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12-05-2012, 11:41 PM   #421
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Count me in as well! I just switched to Pentax from Sony earlier this year and the crazy price swings are a huge turn off!!!! I want to buy some new PENTAX glass, but NOT with all the insane pricing!! Seems like a horrible marketing strategy!

12-06-2012, 10:43 AM   #422
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Count me in on this. I just got my Pentax gear and had to settle getting a used copy of the DA 50-135 f2.8 used, because i wasn't going to pay full prices. I think this is one of their greatest lenses. I was a little upset that, a week later black friday, they were NEW for what i paid used. And i could have saved more money, because I picked up 2 K-5iis bodies.. Come on Pentax, one of the biggest reasons you are better than Nikon and Canon, is because YOU can do this!
12-06-2012, 10:40 PM   #423
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Off with their heads!!!!!

Oops. I meant off with UPP!!!!!!
12-06-2012, 10:52 PM   #424
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Black Friday

QuoteOriginally posted by wlc1967 Quote
Yes to Black Friday pricing
There is just one problem:
If they'll offer Black Friday prices all year, what would they offer on Black Friday?

Seriously though, I don't expect Black Friday prices, but everyday prices should (like they have been when I switched to Pentax in 2009) much closer to Black Friday's prices than to MSRP prices.

12-06-2012, 11:02 PM   #425
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QuoteOriginally posted by Euronitzan Quote
If they'll offer Black Friday prices all year, what would they offer on Black Friday?
Actual discounts?

The problem is that Pentax online lens prices are currently inflated. In stores (at least at B&H and Adorama) or over the phone, "Black Friday" prices can be had year-round. With Canon/Nikon lenses, there's only one price, and that's it.

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12-06-2012, 11:24 PM   #426
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Actual discounts?

The problem is that Pentax online lens prices are currently inflated. In stores (at least at B&H and Adorama) or over the phone, "Black Friday" prices can be had year-round. With Canon/Nikon lenses, there's only one price, and that's it.
I'm not sure that Pentax would agree to have the lower (in cart and likewise) price as their only price. With that in mind, I'm not sure if the two prices policy is that bad. Canon and Nikon offer just one price, but it is relatively higher, so I wouldn't say it's the right way to go.
12-06-2012, 11:40 PM   #427
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QuoteOriginally posted by Euronitzan Quote
I'm not sure that Pentax would agree to have the lower (in cart and likewise) price as their only price. With that in mind, I'm not sure if the two prices policy is that bad. Canon and Nikon offer just one price, but it is relatively higher, so I wouldn't say it's the right way to go.
Well, that's how it was for almost 10 years, so it's a sudden change of heart. They can't double the price of a lens online and expect it to sell, and because a negligible % of lens shoppers go to B&M stores, the policy doesn't make any sense at the moment.


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12-07-2012, 04:35 AM   #428
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I am sure not buying any current lenses at the new price.

Pentax can discont' the current old priced lenses, offering a new design or new coating of lenses, then they can charge the double price.
Can't understand, why pentax does not have FF body/lenses and charge higher prices for the old ones. Now even more easy to switch brand.
Fewer and fewer have pentax in their stock...
12-07-2012, 06:43 AM   #429
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
It's time to put the online MSRP thing to an end. Back in April, through a "Unilateral Pricing Policy" (UPP), Pentax USA forced online retailers to start selling Pentax lenses at full MSRP rather than the then-lower MAP prices. Refer to the article below for an overview of the price jumps. Some lenses nearly doubled in price!

Brutal Pentax Lens Price Increase: 15-90% - Pentax Camera News & Rumors - PentaxForums.com

Since this change, online sales of Pentax lenses have virtually come to a standstill because of the high, artificially-inflated prices. I'm sure you guys can testify to that, especially if you opted to use the Marketplace or get Sigma lenses rather than new Pentax ones. Just because the DA* 16-50mm has an MSRP of $1500 doesn't mean that anyone in the right mind will buy a used copy at the new high price: in fact, used Pentax lens prices are generally lower than the old MAP prices.

All of a sudden, this Black Friday weekend, the UPP restriction was temporarily lifted, and Pentax lens prices fell sharply for a few days (but some were still higher than the old prices). Here's a little insight into what gear really started moving:



In just one day, well over 100 new Pentax lenses were sold to PF members alone. That's more that the total number sold to PF members after the introduction of the UPP but before Black Friday.

So what good is this UPP thing doing? None at all. When it originally came about, Ned Bunnell, former President of Pentax USA, blogged about the UPP, saying that the main goal of the policy was to protect smaller brick-and-mortar stores so that they don't have to compete with really low online prices. Well, that's great and all, but you can count on your fingers how many such stores there are. And the funny thing is that if you walk into any one of these stores, you'll see the old prices. The same applies if you call B&H or Adorama: you'll generally get the old prices as long as you mention it (and if you walk in to the store, there's no question about it) On top of all this, rumors have it the Pentax USA distributor requires retailers to place large orders, which causes smaller stores to lose interest in carrying the brand, given the tiny demand that there is for Pentax to begin with.

