...unless you own a K20D then your Pentax dslr uses a Sony sensor. K20D is the only Pentax dslr with a Samsung made sensor.
My point was Sony was first to require $100,000 annual order. Then Olympus did the following year. And in 2008 Pentax joined the in.
Neither Canon or Nikon require these annual minimums(yet).
So if you owned a camera shop who would you stock in 2009? The two brands that advertise on TV that do not have 100K minimums? Or the other three brands that require you to order $100,000 in product a year from each?
Sony has sales options, their own stores. Where does this leave Olympus and Pentax in the local marketplace presence ?
Originally Posted by Ratmagiclady 
I dunno, Samsungian. Sony made maybe one too many overpriced VCRs and Walkmans that fell apart for me to really want to invest in their system, on some visceral level, I admit. Got to the point I wouldn't pick up a piece of Sony off the *street,* knowing if it was down, for any little thing, it was FUBAR. (actually, I always had good feelings about Panasonic for that: never did seem to be what people called 'good stuff' but it kept running when Sony stuff or whatever cheapie thing I had fell apart)
Not saying they aren't necessarily making a fine product now: just if they handed me an a900 I might say, 'Get that name off the prism, you're psyching me out, man.'
Maybe put the word 'Alpha' up there. You want to be a camera maker, get in the spirit of things.