Camera rumors in 2026: what cameras are coming, officially and otherwise!

Ricoh & Pentax rumors 2026

Being one of the most intriguing camera brands in the business, there are plenty of Ricoh rumors to digest – particularly as it also makes Pentax cameras. This is a manufacturer that truly marches to the beat of its own drum.

It remains absolutely adamant that it won't be going mirrorless with its Pentax brand (after briefly flirting with the Pentax Q mirrorless system years ago) and instead will concentrate on making the best DSLRs – a category that is very much an open goal, with Canon and Nikon both ceasing development of new products.

It's also going to keep cranking out some of the best compact cameras, with the recently released Ricoh GR IV and its ongoing line of Pentax waterproof cameras.

Its most exciting plans, however, revolve around the renaissance of analog photography. Some of the best film cameras in history have born the Pentax name, and the first new entry in 21 years – the Pentax 17 half-frame camera – seeks to start that tradition all over again.

So what exactly is the company up to? Here are the latest Ricoh and Pentax rumors…

Pentax K-1 Mark III

It's been a while since we heard anything official about the Pentax K-1 Mark III, other than the camera has been confirmed and it's apparently being manufactured in Vietnam.

However, specs that seemed to be pie-in-the-sky fanboy wishlists a few months ago have recently resurfaced – and if they're true, this full-frame flagship would be the most advanced DSLR ever made.

From what I've heard, we're looking at a camera with a 61MP back-side illuminated sensor – resolution that matches the best full-frame mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7R V and the Leica SL3. On top of that, the sensor will apparently be stabilized – again giving it an important weapon against the mirrorless competition (though Pentax has made DSLRs with IBIS before).

In addition to an improved SAFOX 14 autofocus system and GPS, the K-1 Mark III is said to bring 4K 60p to the party as well – and the high-resolution stills and video are being supported by twin CFexpress B memory cards.

The latest chatter hasn't mentioned Astrotracer – the brilliant astrophotography tool that uses the IBIS and GPS systems to compensate for the Earth's rotation while shooting the stars – but it's such a unique and signature feature that I'd be astonished if Pentax abandoned it.

It's been a very long time since I've been excited about a DSLR, but color me psyched for the new K-1!

Ricoh GR IVx

It seems like a no-brainer that the GR IV will follow the template of the GR III when it comes to variants and special editions. As much was confirmed, when Ricoh revealed the a GR IV HDF was on the way – so it's almost certain that a Ricoh GR IVx will join the lineup sooner than later.

The key strength of fixed-lens compact cameras is also a key weakness: the lens is fixed. The Ricoh GR IIIx addressed this, offering identical tech to the Ricoh GR III but with a longer 28mm lens (compared to the original's 18.3mm).

This set a new industry trend, with the Leica Q3 43 (offering a 43mm lens compared to the Leica Q3's 28mm) following Ricoh's lead, so it's a safe bet that a Ricoh GR IVx with a 28mm lens is incoming.

Pentax Film Project on hold

Pentax's film camera development was dealt a huge blow in March 2025 when Takeo "TKO" Suzuki, lead designer of the Pentax 17 (and other Pentax digital cameras), announced his retirement.

Concurrently, if not consequently, Pentax stated that "we need time to gather feedback, meet with customers, and learn what they appreciated – or felt was missing – before making decisions on future film products."

The company noted that, "while TKO played a significant role in the Pentax Film Project, his departure does not affect the possibility of future film models" – though it's obviously hard not to join those particular dots.

Either way, it appears that rumored plans for one more affordable compact camera (perhaps, per Pentax / Ricoh tradition, with a different focal length) and two traditional SLRs are on hold for now.

Pentax K-3 Mark IV

File this one under "maybe" for now. However, recent rumblings are that Pentax is ready to drop an "interesting" new DSLR this year. Quite what that means, I haven't been able to find out. However, the Pentax K-3 Mark III was an interesting camera itself in that it felt a lot like a hybrid between DSLR handling and mirrorless innovation. Could that "interesting" DNA be what's being whispered about?

Here's something else that's interesting: Pentax officially discontinued the K-3 Mark III in January – unlike the K-1 Mark II, which is widely expected to be replaced but is still listed as a current product.

So, you know, signs certainly point to a gap that could be neatly filled with a very interesting Mark IV of this great little camera…

Pentax K-3 Mark III Astro

The company announced plans back at the start of 2022 for an astrophotography-focused Pentax K-3 Mark III. Much as the Monochrome edition was a dedicated black-and-white camera, so the Astro version will be specifically for shooting stars.

This model supposedly has a Hα (hydrogen-alpha) sensitivity of x10, so it's likely that nebula will photograph well using this proposed camera. A hydrogen-alpha filter is commonly used among other filters in astrophotography kits to assist in photographing deep sky objects in what's called true-color or broadband. It's been over a year now – does Pentax still plan to challenge the best cameras for astrophotography?

Pentax K-3 Mark III Gunmetal

Announced in January 2022, this seems to be a purely cosmetic makeover of the K-3 Mark III – as was the case with the darker-than-Darth Vader Pentax K-3 Mark III Jet Black.

The Gunmetal variant looks pretty much the same as the Prestige Edition of the original Pentax K-3, released back in 2014, and appears to come with the same Gunmetal grip and 20-40mm lens.

We've heard no updates but – since the cosmetic Jet Black launched in 2022, followed by the new-sensor Monochrome in 2023 – we can see this new cosmetic design materializing in 2024.

Pentax K-3 Mark III Shutter Stroke Change

We really weren't kidding when we said that Ricoh has a penchant for special editions. All we know about this one, announced in 2022, is that it's designed for faster shooting with a shallower shutter stroke.

With it being designed for speed, it might also make sense to up the 12fps maximum burst speed. This could be a big ask for Ricoh's R&D team, especially since Nikon once claimed that 12fps was as fast as DSLR shutters could fire. However, since the Nikon D6 can hit 14fps and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III hits 16fps, it would be nice for the only DSLR maker left in town to catch up with the ghosts of its rivals.

Pentax K-3 Mark III MF

The final K-3 Mark III variant that Ricoh announced was the MF, which stands for Manual Focus. Again, Ricoh really loves a special edition body – especially since it requires relatively little in the way of additional R&D, since it's using the same camera design with slightly different tech and tweaks inside.

We'll admit, an exclusively manual focus camera in (we assume at the earliest) 2024 is a pretty hard sell. But Pentax fans are the hardest of the hardcore DSLR users, and the nichest of the niche photography aficionados – if anyone can make it work, it's Ricoh.

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