The UPP isn't going to change the fact that the largest audience for Pentax lenses is found online, because of the fact that Pentax users are few and far between. This means that the new policy has done nothing but prevented users otherwise interested in Pentax lenses from buying them.


Above: the Pentax DA* 50-135mm is the star of the UPP, jumping from $749 to $1599

I was on the phone with B&H again today, and after I mentioned the recent Adorama deals, their buyer agreed to drop the price of the 15mm limited to $539 when in cart. B&H said that if this deal ends up getting more copies of the lens sold, they will do their best to post similar deals in the future, even if Pentax doesn't get rid of the UPP. Lowering prices after adding to cart, without advertising them, is a gray area: Pentax can't really say that it's a violation of the UPP, but they certainly won't be happy about it. B&H admitted that it was nice to see some stock get cleared out during Black Friday, so hopefully they'll be giving Pentax stuff a little bit more attention from now on.

While I'm sure B&H will be the first to offer the best online Pentax lens prices, they alone won't be able to change the way things work, because Pentax lenses and cameras are dwarfed by all other DSLR brands.

Almost all other camera brands have unilateral pricing policies. The difference, however, is that in-store prices are the same as online prices, and that no lenses doubled in price from one day to the next. This keeps prices constant across the board and successfully protects the market, unlike the Pentax policy, which one might say was late to the game. So, Pentax, consider this a petition on behalf of our entire community asking you to rethink your online marketing strategy.

If the UPP has prevented or discouraged you from buying a Pentax lens, or even forced you to switch brands, and if you want prices to go back to normal, sign the petition by replying to this thread. Let's make this the biggest thread in the whole lens forum: hopefully it'll send a strong message!


And if you want, I can go on with more reasons for why the UPP is bad:
  • Competitors have similarly-priced full-frame glass
  • Sigma has cheaper lenses and also offers premium lenses
  • People will avoid new lenses in favor of cheap manual lenses
As much as I hate to do it, I'd like to ask that the replies be limited to members based in the US, or who regularly import Pentax lenses from US online retailers.
Yes, yes, yes
12-07-2012, 09:44 AM   #430
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I don't purchase lenses often, but when I do, I check the Pentax offereings first. If the 16-50 was this price at the time I bought it, you can bet Tamron would have gotten my money instead. As it is, they got my money for the 70-200 because Pentax doesn't even offer one. Both the FA 100 WR and the 18-135 WR were intriguing, but not given current prices. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, but if I were a newcomer now, I'd be looking at Canikon and blowing Pentax off completely.
12-07-2012, 11:28 AM   #431
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QuoteOriginally posted by Jodokast96 Quote
I don't purchase lenses often, but when I do, I check the Pentax offereings first. If the 16-50 was this price at the time I bought it, you can bet Tamron would have gotten my money instead. As it is, they got my money for the 70-200 because Pentax doesn't even offer one. Both the FA 100 WR and the 18-135 WR were intriguing, but not given current prices. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, but if I were a newcomer now, I'd be looking at Canikon and blowing Pentax off completely.
Adorama has the Tamron 17-50/2.8 on sale as a kit now for $569. Is the Pentax offering that much better?
12-07-2012, 11:43 AM   #432
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
Adorama has the Tamron 17-50/2.8 on sale as a kit now for $569. Is the Pentax offering that much better?

Ditto for the Sigma 30 which I just decided is my Christmas present to me - I don't really need it but it's a bit different :-)

Last edited by SpecialK; 01-01-2013 at 08:44 PM.
12-07-2012, 11:43 AM   #433
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Buy Another Brand

I buy Tamron/Sigma because the Pentax brand is too expensive. I would prefer Pentax but the prices have already spoken.
12-07-2012, 12:03 PM   #434
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
Adorama has the Tamron 17-50/2.8 on sale as a kit now for $569. Is the Pentax offering that much better?
At the time I purchased, it was less than $200 between them with and additional 4 year warranty on the Pentax. For me, it was worth it for the weather sealing and extra 1mm. Certainly not worth it for everyone though. There are differing opinions of which is better optically. Both are good of course, and not having the money to buy both to test for myself, I removed that from the equation.
12-07-2012, 12:37 PM   #435
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QuoteOriginally posted by Jodokast96 Quote
At the time I purchased, it was less than $200 between them with and additional 4 year warranty on the Pentax. For me, it was worth it for the weather sealing and extra 1mm. Certainly not worth it for everyone though. There are differing opinions of which is better optically. Both are good of course, and not having the money to buy both to test for myself, I removed that from the equation.
I understand. Now though the Pentax 16-50 is $1,421.95 with a $75 rebate,the Sigma is $619 (or $669 without rebate) with a 4 year warranty, and the Tamron is $424 (or $499 with no rebate) and a 6 year warranty instead of the 1 from Pentax. I can buy BOTH the Sigma and the Tamron for $1043 and pocket the $378.95 that I save over the Pentax lens.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-16-50-vs-sigma-tamron-17-50mm/con...n-summary.html
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