Pentax K-Mount 2021 Roadmap

2021.02.25

Pentax followed the announcement of their Limited HD lenses with a updated roadmap for the K-mount with plans new APS-C specific and Full-Frame lenses, naturualy compatible with any K-mount digital camera. The most information revealed is the the new premium APS-C lens to replace the aging DA* 16-50mm F/2.8 SDW which set the benchmark for APS-C zoom lenses back in 2007. This was the most rugged DSLR lens at the time with dual focus systems and previously unssed perfmance for an APS-C zoom.

Pentax HD DA* 16-50mm F/2.8 ED PLM AW

A new and lens covering with a bright aperture tentatively named Pentax HD DA* 16-50mm F/2.8 ED PLM AW is the first DA* lens to acquire the HD naming, sets itself up for comparison with the D FA* 70-200mm F/2.8 ED DC AW for Full-Frame digital cameras. The new offering still in development covers a 16-50mm focal-range with a bright F/2.8 maximum aperture in a rugged weatherproof body.

The upcoming lens introduces a new type of focus motor. Its Pulse Linear Modulation (PLM) motor is optimized for quick smooth focus transitions suitable for use during video recording. A Large zoom ring and focus ring for ergonomics Pentax is famous for. The focus-ring should offer Full-Time Manual Focus.

Lens Road Maps

Ricoh also added two unspecified lenses to the Pentax K-mount roadmap. One is large aperture wide prime lens while the other is long zoom, around the 70-210mm range with unknown aperture range. A second roadmap showing lenses with Full-Frame coverage was also published:

The Pentax K Full-Frame lineup is much more limited than its APS-C counterpart because Pentax specialized for a long time by exclusively offering APS-C Digital SLR cameras, although they made lenses for Full-Frame models since the days of film, which includes several of their famous Limited lenses.

The key announcement is that the two lenses shows in the complete K-mount roadmap also appear in the Full-Frame one. This means that Pentax is focusing on growing the Full-Frame lineup but also that these lenses are going to be larger than necessary for APS-C cameras. This puts Ricoh in a diificult position of having to neglect their strongest market segment in favor of developing Full-Frame which is sorely needed.

There is clearly a reasonable coverage of focal-length from 15 to 560mm, with zooms up to 450mm, but most of these lenses are rather and heaviy, making the Pentax Full-Frame system the heaviest on the market, excluding dual-grip cameras for action photography. Several of their initial Full-Frame lenses are in need for replacement as they do not deliver the perfmance needed by modern Full-Frame cameras since their design was licensed from low-quality third-party lens manufacturers. The DFA 15-30mm and DAF 24-70mm particularly are unable to match similarly-specified lenses for other mounts.

Pentax K-3 III

The final Pentax news of the day is a delay in the upcoming and long overdue new APS-C DSLR flagship. The new Pentax K-3 III was originally scheduled for launch this week but has been delayed to an undetermined date due to sourcing issues. This camera promises a leap in both performance and ergonomics that Pentax is excels at. It is expected to be the most robust Interchangeable Lens Camera around with a fully weatherproof and freezeproof body.

The Pentax K-3 III is designed around a modern 26 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, likely sourced from Sony like nearly every other Pentax camera and comparable to others of the same resolution. The K-3 III though features a state-of-the-art 5-axis builtin image-stabilization system, new 101-point Phase-Detect AF system and numerous unique Pentax technology such as Automatic Level Correction, Astrotracer, Moire-Filter Simulator, etc plus super resolution mode. Ergonomics have been refined with triple control-dials for the first time on a flagship APS-C DSLR. The camera body was optimized from comfort and includes the largest OVF of the industry showing 1.05X magnification, a bright view and of course 100% coverage with an LCD overlay. An Eye-Start Sensor increased automation to hopefully make this the most efficient DSLR to use

• Lens