[Col]

For the world outside Japan it does appear to be an "if you build it they will come" philosophy. I think the Pentax presence in stores has got too low to do anything else.

I mean on DPR how many times is the (very fair) recommendation to a newbe that they shouldn't decide on a particular make of camera until they get to hold them? You can probably count on one hand how many stores that's possible to do in, and include Pentax, here in the UK.

Do we know the current manufacturing capacity for these bodies? No point spending to develop a demand you can't supply.

Does it bother me, not really, occasionally it would be nice to have an "in your face moment" against another makes fanboy. Still I can always take photographs instead (and in even dimmer conditions). I was just concerned at the lack of coordination in the K5 release, without spending much money it wouldn't be too hard to have had a little cross border consistency. That was embarrassing, couldn't gripe about a specification cause it wasn't the same for everyone.

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Last edited by Col; 10-02-2010 at 11:47 PM.

[Mike Cash]

To educate the populous.

"Populous" is an adjective. "Populace" is a noun.

Just doing my small part to educate the populace.

[Col]

"Populous" is an adjective. "Populace" is a noun.

Just doing my small part to educate the populace.

Well that will not make you any more popular. World Champion Cat Skinner?

[melander]

What bothers me about Pentax and the new K-5.

Wow what a wonderful Pentax DSLR K-5 camera I have had in my hands for the last five days.

Quite honestly it knocks the competition straight back on their ass with a "wow" factor. How did Hoya/Pentax do that ? !!!!!!!!


But what really bothers me in thought is why Pentax would not advertise through the media.

Pentax breaks out the limited Pro 645 D and then the Pro-sumer k-7/ then the simply fantastic K-5.

Which very simply "Sit's Canon and Nikon Straight back on their ass" !
Quite simply Pentax/Hoya are "selling themselves short by not advertising"

We all have stood by and behind Pentax and have understood the backward and forward lens compatibility.

Why is Hoya/Pentax selling us short?


What is everyone in this forum thinking?

Lucky bastard, thats what im thinking

[janneman]

For the world outside Japan it does appear to be an "if you build it they will come" philosophy. I think the Pentax presence in stores has got too low to do anything else.

I mean on DPR how many times is the (very fair) recommendation to a newbe that they shouldn't decide on a particular make of camera until they get to hold them? You can probably count on one hand how many stores that's possible to do in, and include Pentax, here in the UK.

Especially for first time buyers....
The make or breal thing is NOT the experience or holding the camera in your hand but the stories teh salesperson tells. And sometimes such a person knows his/her stuff but more often they are simply biased to what they use themselves or simply like or gives the more profit and very often , they just don't know anything , or at least they know less than what you can find on the interet.

[dylansalt]

unfortunately the "Pentax System" hasn't exactly "modernized itself" along with the bodies - in current times - it's just way too slow

Too be quite honest I find the old marketing slogan of "having every Pentax lens made since the beginning of mankind to work with the body" a tad boring and very misleading;-)

[kittykat46]

What bothers me about Pentax and the new K-5.

Wow what a wonderful Pentax DSLR K-5 camera I have had in my hands for the last five days.

Would you happen to be one of the Beta testers ?

I quite expect Pentax has a number of test units spread around to get user feedback before they final launch, but the testers are probably restricted on what they can say right now....
Would love to hear and see some real user reviews right now.

[Rondec]

unfortunately the "Pentax System" hasn't exactly "modernized itself" along with the bodies - in current times - it's just way too slow

Too be quite honest I find the old marketing slogan of "having every Pentax lens made since the beginning of mankind to work with the body" a tad boring and very misleading;-)

I suppose, although it seems to me that Nikon and Canon ads do little to tell you about their products and just focus on an image that they want to go with their products.

I just don't understand why they don't start making viral videos and do some aggressive internet advertising. It doesn't have to be really expensive to get the word out there. That, combined with getting cameras into stores would be a big first step.

[mithrandir]

If Pentax would spend a little time and money to post product demos on U-tube or Vimeo they could get the word out to the world in no time.

[rod_grant]

You can probably count on one hand how many stores that's possible to do in, and include Pentax, here in the UK.

