Pentax’s Last Active DSLR Seems Pretty Dead

Ricoh Imaging’s Pentax K-1 Mark II DSLR, announced in 2018, has reportedly been discontinued across all major Japanese retailers, which means that there are now no Pentax DSLRs in active production in Japan.

As Asobinet reports, Camera Kitamura, Map Camera Bic, Yodobashi, and Ricoh Imaging itself all list the K-1 II DSLR as discontinued, “sales ended,” or, in Ricoh’s case, “sold out.”

Asobinet adds that the Pentax KF was discontinued in Japan in May, which made the K-1 II the last Pentax DSLR standing.

With situations like this, the usual caveats apply. Japanese retailers can list products as discontinued before they are officially discontinued. Products can also no longer be in active production but still be available to customers through authorized retailers. It can take a while for available inventory to be fully depleted. Finally, companies rarely announce when they actually stop making a product, so it won’t be surprising if Ricoh Imaging doesn’t say anything about the K-1 II’s manufacturing status anyway.

On the plus side, there is strong evidence that Pentax is working on another DSLR camera now, and the company itself admitted as much to PetaPixel last year.

“… We are sticking to the DSLR system as a Pentax brand,” Ricoh President Yasutomo Mori told PetaPixel. “When considering the Pentax brand, focusing solely on current customers will not sustain the brand. The engineers are researching and making a strong effort to answer what a DSLR system camera should be which will attract the younger generation. That is the discussion we are having internally.”

Reliable Pentax leaker, “asahi man,” recently said that a new Pentax DSLR was in some form of production, although it’s not clear exactly what that means.

In any event, at least in Pentax’s home market of Japan, it has zero DSLR cameras right now. If the company is truly committed to making a new DSLR, a reasonable conclusion is that it must be coming pretty soon. Right?

In the United States, the Pentax K-1 II remains in stock and available to purchase brand new. The 36.4-megapixel full-frame DSLR is currently $1,796.95 at B&H. The 24.2-megapixel APS-C Pentax KF, on the other hand, is listed as discontinued. A lone Pentax KF kit with 18-55mm and 55-300mm lenses is still available for $1,193.90, but that’s it.

Ricoh Imaging USA has the Pentax KF body only available for $729.95 in its striking crystal blue colorway. Ricoh’s online US store also still lists the K-1 II for sale. The K-3 Mark III and K-3 Mark III Monochrome cameras shown on the company’s DSLR storefront are not actually available for purchase. It’s weird that they are still shown there, frankly.

B&H lists the K-3 III as discontinued and doesn’t list the K-3 III Monochrome at all. The K-3 III Monochrome’s total omission is especially notable since it isn’t even old. It was released in mid-2023.

PetaPixel reached out to Ricoh Imaging USA for comment on the status of the Pentax K-1 II but did not hear back before publication.

Image creditsRicoh Imaging. Header image created using a background asset licensed via Depositphotos.com.