pentax

Alongside PetaPixel's recaps for major camera manufacturers, including Sony, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Canon, we also recapped the year for the L-Mount Alliance and the Micro Four Thirds mount. Now it's time to wrap up the year in review equipment recaps with a highlight of the "best of the rest" cameras and lenses released this year from the smaller, or at least less mainstream, brands.

This year included some fantastic new cameras, lenses, and accessories. From the Nikon Z8 and the Sony a7CR to the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 and Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, nearly every camera maker brought something amazing to the table. However, some of them also announced products that slipped through the cracks by virtue of being dreadfully boring, if not outright bad.

The Pentax K-3 III Monochrome is among the most affordable cameras designed exclusively for black-and-white photography and a very good APS-C DSLR.

A new Christmas-themed Toyota commercial focuses less on the company's automobiles and more on the power of photography.

Now in its third year, PetaPixel has gathered its team together to guess the things they just know are going to take place over the next calendar year. All of us are, as usual, ready to be very, very wrong.

I consider myself an ardent supporter of Ricoh/Pentax products and have always endeavored to review its cameras and lenses when many others have chosen not to. I also think that the Pentax brand has really found its niche as more of a boutique manufacturer, focusing on the classic SLR design -- a move that I think makes a ton of sense in today's waning market.

Ricoh chose not to exhibit at CP+ earlier this year, so I took advantage of my extended stay in Japan to visit their corporate headquarters in Ota-ku, Tokyo. (Ota is southwest of central Tokyo, about a 50-minute train ride from where I was staying in Asakusa, on the northeast side of the city.)

It's time for a State of the Union, Camera Edition. In recent years, we have seen some dramatically positive changes from all the major camera manufacturers, but nobody is perfect. Let's talk about each one's weak points.

Ricoh Imaging marches to the beat of its own drum -- I love this about the company. Pentax refuses to jump onto the mirrorless camera bandwagon, and I'm all for the company sticking it out with DSLR cameras.

Cameras all have a pretty solid set of features and design elements that appeal to a wide range of users. But, for the most part, pretty much all of them lack a set of features that would make them all a lot more powerful and enjoyable to use.

When it comes to macro photography, having the right lens is critical for achieving the best possible images. As such, the updated $547 HD D FA Macro 100mm F/2.8 ED AW from Pentax brings a refreshed optical formula optimized to work better with larger megapixel DSLR's but, sadly, not much else.

Ricoh has announced a new Pentax K-3 Mark III digital SLR camera designed exclusively for black and white photography. The new Pentax K-3 III Monochrome is the only monochrome-specific DSLR on the market.

Carrying on a tradition we started last year, PetaPixel has gathered its staff together to discuss the things they know, not just think, will take place over the course of the next calendar year. We're ready to be very, very wrong.