Should Pentax build a 645 Monochrome?
Ricoh Imaging and Pentax’s Blue Ocean strategy has provided increased sales and profits all decade. It’s a strategy built on cameras that have no direct competition: the GR III and IV, along with the x, HDF and Monochrome variants; the K-3 Mark III Monochrome, and the Pentax 17 half-frame film camera.
Here’s a camera Pentax could build that would have no competition: a 645 Monochrome. Pentax could then round out a full system with a 645 Colour - the same camera as the 645 Monochrome, but with a Bayer array — and a 645 Film-perhaps an updated 645N ii. What say you? Would you buy a 645 Monochrome? All three? Vote in this week’s poll, and let us know in the comments why you do the things you do!
Elsewhere in this week’s newsletter, New Member AntarcticPentaxian and his Pentax KP check in from Vostok Station in Antarctica; New Member cornichon reviews the OG Pentax 645; and Senior Member Angus_M89 takes a look at the SMC Pentax-FA* 80-200mm F2.8 ED [IF].
If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, please take a moment to join the almost 1,600 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:
Greetings from the Pole of Cold! Vostok Station, Antarctica (-75°C)
August 14, 2026 • Welcomes and Introductions • 19 replies • 512 views
AntarcticPentaxian said — Hello Pentaxians! I’m a new member here, going by the handle AntarcticPentaxian. I’m not a professional photographer or a blogger, just a passionate hobbyist who loves taking pictures and appreciates the reliable, tactile feel of Pentax gear. Read more »
Selling my dad’s large camera collection
August 16, 2026 • Welcomes and Introductions • 9 replies • 329 views
BW PR Estate said — My name is Brittany, and I’m joining the forum while helping settle my late father’s estate. He was a career photographer, a photography enthusiast and collector with a particular appreciation for vintage cameras and film photography. Read more »
Pentaxian User Reviews
Pentax Cameras
Pentax 645
Reviewed by New Member cornichon
Review Date: August 11, 2026 Recommended | Price: $550.00 | Rating: 10
Pros: familiar controls to 1980’s pentax 35mm cameras. easy to handle, nice to focus
Cons: cannot get it serviced, lenses and accessories are expensive
I love this camera. The other medium format I own is a Yashica D TLR. Lots of fun, but I certainly am not going to get candid photos of my kids on the tlr.
The 645 however.. My favourite things about it are that it feels like a jacked up Super Program. I have one of those too, so getting used to the 645 was not too difficult. I do recommend always sourcing the manual- it’ll tell you how to load the film, common errors etc.
Most of my cameras do not have program modes or aperture-priority so it really does make taking quick photos easy. And it is a fun conversation starter for sure. Taking a photo is very loud, but whatever unless you’re going for stealth.
I completely forgot about the diopter so for a couple weeks I thought my astigmatism was getting worse- nope, forgot to adjust the diopter. The smc-A 75mm lens is my favourite and does not add a lot of bulk to the camera.
The worst part is that no one services them in Canada. But if you can find one that looks to be in good shape, just keep using it. I have accepted that once my 645 dies I will like only have my Yashica for medium-format. But 70 yr old camera fully manual camera that has had a CLA will last past my lifetime I think.
I love the grip feel of the 645, I can easily carry it in one hand, but I do recommended sourcing strap lugs to wear a strap just in case.
It’s a fun retro camera and the photos you can take with it and the accompanying fantastic lenses make it a great addition to your collection. Although I carry a 35mm camera all the time, I find I grab the 645 regularly for outings, especially if I want some nice portrait or candid close ups. Totally worth it
Pentax Lenses
SMC Pentax-FA* 80-200mm F2.8 ED [IF]
Reviewed by Senior Member Angus_M89
Review Date: August 17, 2026 Recommended | Rating: 8
Pros: Focal range with a fast aperture, IQ Cons: Heavyyyy
I have realised I am the 22nd reviewer for both the 80-200 and 28-70. Neat.
This lens is a chonker. Hefty to hand hold with a K-1 and a little better on 90’s to early 00’s film bodies. It is quite big but for IF and the range with speed, I am happy to accept a compromise.
AF and PZ features are the usual fair of push/pull. No issues with mine. Focus is decently quick. Zoom range can be a tad slow but not a ball breaker.
Image quality is very good. I think this lens does the FA* series proud. The colours and rendering are very nice. The 200mm FA* prime is a tad sharper but the versatility of this zoom lead me to be comfortable selling my prime. Bokeh and sharpness play well together as the aperture changes. My only criticism for IQ is the softness at 2.8 but once stopped down it is great.
Mine has a slight cracks on the front element.on the edge. Barely noticeable but I am anxious about it. I can only imagine it happened to a previous owner hitting it on something as this thing weighs a tonne and any drop I imagine would be fairly likely to break it.
Comment of the Week:
Loyal Site Supporter BertieK on What's your fav oddball Pentax? The Best of Pentax Forums August 13 Poll: Of course the Monochrome's my favorite but there's nothing oddball about it.
Should Pentax build a 645 Monochrome?
