sonnar mc before
Sharpness: 10 Aberrations: 9 Bokeh: 10 Handling: 8 Value: 9 Camera Used: Canon 6D
This would've been 10 if not for the (in my opinion) overengineered aperture control, if you lose this tiny old spring that is bad nowadays, you're screwed and the aperture doesnt close or open all the way. If you break the little pin holding the part that controls auto manual switch you're screwed because you cant control the aperture then. I think i prefer the Helios 44-2 Swirly bokeh tho
Anyways much better look and picture quality than really any lens incluiding the modern canon EF or RF 50 1.8, sharper more vibrant colors and exquisite bokeh!
Recommended!
Don't overpay for this lens!
Pentax Cameras
Pentax Spotmatic F
Reviewed by Forum Member Angus_M89
Review Date: August 28, 2025 Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 9
Pros: Light meter electrics upgraded Cons:
I got mine for a steal on eBay from a charity store. Whoever had it took great care of it and named it 'Lloyd'. It was a no frills, efficient and enjoyable camera to use. To this day it's taken some of the best photos I have including my daughter's first day of school. I kind of regret selling it but I wanted to only have K mount lenses and not M42 as well. I hope Lloyd is still going strong somewhere.
Comment of the Week:
Veteran Member Ishpuini on Are you preordering a Ricoh GR IV? The Best of Pentax Forums August 27 Poll: Though I'm always interested by new evolutions of any camera I have, the GR series being no different, I probably won't get one soon.
Reason is that I use my GRIII and GRIIIx in a tandem setup. I generally have both with me and switch between them depending on the FoV that I feel is best for the shot. Hence:
having the same UI is essential for switching seamlessly without having to think about control layout.
sharing batteries between the two cameras is very practical, requiring fewer backup batteries and chargers. Switching battery is faster if you don't have to double check you fished the correct one out of the bag. 25% extra battery capacity is OK, but not sufficiently significant for me to justify the extra carry. Note that I have a Oly underwater camera that uses the same battery as well.
same about the memory cards, I only carry SD cards and have a fairly large number of them, so interchanging these between all my cameras (both compacts and both my Pentax DSLRs) is very practical.
Will I never get a GRIV? I will probably, depending whether a GRIVx will come or not. If it does, I see myself upgrading both the GRIII and GRIIIx at the same time. Money permitting of course, because that will require a more important investment (including two adapters for the conversion lenses that I also have and use frequently).
Is Ricoh the current iteration of Asahi Pentax?
The Best of Pentax Forums September 3 Poll
Ricoh was founded in 1919 as Asahi Optical, according to…Ricoh. Because I am a giant nerd, I read everything, including the fine print at the bottom of press releases. Here in its entirety is the fine print from Ricoh’s press release last month announcing the launch of the Ricoh GR IV:
This is especially interesting given the “Pentax is DOOOOMED!!” threads we’ve had here on Pentax Forums arguing that Pentax has been reduced to just another brand in Ricoh’s portfolio, and a fading brand at that. What do you think? Is Ricoh the current iteration of Asahi Pentax? Is Pentax just another brand? Vote in this week’s poll, and share your thoughts in the comments!
This poll closes September 9th.
And here are the results of last week’s poll:
Weekly Photo Challenges
Project 52-13-36: Minimalism, 8/31 - 9/7 (Sunday)
This week, it’s all about keeping it simple—because sometimes less really is more. Minimalism lets your subject breathe, strips away distractions, and leaves only what truly matters. Embrace the clean lines, open space, and quiet power of restraint… and most of all, have fun!
And here’s the entry for Site Supporter Dutchman: Moon and Tower-A minimalist composition with only two elements: the rising moon and the sharp lines of a tower.
Rendered in black & white to emphasize simplicity and balance.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Mindshift Gear Photocross Sling Review
Jun 18, 2018
Introduction
Mindshift Gear is a manufacturer which regularly releases new products. Never one to rest on its laurels, Think Tank's sister company regularly tries to improve its offer for active and outdoors photographers.
Founded around the concept of the rotation180° line of bags, Mindshift Gear has diversified its lineup and tries to cover a wide range of use cases. One of its most recent products is the Photocross sling bag. Offered in two sizes and with two color accents, this sling is aimed straight at sports photographers who want to travel light with a rugged and resistant bag.
PentaxForum Front page stories Aug 27-Sept 2:
Announcing "Flowers" - Our September 2025 Photo Contest
Win prizes in our official monthly photo contests
By PF Staff in Photo Contests on Sep 2, 2025
We're herewith announcing our monthly photo contest for September. The theme for this month is Flowers.
The theme is flowers. For this month's competition you can show us individual flower(s), a close-up of a flower, a blooming bush, a flower bed, etc. The composition is up to you as long as the primary subject is flower(s). Good luck!
First prize is a $50 gift card to B&H Photo, second prize is a one year forum account upgrade, and third prize is a box of photo paper form Red River.
The official contest rules are found here.