Just when you thought the DSLR formula was dead and buried, Pentax gives us another glimmer of hope
(Image credit: Future)
It's no secret that the best mirrorless cameras have effectively killed off the DSLR, and consequently lens manufacturers are slowly but surely discontinuing their DSLR optics as well. However, one brand remains committed to the traditional single lens reflex camera system: Pentax. Sure, it could easily be argued that the brand is merely clinging on by a fingernail to the DSLR market, as its most recent camera, the Pentax KF, can barely be called new at all. Likewise, Pentax is hardly launching new lenses with any real frequency, and yet details have emerged of a possible new Pentax lens.
Pentax's last 'new' camera - the KF (Image credit: Digital Camera World)
According to a recently unearthed Japanese patent application, Pentax may be working on a new wide-angle prime lens. The lens in question is a 14mm f/3.5 K-mount lens for APS-C bodies - a slightly odd choice of focal length, given Pentax has already given us the Pentax-DA 14mm f/2.8 ED (IF) lens. However, that lens is almost 20 years old, with dated optical and autofocus technology, and it’s not particularly compact or lightweight. In this latest patent application, there's mention of the patent objective being to achieve "miniaturization and a wide angle", indicating the new 14mm could be significantly smaller than the old f/2.8 lens. Restricting the maximum aperture to f/3.5 would also help reduce the lens's overall diameter, and by extension likely create a lighter lens.
The old Pentax-DA 14mm f/2.8 ED (IF) - could Pentax be developing a replacement? (Image credit: Pentax)
It’d be great to see such a lens make it to production, not necessarily because we really want to see a new 14mm K-mount lens in particular, but because of what the lens would represent in the broader sense: proof that Pentax is still committed to a much-loved camera formula. However, considering the application date for this patent was November 2022, at the very least Pentax is taking its time bringing a 14mm f/3.5 lens to market, or the lens may never actually make it to production.
Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.
