Pentax to be sold to Ricoh

Hoya selling Pentax in October

By PF Staff in Pentax Announcements on Jul 1, 2011

In 2008, the Hoya Corporation acquired Pentax, primarily in order to take advantage of ongoing research by Pentax.  Today, Ricoh has revealed plans to acquire the entire Pentax Imaging Systems division (that which produces cameras, lenses, and sport optics) for approximately $124 million. Has Hoya learned what it wanted to learn from Pentax?

According to the official press release, it is Ricoh's intention to:

1. "enhance its digital camera businesses (especially the interchangeable lens camera market which is expected to grow)
2. create value-added businesses for taken photographs (creation and development of value-added services that encourage seeing, storing and refinishing photographs and utilize photographs as communication tools)
3. expand to other fields (study of entry into the image archiving business using medium-format digital cameras and enhancement of security-related products)"

The acquisition is scheduled to be executed on October 1, 2011.

Could this acquisition mean that Pentax cameras will see a brighter future?

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