Didn't Nikon make medium format lenses at one point, or do they still make them?

It would be sad if Pentax went away. It would be like the demise of Oldsmobile (sorta).

They would sell if the price was right and Canon has the money to offer

Pete

How does this balance with the reports that Hoya had no intention of selling Pentax?

that's very interesting, as I though that samsung will go for pentax - maybe canon will buy the medium part and samsung the 35mm part

Could you Imagine the how well a Canon/Sony 40MP 645 at App $9000 would sell

Pete

They wouldn't have to make new lenses, just change the name of the current ones like Sony did with Minolta. The Sony Alpha lenses are just renamed Minolta AF Alpha lenses. Any old Minolta AF mount lens will work on a Sony DSLR.

Shiva's, Pentax is just starting to sell their first digital medium format camera, the 645D. Although it's only going to be sold in Japan. Maybe that's why Pentax has been reluctant to say if the 645D will ever be sold outside of Japan. Because they were hoping the sell it as a rebadged canon or Sony!

Fuji does the same thing with Hasselblad so why not?

Why would they have to redo the Mount if they made a Canon 645 MF camera, their current Lenses would not work on MF anyway, the sensor is simply to far away from the lens mount OK

No they would keep the current, mount make a few New Canon Lenses for (Pentax 645) and have the availability of lots of used Pentax 645 lenses. That's an easier start for both a new Customer and to get a new Canon MF format started, Just like Sony did with Minolta

Anyway just rumors at this time right

Pete

didn't pentax just come out with a medium format?

man that would SUCK for them. . .

but at the same time, I guess Canon could absorb all the R&D and just redo the mount, and score a medium format out of it. . .

would be a grave loss though, my dad still has his old school pentax film bodies that I learned on. . .

Pentax missed the boat so many times in recent years.. sigh.. If I wasn't a nikon user I would be using pentax. Hope canon doesnt grab them. Have fond memories of using the asahi pentax screw mount lenses and camera. Their 110 SLRs were too early and they gave up on it too quickly.. If they had not abandoned it so quickly they would have had all that was needed to make small DSLRs way before the rest of the market.

Yes starting out a new MF line of bodies and lenses = very expensive, taking over Pentax is cheaper and you start out with lots of lenses to build on, first bodies could be rebranded Pentax 645, later bodies could be Canon/Sony, but sorry to say it Poster but Pentax would be gone as a new product, just like Minolta

Pete

Let them buy it. Let's face it Pentax ain't going anywhere. If Canon acquires Pentax, it would be beneficial to both companies, so I don't see why not.

Nikon better step up or get squashed by competition.

Yeah I think canon and Sony wanting the medium format part of Pentax makes sense too. Especially if the Nikon medium format sensor turns out to be real. There are also rumors of canon working on a large square sensor. So maybe they just need a medium format body and internals. A rebadged 645D perhaps with a canon made sensor? So maybe canon and Sony are hoping to fend off a soon to be announced Nikon medium format camera by looking at Pentax?!?

Nikon did "promise" to "surprise the market" right?

The Pentax 645 is different mount anyway right, and so would an EVIL style body

Pete

I am just curious what will Canon do with Pentax? Are they going to kill the brand and just use their know-how? I cannot see them going forward with 2 different mounts. I agree that Sony is very aggressive and other companies (incl. Nikon) should take notes before is too late.

Also don't forget that it is also a cheap way to get going in the MF area if Canon or Sony wanted to go there

Pete

Pentax is probably right behind Nikon in terms of ergonomics of their cameras. I always hear good things about their bodies and lenses, so maybe Canon can learn a couple things from them.

Thanks for the heads up, will be interesting on how this develops.

canon rumors is "reporting" that canon was? is? interested in buying Pentax?!? They are "concerned" about Sony gaining DSLR marketshare. Wait what? Sony's DSLRs are barely in the top 20 in sales. Why would that worry canon? Perhaps canon are actually worried about the NEX camera.

If Pentax has been working on some kind of EVIL camera (as has been previously rumored) then canon might have seen it as an easy way to get their hands on such a camera. They could just rebrand a Pentax EVIL as a canon. It would be faster than if they started work on building their own system.

This is exactly what Sony did when they bought Minolta and transformed it into their DSLR camera line. According to canon rumors Sony was(?)or is(?) interested in buying Pentax also?!? I have no idea why on Earth they would want Pentax. Or perhaps by purchasing Pentax canon or Sony can just get rid of a "major" camera player and inherit their sales.

So what does this have to do with Nikon? Well if this "tidbit" is true then the thought of two big players swallowing up a smaller one would be bad news for Nikon. As much as I tease Pentax owners on their choice of gear (even though I happen to own some Pentax film cameras too, shhhh) I'd hate to see Pentax go away.