Pentax's Big News

Just announced: The Pentax K-1 II. But read on.

Let's get the news out of the way first: The Pentax K-1 II is coming. It costs $1,997 for the body only, and with Pentax's remarkably sharp new 28–105mm lens for $400 more (a $100 discount from the cost of the lens alone).

Okay, cool. But the most interesting part is that if you already have a K-1 you might not need to buy the new one:

...In conjunction with [the announcement of the K-1 II] [Ricoh] also announced an upgrade service for current PENTAX K-1 users.

The upgrade service shows their gratitude to PENTAX K-1 digital SLR camera users and allows them to receive the advanced functions of the new PENTAX K-1 Mark II in their current K-1 cameras.

Here is an overview of the upgrade service:

• The upgrade service will be done for a limited time from May 21, 2018 – September 30, 2018.
• Upgrade cost: $550USD / $690 CAD
• Cameras will need to be shipped to Precision Camera (US) and Sun Camera (Canada)

What will be done to your camera?

The PENTAX K-1’s main circuit board will be replaced to add new functions featured in the new PENTAX K-1 MKII. Additionally the current SR logo on the PENTAX K-1 MKII [is that a typo? Surely they mean the Mark I? —Ed.] will be replaced with the new PENTAX K-1 MKII logo.

That's straight from the Ricoh website.

Very interesting. I believe that's an industry first, at least that I'm aware of.

It remains to be seen whether that's the best or cheapest way to get a K-1 II. We'll have to see what happens to used prices of the K-1. And perhaps there will be more residual value in a K-1 II than in a K-1 that's been upgraded. Still, it's a very interesting development, I think—and certainly an indication that Ricoh isn't forgetting the loyal K-1 owners out there.

Upgrade details
The primary change in the Mark II upgrade is an "accelerator unit" which improves noise suppression and high-ISO performance at the cost of a certain amount of battery life (760 shots per charge to 670 shots according to the specs). According to DPReview, Ricoh said the accelerator unit is already used in some other Pentax cameras but wasn't ready in time for the original launch of the K-1.

Also, there are some exotic-sounding improvements in stabilization abilities: Ricoh claims you will be able to do pixel-shift shots handheld, which sounds counter-intuitive but who knows, might work. One of those things that will have to be "seen to be believed."

Mike
(Thanks to Ned Bunnell)

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Aaron: "This is so classy! I'm super impressed that an offer like this would be made and only endears me to the brand. Bravo Ricoh/Pentax!"

Ned Bunnell: "The forums are already awash in discussion if the upgrade make sense vs. just selling your K-1 and buying the K-1 II :-) "

Chris Kern: "Smart move—and motivated, I suspect, by the same marketing logic that has led Fuji to provide performance and functionality upgrades for older bodies through firmware updates: give the customer an inducement to stay with the system and he will keep buying lenses; give the customer enough time to accumulate a large investment in glass and he will will be reluctant to switch to a different system."

John Krumm: "I'm doing it. I suppose it might be smart to wait until the later part of the upgrade period to listen for horror stories and to let them work out the bugs, but I'm not much of a waiter. It seems quite worth it to me. This will also allow us to get any future firmware improvements that will only work with the new processor. Also there are some small changes, like more accurate greens (the K-1 is known for slightly over-the-top greens). I bet Pentax is more or less doing this at cost, considering labor prices."

Benjamin Marks: "I am wondering (out loud) what the actual profit to Ricoh is on the sale of a new K-1 to one of their retailers. If it was much over 20% of the cost to produce one, I would be surprised. I also wonder if this new model doesn't allow Ricoh to 'go back to the well' with their K-1 customer base and scrape a little more profit in on each unit already sold.

"If so, it would be a really interesting development in an already saturated marketplace. If it works, you avoid further saturating your customer base and the development of the robust used market we currently see in barely used electronics. Think about it: camera makers are currently not just competing against one another, they also are competing against their own previous sales success/installed base of barely-used electronics. Years ago, I naively thought that Leica would 'go digital' by creating a drop-in sensor and processor that would fit in their film cameras. Ricoh/Pentax's move could be like that. Update the heart of the camera every five years or so...much more like the subscription model that Adobe and everyone else seems to want me to participate in.

"Well, hats off to Ricoh for stirring things up. I bet this move's got other camera makers thinking!"

Mike replies: Good point. And picture the customer who scores a used K-1 for $1,200 and sends it in for the Mark II upgrade as a cheaper way to get a Mark II. Assuming Ricoh is making a profit on the upgrade service, that allows the company to monetize a sale on its own used market. Modestly, but still.

robert e: "Regarding the value of the upgrade, I think it's safe to assume that it involves a CLA, a typically $100–200 service that in many cases is worth more, and should be part of maintaining a camera of this quality anyway. It would be nice to have confirmation though. Another value question not addressed in the press release is whether the upgrade rejuvenates the warranty period."

