Pentax Launches New 35mm Camera Project After Film Resurgence
Ricoh has announced it’s launching a new Pentax film camera project after a surge in interest in analog photography.
The new film camera research and development will bring together veteran 35mm engineers and fuse them with younger ones to take advantage of Pentax’s rich history in the analog camera market.
“There has been a rebirth in interest in film cameras recently,” Ricoh writes in a press release. “We want to use the film camera skills and technologies developed over the years by Ricoh Imaging/Pentax and provide camera enthusiasts around the world with new film camera products.”
Film photography has seen a resurgence in recent years. Many declared the medium to be dead after the advent of digital and smartphone cameras. But earlier this year, film manufacturer Eastman Kodak made a recruitment drive for technicians after being unable to keep up with demand.
“We will be developing and launching new products and providing aftercare services so that experienced film camera users and younger photographers who want to try these cameras for the first time can fully enjoy the experience of film photography,” says Ricoh.
“With digital cameras now the mainstream of photography, it can be challenging to procure the parts needed for film cameras, so this project`s success will involve other manufacturers.”
Ricoh says that it’s hoping to work with film camera aficionados, photographers, and creators to promote the project while also listening to their feedback to help improve product development.
“We are also planning a way to communicate effectively about the project’s development to users worldwide and to work closely with them,” Rioch adds.
Film is Back
The resurgence of film appears to be driven by Generation Z who are captivated by the process.
“Many young photographers also enjoy taking photos with film cameras, developing the film, and then uploading images in digitalized form to social media sites without making final prints,” says Ricoh.
“At the same time, few manufacturers today build and sell new film cameras. Some film camera users expressed concerns about the aftercare service for used film cameras.
“Ricoh Imaging is prioritizing supporting film camera fans so they can enjoy film photography without worries, from film camera development, production, and sales to aftercare.”
The Japanese imaging giant suggests that analog photography offers an enjoyable activity that is contrary to today’s convenient society where beautiful pictures can be captured easily on smartphones.
“Pentax believes that time and effort signify individuality, creativity, and personal preference. Because activities involving time and effort are indeed a human experience, our goal is to provide Pentax camera products that involve intricate, time-consuming, satisfying actions,” says Ricoh.
Ricoh hasn’t provided a date for when photographers will be able to get their hands on a modern Pentax film camera.
Image credits:Featured image via Pexels.