The Best of Pentax Forums August 20 Poll
Imagine for a moment that you are the CEO of Ricoh Imaging and can set the manufacturing priorities for Pentax…
Yes, yes, you immediately ordered up One Million K-1 Mark IIIs and K-3 Mark IVs and the development of an HD Pentax-D FA* 10-2000 F0.9 ED Limited ED PLM WR RE and set them all up for delivery to your house…
But just for fun, let’s imagine that you are a responsible CEO who wants Pentax to not just survive, but to thrive well into the future by bringing in new customers. After all, there’s a limited future betting on the GAS of GOPs – Grumpy Old Pentaxians -- who are already pushing the century mark. What could you build that would build excitement, get written up in the press, and bring in new customers?
What about sticking with the Blue Ocean strategy that has provided increased sales and profits all decade? It’s a strategy built on cameras that have no direct competition: the GR III and IV, along with the x, HDF and Monochrome variants; the K-3 Mark III Monochrome, and the Pentax 17 half-frame film camera.
Here’s a camera Pentax could build that would have no competition: a 645 Monochrome, perhaps using a variant of the 100 MP Sony sensor used in the Fujifilm GFX 100s ii and Hasselblad X2D. Pentax could then round out a full system with a 645 Colour - the same camera as the 645 Monochrome, but with a Bayer array — and a 645 Film-perhaps an updated 645N.
What say you? Would you buy a 645 Monochrome? All three? Vote in this week’s poll, and let us know in the comments why you do the things you do!
This poll closes August 26.
And here are the results of last week’s poll:
Weekly Photo Challenges
Project 52-14-33: Flash, until 8-23 (Sunday)
An exciting photo challenge centered on camera flash invites you to use your flash creatively rather than just as a simple fill light. Experiment with off-camera flash, long exposures combined with flash (rear-curtain sync), or effects like backlighting and reflections to create entirely new moods.
Ideas for your flash challenge
Direct Flash: Point your speedlight directly forward and use a slightly slower shutter speed (e.g., 1/15 sec.); move the camera slightly while shooting to create cool background blur.
Off-Camera Drama: Hold the flash in your hand or position it to the side using a wireless trigger to sculpt faces or objects with harsh rim lighting.
High-Speed: Freeze the motion with a quick flash burst.*
Backlit Fill Flash: Flash your subject from the front in bright sunlight to lighten shadows while keeping the background looking dark or richly saturated.
Make the most of your gear: If you don’t have a dedicated external flash use the build in camera one.
Take your best shot, but most of all, have fun!
I'm looking forward to seeing many old and new participants in Project 52 and to see your different flashlights from around the world.
And here is the entry from Moderator garywakeling
O.K. I know I have a problem and this week's subject is certainly not helping !!! In my defence I did score a great deal of 12 AF540FTZ flashes, 10 of them were working and 2 had parts that I have as spares. This is most of my P-TTL flashes apart from the AF160FC ring flashes, naturally I also have many of the film era TTL flashes including the monster hammerheads AF400T as well as the cords and distributors used to make multi flash possible I also have a Godox X2 system with 3 flashes. Now that the confession is over , I feel much better, however I will be mentioning this to my therapist just in case.
Naturally the title is " Houston we have a problem"
Memory Lane: 20 Years of Pentax Forums
Here’s the most read camera review in the history of Pentax Forums with 1,438,873 views since it was posted Nov 12, 2013:
Pentax K-3 Review
Introduction
Originally announced on October 7th, 2013, the Pentax K-3 is the exciting new flagship 24-megapixel APS-C DSLR from Pentax which will be replacing the outgoing K-5 II and K-5 IIs models. This camera delivers numerous enhancements over the aging Pentax K-5 family of DSLRs, which was originally introduced more than three years ago, in September 2010. Targeted mainly at advanced photographers and enthusiasts, the K-3’s improved key specifications are now on par with (or better than) those of the Nikon D7100, its closest competitor within the DSLR realm. The K-3 was launched with a retail price of $1299 in the US.
PentaxForum Front page stories Aug 13-19:
July “Weather” Contest Finalists Announced
Vote for the overall winner!
By PF Staff in Photo Contests on Aug 14, 2026
After the end of the nomination phase of last month’s official Weather photo contest, we’re now ready to announce our top 15 finalists! Click on the link below to view the photos in full size and cast your vote in the poll: Vote for your favorite photo in the poll
Dear Pentax-Please build a 645 Monochrome
Time to sail the Blue Ocean back to medium format, now with Monochrome
By cjfeola in Columns on Aug 19, 2026
Imagine for a moment that you are the CEO of Ricoh Imaging and can set the manufacturing priorities for Pentax.
Yes, yes, you’ve just ordered One Million K-1 Mark IIIs and K-3 Mark IVs and the development of an HD Pentax-D FA* 10-2000 F0.9 ED Limited ED PLM WR RE.
All for you.
But just for fun, let’s imagine that you are a responsible CEO who wants Pentax to not just survive, but to thrive well into the future by bringing in new customers. After all, there’s a limited future betting on the GAS of GOPs – Grumpy Old Pentaxians -- who are already pushing the century mark. What could you build that would build excitement, get written up in the press, and bring in new customers?