JG: "Does this mean the camera industry will follow in the footsteps of the high-end audio industry when it comes to upgrading existing products? As I recall from my days in that industry—time flies, eh?—many manufacturers found offering upgrades for their existing products to be quite profitable, because it allowed them to take another bite of the apple and sell something to their customers in between their major purchases. This approach also kept many of their customers happy, because allowed them to stay current without having to pay the full price for a new component, plus it bypassed their dealers, so they kept all the money instead of just 40 to 50 percent of it! Perhaps this can help manufacturers maintain their profitability in the face of declining sales for new cameras? If so, then we'll be seeing more of this and, I suspect, new cameras will be designed from the start with the potential for future upgrades to be easily performed. We do live in interesting times, eh?"

Arg: "If you value your K-1's ISO-invariance, you might wait until reviews come in before getting the upgrade. I suspect that the 'pre-processor' is an analog front end (AFE) amplifier, which would signal (pun) the end of the ISO invariance."

Lorenzo: "Ah...it's news like this that keep endearing the good old Nikon brand to its loyal customers. One reads of such marketing initiatives, and wonders: why even dream of switching to brands like Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic, or Pentax, when all they seem to do is innovate and pamper their user base (the horror! Even after purchase), when one could be masochistically ignored by Mother Nikon, recompensed for the long term commitment with 0 (zero) firmware-enhancing updates, preyed upon through an exquisitely rapacious and exceptionally implemented market segmentation that always leaves something missing in any camera of the lineup, and of course, left in total silence on the future (future?) of the many (many...) thousands of € of F-mount lenses one holds in the face of the forthcoming (is it, really? remember: mum's the word, here) mirrorless transition?

"I sincerely don't know how Pentax users feel about this. But, if I were one, I'd be very, very smug (Cheshire cat smug, I'd say...) at the news: being given the chance to keep up with the latest technology for an almost symbolic price (without the hassle of selling/buying new, not to be underestimated in many markets) would just ring to my ear like 'But of course: our customers matter to us.' I'd let Ricoh milk me for this 500€ and still feel very, very happy about how they deal with the customer base: I'm no marketing man, but I'd swear there's something to be said for the long-lasting effects of endearing your customers, rather than trudging upon them.

"Pentaxians might be thinking long and hard whether a K-1 II is better value than a K-1-updated-to-II, or whether this is enough on Pentax's part. As paying consumers, they have every right to do so. Me, as a Nikonian, I am just plain envious."

Dave New: "Pentax is doing everything that Canon should have done. I'm tired of waiting for Canon to 'discover' IBIS, PS, Astro-Trace, and a reasonably-priced, kick-butt full-frame 36+ MP body, with weather seals, to boot. Canon, where art thou? Since my current Canon bodies are getting long in the tooth (7D and 70D, and well, even a 20D), the glass is holding me back, and having just checked the price for my used Canon glass, I'm about to pull the trigger. There's another photographer in my local club that also shoots the same/similar landscapes I do. He changed over to the original K-1 a couple of years ago, and seems happy with it, and I've seen beautiful prints from it. I've got an inquiry in with him for feedback, pro and con, on his experience with the K-1."

Mike replies to Lorenzo and Dave: The answer is probably that Nikon and Canon don't need to. They're happy with their market share just as it is. Why change?

Comments

[Eolake]

Life is so weird... (TM)
I can’t imagine any scenario where I’d ever again use a camera this size. But I still get “horny” when I see a new one. Sigh. :-)

[Chris Kern]

Smart move—and motivated, I suspect, by the same marketing logic that has led Fuji to provide performance and functionality upgrades for older bodies through firmware updates: give the customer an inducement to stay with the system and he will keep buying lenses; give the customer enough time to accumulate a large investment in glass and he will will be reluctant to switch to a different system.

[s.wolters]

All together now!

… back to the D.S.L.R.
 You don't know how lucky you are, boy…

Sorry Mike. Yesterday’s post got me in a nostalgic mood.
It almost worked.
Almost.

[Tim McGowan]

Mike, very gracious of you to feature Pentax. You are a true gentleman.

[xfmj]

“Pixel shift (PS)” shifts the sensor up/down/left/right at fractions of a pixel width to obtain a higher-resolution image. “In body stabilization (IBIS)” shifts the sensor in the opposite direction of a camera shake to compensate for a picture-taker’s shaky hands. But if you happen to be shaking the camera upward while PS happens to *want* to move the sensor up, IBIS won’t stop your movement as much. Car metaphor? I guess you can think of IBIS as the gas/brake pedals that can accelerate/decelerate the car. If the car is already moving forward fast enough, IBIS can ease off the gas, and even slow the whole thing down. Heck, it can start putting the whole business in reverse. Um, okay... Makes total sense, right?

[Brian V.]

