It's been six years since Canon and Nikon launched their last DSLRs; the EOS 1D X Mark III, and the D6, respectively. That now leaves only one DSLR brand left in the game: Pentax. But although it does still produce DSLRs, it's not like we're being flooded with new hardware. Just two Pentax DSLR models are still officially current. There's the full-frame K-1 II, now 8 years old, and the APS-C KF, which though launched more recently in 2022, was little more than a re-badged K-70; a camera that dates back to 2016.
This begs the question: is Pentax really committed to DSLRs? Well, in a recent interview with Spanish-language photography website Photolari, executives from Ricoh/Pentax explicitly confirmed that Pentax will not abandon DSLRs and will continue to develop the camera format as long as there is demand for better, more up-to-date DSLR cameras - “We will never give up if there are customers”.
The same execs go on to state that they're committed to serving loyal Pentax shooters and giving them meaningful upgrades. To that end, they go on to say that a new Pentax DSLR is currently in development. No specific details are given, but a full-frame model is hinted at, potentially a K-1 III.
With the K-1 II closing in on its 10th birthday, its successor would need to be a considerable leap forward in terms of tech. However, with Pentax restricting itself to serving quite a small niche of die-hard fans, will it have sufficient development budget to produce and all-new camera that's meaningfully better than what's gone before? Another re-badging exercise like the KF really wouldn't do justice to the claim that Pentax wants to give its users "meaningful upgrades".
I'd genuinely love to see Pentax not just keep the DSLR on life support, but develop it into a strong alternative to mirrorless rivals. Even the best electronic viewfinders just can't match the analog immediacy of a true optical SLR viewfinder, and this helps make the entire DSLR shooting experience feel more engaging and satisfying, for me at least.
