Does anyone else find it funny....

*Igilligan* · 11-04-2009, 10:38 AM

While reading the latest "for sale" rumours about JVC buying Pentax.

I got to thinking about how JVC has no still camera experience and how that might affect Pentax...

Then I realized that Hoya "an optical company" who has own Pentax for two years...
Has by most accounts produced two excellent cameras in the K7 and Kx, but has not designed and produced one lens. I believe every lense that has popped out in the last year or so was already on the roadmap, and in design for some time before Hoya got involved.

When the sale went thru, there was lots of concern that Hoya could produce lenses but would not be able to do much with the camera itself... but that turned out ass backwards...

Why did we not see any real lens 'vision' from Hoya I wonder...

innershell · 11-04-2009, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Igilligan

Why did we not see any real lens 'vision' from Hoya I wonder...

A vision takes YEARS to execute including considerations for pre-existing contracts with vendors, supplies, and the likes that must be maintained, or broken at a very high cost.

If Hoya bought Pentax with the intention of growing their optical business, then it had to be a super LONG term vision rather than a short-term one. Perhaps Hoya bought Pentax to acquire certain patents held by Pentax which will benefit their optical business. When they sell Pentax, the patents don't need to be included with the sale.

Corporate business, strategies, and purchases are very interesting. The real intentions are usually under cover.

*Wheatfield* · 11-04-2009, 12:10 PM

JVC has rather a lot of electronics experience.
With digital cameras, this is as important as optical experience, which is wht they would be getting if they acquired an optical company.

innershell · 11-04-2009, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by Wheatfield

JVC has rather a lot of electronics experience.
With digital cameras, this is as important as optical experience, which is wht they would be getting if they acquired an optical company.

This is good for Pentax. JVC has a good presence in consumer electronics and that can make sure the Pentax products get put onto the displays, rather than being taken off like they are now.

Jasvox · 11-04-2009, 01:56 PM

We all know that the Kenwood/JVC for Pentax/Hoya thing has been discounted by both companies...don't we?

Jason

Nesster · 11-04-2009, 02:09 PM

Awww, say it ain't so! I was looking forward to the K-VC model from Pentax Victorola Company

Barnster · 11-04-2009, 05:34 PM

Maybe Hoya are short sighted and are looking in the distance for something else.Don't know! I don't think having JVC onboard will be a bad thing.JVC produce good quality products,so I can't see Pentax going backwards.

dsodko · 11-04-2009, 06:55 PM

After working for Big Blue for 30 years I'm putting in my 2 cents in about a company buying another. Years ago a company was in a business for the long run. They had a vision for growth of their business by listening to customer needs and still make good products and still make a profit !
Well things have changed. I saw companies sell divisons and/or products (rebranded) to IBM to make a profit for next quarter so the stock went up and upper management made big bonuses. What has happened to making good products had filled the need of the maketplace ? Well Pentax
has been doing just that. It would be a shame if their vision became clouded in the future !

BB_Zone28 · 11-04-2009, 08:04 PM

So, if Pentax is to be sold, what about Tokina? I kind of liked the idea of Pentax and Tokina putting their lens design efforts together. I think we benefited from that and I'd hate to see that go away.

Terzof · 11-04-2009, 11:16 PM

I will consider to purchased all Limited lens since the promotion word might come to reality!

**Damn Brit** · 11-05-2009, 12:24 AM

K-7 and K-x were probably in advanced stage of development already when Hoya bought Pentax. All Hoya have probably done is finance their production. If Hoya are selling, it's probably stock and goodwill with perhaps a tiny bit of development of new product (a few drawings and a couple of models maybe).

Kunzite · 11-05-2009, 02:23 AM

Fortunately every single statement you made is wrong

No way the K-7 and K-x would be in "advanced state of development" in 2007. And we know Pentax had a R&D budget of 1316 million yens for the last quarter, more than in 2008. So they did at least some R&D

*LeDave* · 11-05-2009, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by Kunzite

Fortunately every single statement you made is wrong
No way the K-7 and K-x would be in "advanced state of development" in 2007. And we know Pentax had a R&D budget of 1316 million yens for the last quarter, more than in 2008. So they did at least some R&D

How long does it even take to research for a new camera to come out? It's hard to believe that it takes only 2-3 years for a camera. I think it would be at least 5 years minimal, I know Sony has been working on Gran Turismo 5 for about 5 years now and it still hasn't even came out yet, not until 2010. Killzone 2 took 5 years to develop and costed Sony 21 million dollars of investment. I think a camera would take a lot more to develop than a video game since it actually has a lot of technology to work with. The K-7 and K-x has to be in development somehow before Hoya got Pentax.

And like someone said, as long as the Pentax brand does not die off then that's all it matters. To me it's kind of the same, As long as the Pentax brand is still in existence, I just don't want Pentax to "Downgrade" in any way because of JVC. As long as they maintain it's quality then that's all it matters. If JVC can maintain Pentax quality like right now, then I don't care if they buy it or not, I don't care who buys Pentax in general as long as it's quality and it's name is still there. Just don't be like Sony where they slap Sony over Minolta.

Kunzite · 11-05-2009, 03:03 AM

You can't compare a game with a camera, they're quite different

5 years, that means simultaneously working on the K-x, K-7, K-m, K200D, K20D, K100D Super, K10D, K100D, K110D, *istDL2, *istDS2, *istDL and... the *istDS just misses this interval. While of course technology takes time to develop, working on 12 cameras at once doesn't sound right, for me.

**Damn Brit** · 11-05-2009, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Kunzite

Fortunately every single statement you made is wrong
No way the K-7 and K-x would be in "advanced state of development" in 2007. And we know Pentax had a R&D budget of 1316 million yens for the last quarter, more than in 2008. So they did at least some R&D

Ok, maybe they hadn't quite got off the drawing board.

I still stand by my statement though, it's likely that Hoya were only finishing stuff that had already been started, now that they have done that, it makes sense that it would be a good time to sell.