Canada, USA and UK all seem to have the same lack of Pentaxes in stores. Well Australia is no different.The major retail stores all have a dearth of Pentaxes. Canon and Nikon dominate in the major stores. The advantage to any competitor is that, in my experience, the major retailers don't exactly encourage hands on experiences: you can hold it, but don't expect that it wil have batteries or memory card!!
In Australia the Pentax authorised importer is C R Kennedy (who have been Pentax agents for as long as I can remember and probably since Asahi Optical first started making Pentax). Kennedys certainly don't seem to push promotion much, and I suspect that is why Pentax lanquishes behind the rest.
For what it's worth, I bought my DS after seeing a newspaper half page promotion by one of the major Melbourne photographic stores, not after seeing any Pentax or Kennedy promotion.

[rod_grant]

I have to agree that the release of the K-5 has been a major foul up. The car companies have a stock of cars ready for sale the same day that the wraps are removed and the pictures released. And at least in Australia, and I suspect in other countries, the release is country wide. Every prospective buyer gets to see the new model on the same day, and has the opportunity to buy.
Why can't Hoya/Pentax have bodies ready for sale, with version 1.0 firmware, on the day it is released? It could happen worldwide on one day, but at least it must happen country by country, or region by region.
With the expectation demonstrated in this forum, I can imagine with the right marketing (galleries of professional's work, selective leaks, etc,) a rush at the Pentax stand at the next Photokina, and at every Pentax retailer. It will never be as big at the iPhone but it could be BIG!

[luke0622]

It seems Pentax USA is not doing enough Marketing work here in the States...

[opiedog]

VISION.

what is Pentax's vision for the future?
do they intend to stay with a 2 DSLR setup with limited accessories.
are lenses going to stay screw drive, DC drive or SDM II?

what if one wants to move up higher? will pentax deliver or does one have to jumpship?

if pentax has a vision of what they want their product line to be, they have very poorly projected that to the end users.

yes, the k5 and kr are very nice dslrs, but yet, look at the k5's announcement. full of conflicting specifications.

from the modest *istDL, k10, k200, km and kx, i've reached a point that i may want to move higher, but will pentax provide?

I don't know, cause i don't see it, not in the past Photokina 2010 where I had hoped pentax WOULD project their vision.

[wll]

Pentax's marketing is the worst.

Our small company advertises now on our web site and does LOTS of internet marketing. Next year will be a big push on new products on our web site as well as others.

We send out lots of items for testing and many products to writers to use and to critique, we have done this for years.

In 2002-2006 we we "heavy" into print advertising and it help make us a household name in our field.

Pentax needs to get a good advertising agency and get with the program. Look at the ads you see for Nikon and Canon, very hip, action packed and exciting.

Look at what Pentax did for the K-5. Where was the excitement, where was the wow factor ?

They could have made a heyday for low light as in an ad campaign " Low light is Enough Light With Pentax" or "Photography Was Never This Bright", instead there marketing is like " The lights are on but nobody is at home".

They could have had guys and gals shooting concerts in low light, they could have had candle lit scenes, etc, etc.

The new HDR feature could have been pushed, no tripods for landscapes or architecture shooting. Look at the huge number of folks that love taking landscapes and would not have to use a tripod to get some fantastic shots.

On another note, the multi colored cameras is a great idea, but push it to the younger crowd, show young hip kids at malls, at theme parks, out skateboarding, etc, using this camera and having fun. Remember, sometimes you sell the sizzle and not the steak !

Pentax ... whats wrong with you guys ? I think I know !!!

They are happy with the way things are, and are not willing to take a chance, well take it from someone who knows, you need to take chances to survive and you must take chances to be in the top of your chosen field.


wll

[Mock]

I have to agree that the release of the K-5 has been a major foul up. The car companies have a stock of cars ready for sale the same day that the wraps are removed and the pictures released. And at least in Australia, and I suspect in other countries, the release is country wide. Every prospective buyer gets to see the new model on the same day, and has the opportunity to buy.
Why can't Hoya/Pentax have bodies ready for sale, with version 1.0 firmware, on the day it is released? It could happen worldwide on one day, but at least it must happen country by country, or region by region.
With the expectation demonstrated in this forum, I can imagine with the right marketing (galleries of professional's work, selective leaks, etc,) a rush at the Pentax stand at the next Photokina, and at every Pentax retailer. It will never be as big at the iPhone but it could be BIG!

Then the D7000 is a massive foul-up too. There is one in all of Canada right now (was told this by a Nikon rep) and they will not be shipping them until October 29th.
Why is there the expectation that camera gear should ship the day it is announced? It has not been that way for any camera manufacturer to date (at least for the last 5 years for which I have experience), unless you count the iPhone as a camera...