[harriska2]

Actually, the lens prices are so high I have considered Nikon and Canon. I've been waiting 4 years for lens prices to come back down on primes.

[BlackTalon]

I recently got back into DSLR photography with my K10D. I started looking for some new lenses to play with, and was astounded at how much the Pentax lenses had increased in cost. When Black Friday hit I was looking at some Sigma and Tamron lenses. The Black Friday/ Cyber Monday prices allowed me to pick up a DA*16-50 and a DA 40 Ltd. I'm still looking for a nice wide angle lens and a nice macro, and have my eye on the DA 15 and the D-FA 100 WR Macro. At the 'special' pricing I can justify picking these up over the first half of 2013, but if the UPP pricing is still in place I will be looking at used or for new from other manufacturers. I wish I could have bought them all at once when UPP was dropped for 4 days, but 2 lenses + a K5-II maxed out the budget. I really, really hope Pentax sees the light and eliminates UPP so I do not need to wait until BF/ CM 2013 to buy more Pentax lenses.

[Blue]

I bought the 50-135 on Black Friday at the $749 price and would never have paid MAP or MSRP for it. Period. I also got a DA 15 LTD in Oct when it was on sale.

[bushwhacker09]

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.

Just about ready to switch back to Nikon.

[LRB21]

I would love to add a couple more key lenses to my Pentax collection, but not at the prices I see lately. I would love to see more people get on board with Pentax, but people need a reasonable path to build their system.

[kiwi_jono]

Yes I'm in that category! Have bought from Sigma since price changes. Have imported from B&H (local NZ prices have not been affordable unfortunately) in the past (including a K-x system).

[PentaxJax]

The last lens I purchased was the 35 2.4 from B&H. They had a great price before these changes. Now I am still looking for a DA 50-135 and a 18-135WR but will probably look more to Tamron or Sigma for the warranty length and better pricing

[xinanbei]

Thanks for the efforts, Adam. I think pentax may need to consider how their policy affect our pentaxians.

[pntxjack]

If Pentax marketing (especially Pentax USA) or distribution skills were just a small VERY SMALL fraction of its innovation and engineering skills, the market would never have got to this point. At worst, it would have looked like 25% each--Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax. I recall a picture of the Beatles getting off a plane with their Spotmatics (or K100's) prominently displayed hanging from their necks. How did we get from that to taday? Ask mainly Pentax USA. Ask Pentax Japan too if you want, ust don't ask a product or engineering guy or gal--they are as baffled as we all are.
Does anyone have an address for a store that stocks Pentax gear besides B&H, Adorama, and the other big east coast stores? Me either. Thank God for them.

[Rickst]

Actually, the lens prices are so high I have considered Nikon and Canon. I've been waiting 4 years for lens prices to come back down on primes.

I don't feel I'll ever be able to afford a new Pentax lens unless prices are reducued

[jatrax]

+1
I own the da*16-50 and the DFA 100mm wr both bought new and before the price increase.

Here's what I'm buying now:


I'm not asking for 'cheap' I want good quality and I'm prepared to pay for it. But this pricing nonsense is not helping anyone.

I fully support the need to get Pentax gear in brick and mortar stores. I believe it is absolutely essential to growing the brand. And if UPP is needed to do that, fine. But the implementation has not worked and really, really needs a re-think.

[jpowersrrt]

With Nikkon and Canon being the dominate camera in the USA it's difficult to find Pentax lens at most retail outlets and very difficult to find affordable lens online. Were not all professional photographers and able to write it off at tax time. Please lower your prices - jack

[Kestrel1029]

I was going to buy the DA* 50-135mm earlier this year but waited too long and the price went up. So I spent my money on a Sigma lens instead.

[crewl1]

Because of the exorbitant prices of Pentax fast 2.8 zooms, I have resorted to using the Tamron and Sigma counterparts.

I was able to buy some Pentax primes at pre-UPP prices, or else I wouldn't have those either.

So count me in to the group requesting that Pentax lens prices be brought down to a level that is competitive with the options from other manufacturers.

[brando]

I am seriously considering switching to canon
I hear so many complaints about lense sdm failures and bad customer service