The current coronavirus pandemic has seen the cancellation of many of this year's tech shows, including the CP+ 2020 camera show where Ricoh was intending to show off its new APS-C format flagship DSLR. The company went online instead to share a few details.
The APS-C flagship shooter was first unveiled during a 100th anniversary Pentax event last year, and the focus of Ricoh's latest announcement was the new optical viewfinder in the new compact camera. It's reported to be constructed using a special glass chosen for its excellent refraction qualities, and the designers are aiming for 1.05x magnification, for frame previews as wide as on the K-1 Mark II.
There's a little more padding around the eye cup for user comfort, and a sensor below the viewfinder auto dims the LCD panel when it detects the user's eye approaching.
Autofocus will be subject to improvements on previous models, though other than saying that it should match the K-1, Ricoh is saying no more than that at the moment. The focus point lever to the rear has been reworked for improved ergonomics. A new pentaprism design got a quick mention, along with the promise of improved autofocus subject tracking, and refinements to all essential components, including the drive control and AF systems.
Ricoh engineers are also working on a new battery grip for more shots per charge and ease of use for vertical shooting, including placing such things as the duplicate focus joystick in a similar position to where it would be found on the camera body when in horizontal shooting mode.
The as yet unnamed flagship is due for release toward the end of the year, with the company hoping that the current pandemic will not affect production schedules. More information will appear in the run up to release.
You can watch Ricoh's announcement in full in the video below, which also includes some new lenses in development.