I don't know that the strategy of buying a used K-1 and having it upgraded is practical. I've been following the used K-1 market for a while (not too closely), but have noticed that the used prices have not dropped too much. Just looked at ebay sold prices and generally they are in the $1,400 to $1,600 range. There is one that sold at $1,000 but I have never seen another one go that low and it was being sold by a pawn shop. I haven't seen one show up at KEH either. The retail price for new K-1's also has held up since the introduction 2 years ago. I think it means Pentaxians like their K-1's. Personally, I'm hoping for a new mirrorless pentax some day.

[All true but presumably the used market will change now that the K-1 is no longer the current model. Wait and see. --Mike]

[Dave Millier]

Kodak did an upgrade offer for the original 14n.

You could send it back to the factory to be converted into a 14nx with a new sensor and board.

It was almost, but not quite the same spec after conversion as the SLR/n successor to the 14n.

[Richard Parkin]

Those of us who have had Ricoh cameras for some time know that this is an evolution of their past practice with the GRD etc. Ricoh also produced Benjamin Marks’ drop in sensor in the shape of the Ricoh GXR and Leica mount unit, the latter containing just the sensor and mount to add to the GXR body unit.

[beuler]

It will never work. 36 megapixels are just not enough by modern standards. Everyone should just dump all their K-1 bodies now. I am accepting K-1 body donations starting today ;)

Just think of all the lucky K-1 owners that can upgrade without memorizing new button positions. It's a win all-round.

[Mike Shwarts]

It makes a lot of sense to me. Many cameras are incremental upgrades, so why pay for a new body when you can upgrade an existing body. I would go so far, if possible, to build a standardized mount and connection for sensors. You could upgrade the sensor, firmware and maybe some other hardware at a lower cost.

Think of environmental costs including raw materials and energy to transport and convert raw materials to something usable in a factory. The manufacturing and transport to stores around the world. Camera bodies would be less of a throw away product. And as stated above we could concentrate on buying the lenses we want.

[Mark Roberts]

Cameras have been essentially computers for almost 20 years now. We're long past the time when upgrade options like this should have become available. Kudos to Pentax for leading the way.

[Ned Bunnell]

One minor factor that has this retired, out of touch quarterback intrigued with the K1 MkII price and the $550 upgrade offer is what will Ricoh do with the current K1?

They haven’t announced a price drop on the K1 which normally means you’ve sold out all your inventory. However, it’s still listed at $1,896 at B&H. Makes me wonder how many units they’re sitting on?

While the upgrade sure sounds like a nice goodwill gesture to current owners, any remaining new K1’s will not sell through unless they drop the price. Probably doesn’t matter financially to Ricoh if they only have, say, 50 units left. I’ll be interested to see how this plays out.

[Dave in NM]

It’s not really that unheard of, Mike.

A hardware upgrade for another “K” camera in the distant past was offered... The Kodak DCS Pro 14n became the functional equivalent of the DCS Pro SLR/n when it was given a new sensor, memory buffer, and firmware. It was relabeled as a Kodak DCS Pro 14nx. The upgrade cost $1,495 in 2004.

[Ed Hawco]

*Sigh* The continuing saga of bad camera naming. The K-1 II? I hope Pentax doesn't plan a K-12.

[Bill Mitchell]

DAMN! I don't want to buy a new DSLR, but I think that I'll have to get this one as my last (new) camera/lens until Leica comes out with their 100th Anniversary model ($$$) which I've already decided that I will HAVE to buy.

[KW Leon]

"I believe that's an industry first, at least that I'm aware of."

Leica introduced a "perpetual" upgrade programme in 2008. The first upgrade involved swapping the M8's shutter and LCD cover glass for those being installed on the M8.2 model. However no futher ugrades to make good on the announcement that Leica would keep the M8 state-of-the-art "forever" ever appeared.

[Mao]

Profit or not, the upgrade is work for someone and it moves money around in the economy, so that's good for everyone.

[ashok viswanathan]

interesting. now i wonder if fuji will offer an upgrade from the Xpro1 to the Xpro2 ??

[Michael Perini]

I think Ricoh Pentax is to be commended. I think it is a great idea, and a way to reward your customers, and make a small additional profit. I keeps customers connected.
Canon has been quite good in adding features to older cameras through firmware updates and last year offered all 5D4 owners a chance to add Canon Log for I think 100 bucks
I think it is great, and responsible.

[R]

If Mark II is just Mark I and a different motherboard then that's a good way to avoid having a big stock of unsold old models. Pentax can switch boards and logos of the remaining K1s and have cheap Model IIs for sale. Sounds like someone's been thinking out of the box at Ricoh.

[Ari]

Not an industry first: Leica offered upgrades for the M8 when the M8.2 was released.

[Nic Mainferme]

"Ricoh has also switched away from using the optionally-available K-AC132 AC adapter kit (which is also compatible with the sub-frame K-3 series cameras) to provide mains power for studio shooting. Instead, it now offers the same, optional K-AC167 kit as used with the Pentax KP."
https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/pentax-k1-ii/pentax-k1-iiA.HTM