ON1 software is 20 years old this year, and they are celebrating their anniversary with a big sale:
Check their website for additional information.
The history of ON1 can be found here:
The previously rumored Ricoh 360 Theta A1 camera is now officially announced (check for pre-order links). The new A1 model is designed for professional use:
Additional information:
The Pentax K-mount was introduced 50 years ago:
“The Pentax K-mount, sometimes referred to as the “PK-mount”, is a bayonet lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has since been used by all Pentax 35 mm and digital SLRs and also the MILC Pentax K-01. A number of other manufacturers have also produced many K-mount lenses and K-mount cameras. Originally designed by Zeiss for an alliance with Pentax, it was intended to be a common lens mount for a proposed series of cameras and lenses. However, the plan failed to work out and the two firms parted company amicably, but Pentax retained the lens mount and at least one Zeiss lens design for its own use.” (Wikipedia)
“The Pentax K-mount, a bayonet-style lens mount, was introduced by Asahi Optical Co. on June 1, 1975, replacing the M42 screw mount. This new design, reportedly developed in conjunction with Zeiss, offered a more secure and quicker lens changing experience, crucial for professional use and accommodating more advanced lens designs. The original K-mount featured a simple bayonet connection with three tabs and mechanical linkages for aperture control and open-aperture metering. Over the decades, the K-mount has seen significant evolution, with Pentax adding functionalities such as autofocus (initially with the short-lived KF-mount and then refined with KAF, KAF2, KAF3, and KAF4 variants) and digital information exchange, all while striving to maintain a high degree of backward compatibility with older lenses. This commitment has allowed a vast catalog of K-mount lenses produced over nearly half a century to be used, with varying levels of functionality, on subsequent Pentax film and digital SLR cameras.” (AI generated)
Ricoh also has a very nice page on the history of Pentax.
Ricoh has a new patent application released on May 30, which includes several optical lens designs/calculations:
Additional informtion:
Here are the first sightings of the new Ricoh GR IV camera at the GR SPACE event in Tokyo today:
Earlier this year, a new Ricoh Gashapon camera miniature collection set was released in Japan with realistic reproductions of old Ricoh film cameras:
The collection is already sold out in Japan, but you can still buy it from eBay for around $40.
Gashapon (ガシャポン) are popular vending machine-dispensed capsule toys sold in Japan. From Wikipedia:
