Leica, Pentax launch film cameras; The future is the past And it will last for as long as it's lasted

Perfecting Equilibrium Volume Two, Issue 3

Like Spector said: "back to mono," before he went loco

Chatter for chatters sake that's the game

So I write rhymes that don't necessarily mean a thing

Sometimes, but this time I write a rhyme I can't deny

I lie awake at night and recite the diatribe

I'm alive and inspired to write rhymes or die tryin'

The future is the past

And it will last for as long as it's lasted

The Big Story for January 10, 2023

Fiction writing is futile in our world because no matter what crazy thing you invent, reality is sure to be even crazier, and in short order.

So no matter how wacky the July 17th issue of Perfecting Equilibrium must have seemed when it predicted camera manufacturers would return to film models, it should be no surprise that Pentax has announced four film models and Leica has actually shipped one since then.

Here’s what we said in July:

Like the vinyl revival in music, film has become hip again, driven by the analog aesthetics of?Diana cameras?and?communities like Lomography.

And it’s not just hipsters. As so often happens, there’s been a divergence between the engineers pushing their products to higher performance, and what the users actually want. That’s why the biggest, most successful camera manufacturer in the world right now is…Fujifilm. Not for its?lovely retro X series digicams, or the crazy high-performance?GFX 102 megapixel?medium format digital camera.

No, Fuji’s success rides on its inexpensive Instax instant film cameras.?They’ve sold more than 50 million?Instax cameras. Even better, every single one of those 50 million cameras requires the owner to buy another pack of film after every 10 or so shots.

Photography’s past isn’t dead. It isn’t even passed. So, Nikon, forget about a d950. Don’t pour all your development into a Z11. Put some of it into a 2022?Nikon F! Oh, and Pentax? We really, really want a?21st Century 67!

Leica went first,?releasing an updated M6 35mm rangefinder?in November.

Prices were quite…Leica’ish: $5,295 for the M6 body, and $3,895 for the newly reintroduced?King of Bokeh, the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4.

Pentax, meanwhile, announced?The Film Camera Project?and is planning to release four new film models: two compacts, and two more advanced models.

Leica releasing the M6 didn’t really prove the prediction. Leica is to cameras as Rolex is to watches. And Leica was already selling film cameras, such as?the $20,000 (!?!) M-A Titan.

But Pentax…Pentax is a different story. The Asahi Optical Company introduced the first Japanese 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera. The Spotmatic was so successful that the company changed its name to Pentax after that camera’s pentaprism. More than 4 million Spotmatics were sold.

Pentax has continued to march to its own drummer in the digital age. It made early forays into mirrorless with the peculiar K-01 designed by Australian designer Marc Newson, and the tiny, jewel-like Q series, which sold well in Japan but nowhere else.

It has since publicly sworn off mirrorless and committed to digital SLRs, even while Sony, Cannon and Nikon are abandoning dSLRs for mirrorless.

Film is a logical next step for Pentax.

Pentax’s announcement talked about 4 cameras: 2 compact models- For whatever reason I’ve never used compacts, so let’s move straight to; and 2 “advanced” models.

If you’re going to go retro, then go all the way.

Bring back the K-1000.

The K-1000 was basically a Spotmatic that used K-mount bayonet lenses. (The Spotmatic used the older screw-mount leses.) It was the staple of photography schools and millions of newbie photographers. It was simple, straightforward and built like a tank.

And it was beautiful.

Why not Pentax’s classic pro cameras, the MX and the LX? (Full Feola disclosure: when I worked as a photojournalist an MX and two LXs were my work cameras.) The MX is also a good choice: it’s a small mechanical pro-level camera. And the LX was a wonder in its day, with off-the-film flash metering, interchangeable focusing screens and dual mechanical and electronic shutters.

Because going retro means you cannot win by technology. Nor do you need to compete on technology. Consider Rolex: the classic Datejust, introduced in 1945, today sells new for between $5,000 and $10,000 for a basic steel model which is accurate to +/- 2 seconds a day. Models featuring gold, silver and diamonds run up into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Bullova, meanwhile, offers a comparable quartz model called the Precisionist. Well named, it is accurate to +/- 2 seconds a year.

It costs $316.

People don’t buy Rolex’s for their accuracy.

So, Pentax, go with the K1000 for your first “advanced” film camera. Don’t mess around with TTL flash, auto focus or the like. People who want more tech will go digital; you cannot win that way.

And for your second advanced camera? Please, Pentax, Please: Bring back the beast.

The Pentax 67 was the ultimate SLR. Imagine a K1000 the size of your head. Image an SLR so large that the number one accessory was an offset giant wooden handle. (Full Feola disclosure: I have a 67 system, and when I’m feeling filmish, that’s the camera I grab.)

But the balance! It’s a hand-holdable camera that takes enormous 6 centimeter by 7 centimeter negatives. That’s 3,752 sq. mm; for comparison, full-frame digital and 35mm film are less than a quarter of that, covering 864 sq. mm.

The 67 debuted in 1965 and was made with some small improvements through 2009, when it was discontinued.

And the film revivalists appreciate them. Good condition 67s are selling for $2000 to $4000 on eBay.

Go all in, Pentax. Bring back the beast!

Next on Perfecting Equilibrium

January 13th:?Foto.Feola.Friday and the Perfecting Equilibrium Digest.

January 15th?(Substack): Sometimes you can see the passing of the torch. Dec. 8, 2022 was the day Corporate Media passed the torch to the new wave of micro media companies.

Christopher J Feola founded PrivacyChain, which provides Data as a Service to Web3 projects and restores the value of content. If you liked this post from Perfecting Equilibrium, why not share it?