Wait… did Pentax just leak a bunch of MIRRORLESS camera lenses?

Is Pentax now developing mirrorless lenses? This patent application from parent company Ricoh certainly points to this. Pentax could be entering a new path, and even follow Canon and Nikon by shifting its focus to mirrorless, potentially ceasing the development of Pentax lenses for DSLRs.

The division patent application P2025083507 from Ricoh was published on May 30, 2025 (original application was filed in 2021: 2021020788). It covers half a dozen optical systems in total, including the "70-150mm f/4.5-5.6 SR", "150-250mm SR", and "70-180mm f/4-6.3 SR mirrorless".

Weibo insider Camera Beta shared: "They are designed for mirrorless cameras, use rear group focus, and support image stabilization… I am looking forward to Ricoh's new moves" (machine translated).

The keyword here is "mirrorless" – a term that has set the photographer community abuzz since Pentax (part of the Ricoh Imaging family) hasn't had a mirrorless camera in its range for over ten years (that being the niche Pentax Q system).

To put things into perspective, Pentax is known for its DSLR lenses, but the recent application suggests that Pentax might be expanding to the mirrorless market.

So is Pentax shifting its product strategy?

Undoubtedly, introducing mirrorless lenses would open new possibilities for Pentax. The photography market has long been shifting from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, with major players discontinuing DSLR development, leaving many DSLR users in limbo.

But before we get too excited, it's important to remember that patent applications only indicate early-stage exploration. There has been no official announcement from Pentax about mirrorless camera system lenses.

While Pentax has recently discontinued a numer of DSLR lenses, including the Pentax-DA 55mm f/1.4 SDM (April 2024) and HD Pentax-D FA 70-210mm f/4 ED SDM WR (March 2025), this is nothing unusual. Think about Canon discontinuing over 30 DSLR lenses from 2019-2022, but it's still working on new DSLR lens concepts to this day.

However, the patent application raised some questions, which you might also be wondering about:

1. Is Pentax simply exploring the possibility of entering the mirrorless market?
2. Is Pentax expanding its lineup with mirrorless lenses?
3. Or is Pentax fully committing to mirrorless optics, potentially phasing out DSLR lens production altogether?

Let's take a closer look at the optical systems in the patent to see if we can shed light on these questions, or at least narrow down the possibilities and speculations.

Patent application

Image 1 of 7

Hints and conclusions

Mirrorless systems
The optical systems describe compact zoom designs, with fewer elements or tightly spaced groups. Example 7 (103-188mm f/2.9-4.1) looks like one promising candidate for a mirrorless full-frame lens. The typical back focus range for full-frame mirrorless mounts is around 16-20mm. Example 7 indicates an 18mm back focus and internal zooming design, pointing to a compact mirrorless telephoto zoom lens in the 100-200mm range.

Bridge cameras
Examples 4 (72-180mm f/4.1-6.1) and 5 (72-181mm f/4.1-6.1) show very short back focus distances. Such short back focus is incompatible with DSLR mounts and even most mirrorless mounts. This is a strong hint that these designs are intended for bridge cameras. These often have a short flange distance due to their fixed lens.

So, returning to the three questions I raised earlier:

1. Is Pentax simply exploring the possibility of entering the mirrorless market?
This seems almost certain. Ricoh wouldn't file this optical system patent application otherwise, even though not all lenses in the patent appear to be designed for mirrorless.

2. Is Pentax expanding its lineup with mirrorless lenses?
Based on optical system designs and market developments, this looks very likely. It seems Pentax works on a solid foundation for mirrorless optical systems, so why not expand?

3. Is Pentax fully committing to mirrorless optics, potentially phasing out DSLR lens production altogether?
No need to panic, even if so, we are not there yet. While I can't say this is impossible, a complete shift away from DSLR lenses wouldn't be a smart move right now. DSLRs still have a strong legacy and demand, and hold symbolic importance to Pentax.

So, what could a Pentax mirrorless mount look like?

Pentax's current K-mount, designed for DSLRs, has a long flange distance of 45.46mm – super impractical for modern mirrorless lens designs. So, Pentax would likely need to develop a new proprietary mount.

All current mirrorless systems feature a short flange focal distance – 18mm for Sony E, 20mm for Canon RF, 16mm for Nikon Z. Pentax's new mount is expected to have a similar short flange distance, also pointed out by Ricoh's recent patent application.

If Pentax is going forward, it looks like it might start with telephoto zooms. A compact lineup of limited-style prime lenses would also be exciting to see, potentially setting Pentax apart from the competition.

That's all for now. Let's wait and see if Pentax releases an official statement soon – or if this is a drawing board project that doesn't make it to market.

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