Camera rumors in 2025: what cameras are coming, officially and otherwise!

Ricoh & Pentax rumors 2025

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 announced 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…

Ricoh GR IV

After months of teases and rumors, the Ricoh GR IV has been revealed. Pretty much all the main specs have been revealed, such as the 25.7MP sensor, 5-axis in-body image stabilization and 55GB internal storage.

However, since this is only a development announcement, it's possible that changes could be made – such as to Ricoh's decision not to include 4K video. Personally, I'm also keen to know about the camera's battery life, since the anaemic shot capacity of the GR III was a huge weakness for the camera.

Ricoh GR IV HDF

Confirmed alongside the GR IV was the development of the Ricoh GR IV HDF. While no specs were revealed, it was described as being "based on this new GR IV" – which suggests that, much like the original Ricoh GR III HDF, this edition will share the same core specs.

For those not in the know, the HDF version replaces the ND filter of the base model with a Highlight Diffusion Filter (hence the "HDF") to produce a dreamy, analog-like look.

Ricoh Theta A1

It's been over a decade since Ricoh launched its original 360 camera, the Theta, but now a new model has been leaked: the Ricoh Theta A1.

In terms of nomenclature, that sits at the opposite end of the alphabet to the flagship Ricoh Theta Z1 launched in 2019 (a 23MP camera with 1-inch sensors, 7K 360° stills and 4K 30p spherical video) and then re-released in 2022 as a 51GB version (same camera, 32GB more storage).

Does that mean the upcoming A1 will also sit at the opposite end of the specs sheet? As yet no technical details are available – though there are whispers that it won't have a large touchscreen (unlike the signature 2.25-inch screen of the Ricoh Theta X).

So perhaps this is going to be a new entry-level model, rather than a high-end offering. It's unclear what this means for the Ricoh Theta SC2, which is the current low-cost camera, though it's feasible that the A1 could be a replacement.

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.

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome

After opting not to release a monochrome edition of the GR III (ostensibly so as not to cannibalize sales of the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome, if you believe the gossip), I'm now hearing talk that a Ricoh GR IV Monochrome edition may follow the launch of the base model later in 2025.

There has long been demand among GR users for a black-and-white camera, but despite five different variants this never happened with the GR III.

While I still suspect that we'll be getting a rinse and repeat of those variants, since they're so cost-effective to produce (just by changing the lens on the GR IVx, or swapping the filter on the GR IV HDF), putting an entirely different sensor in the camera is a much bigger proposition… but one that looks like yet another license to print money.

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-1 Mark III

After Pentax confirmed that the Mark III is in development, telling customers to "rest assured it is currently in progress and please be patient for further news," it's now being reported that the camera is going into production in October in Vietnam – and I've even heard some specs.

We can apparently expect the Pentax K-1 Mark III to boast a 61MP back-side illuminated sensor with in-body image stabilization, GPS, Astrotracer and the latest version (14) of the company's SAFOX autofocus system.

The camera will boast dual CFexpress card slots, supporting "very fast fps" and "4K (and higher) video". We're also said to be getting a new smartphone app, complete with live view for remote shooting and monitoring.

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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