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03-03-2011, 11:06 PM   #1
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Those with Pentax Store K-5 Silver Pre-Orders getting backorder messages?

I ordered the K-5 Silver from Pentax Imaging's Web Store the day it became available for pre-order in the US last month. Today (March 3rd), I received the following message ...

QuoteQuote:
Due to an unusually large response, we are temporarily out of stock
of the item(s) you ordered. Additional quantities are on order and
we expect them soon. Your order will receive priority upon receipt
in the warehouse, and we expect to be able to ship order within 30
days or sooner. We are very sorry for the delay and assure you that
we are making every effort to expedite your order.

If you wish to cancel your order, please call us at 1-800-243-8633,
or e-mail us at the address listed above. We believe the wait will
be worthwhile, but of course the choice is yours.
I figured it would be a pipe dream for them to start shipping March 10th, so I'm not upset. However, I heard Pentax will only be manufacturing 1,500 world-wide. I know the announced number for the UK was 100, although I haven't heard what the US is. So now I'm a tad concerned I'll find out in the coming weeks that I wasn't the first X number of US buyers so my order will be cancelled any way. I've sent a message asking to confirm that despite the delay, I'm still interested, as long as my purchase is guaranteed.

The reason I bring this up is that I was previously hoping for the March 10th ship day because the 59th Annual 12 Hours of Sebring is March 16th - 19th. I'm going to limp along with my currently flaky K20D (flaky due to an unintended "flight" that destroyed the DA 16-50 f/2.8 attached to it when it landed on asphalt -- not my doing, but someone else I warned prior not to grab my camera/slingbag, long story) for the race since I won't have the new K-5 Silver. However, if it ends up that I will never receive my purchase of a Silver, then I'm going to kick myself for not just buying a black K-5, which are available now.

So does anyone know the full story? Are those who pre-ordered the Silver directly from Pentax going to see their orders fulfilled? Or are the 1,500 units, or whatever the maximum production run planned and/or US allotment is, already set for specific purchasers, resellers and others? Just curious. I don't mind delays. I understand these things don't grow on trees. But I don't want to wait only to find out I'm not going to receive the unit.

This is just my hobby, so I'm not going to run out and buy a K-5 in black as I can't really afford two units. And I'd really like to have the K-5 Silver as a collector while I plan on using it for several years (like the K20D).

03-04-2011, 03:15 AM   #2
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I was under the impression that these won't ship until April. I doubt they let you pre order more than they can deliver, though, but I'd call to check.
03-04-2011, 04:49 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by testuser Quote
I was under the impression that these won't ship until April.
I heard March, then well after I ordered, March 10th for UK, April for US. At the same time, do they have different dates for early pre-orders at Pentax versus the April timeframe for major resellers?

QuoteOriginally posted by testuser Quote
I doubt they let you pre order more than they can deliver, though, but I'd call to check.
Wouldn't be the first time. Pentax has outsourced their Store, as the notification came from another group. You can still order them.

Heck, they still show discontinued colors of the K-x on their site, although you can't order them.
03-04-2011, 04:27 PM   #4
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As far as I know, the first batch Silver K5 would be shipped by latter part of March, probably around 18 to 20. So I guess you won't have it before Sebring race event ...

03-04-2011, 09:41 PM   #5
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Hey Frank, do you have one ordered too?

Ordered from Pentax Store first day as well. Order was confirmed. That means one will come my way. All the rest is details that are beyond my control. All is well...trying not to "hawk" the mail carrier...
03-04-2011, 10:37 PM   #6
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It's really up to you...

I was gun-ho about the Silver (and still am ), but eventually went with a black unit as I was able to get a demo body for decent price from a local shop. The silver is really pretty and if you can hold out... by all means please do! The K-5 is a prefect body to get a limited edition camera like that in as I expect it will be serviceable for many years considering how strong it is in every aspect.

My main reasoning was:
- Traded in some gear and the demo unit was lower than the online average by a bit, I was able to get one for a bit under $1000. Would have been even better if I had sold my gear personally, but I didn't want the extra hassle. Not to mention getting a silver will be at full retail cost of a black + $100.
- The black K-5 is every bit as functional, although it doesn't have that new wider grip or solid LCD screen...
- I had a big event I was going to and didn't want to wait. This was my main reason and it did work out that I have a K-5/K-7 combo instead of a K10D/K-7 combo.

So maybe we should all be asking Pentax, why on earth don't you just release your pro APS-C in both black and silver as standard? Why put your enthusiasts through the difficulty of limited editions? haha
03-05-2011, 02:26 AM   #7
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I know that it doesn't directly apply but I pre-ordered the K-5 silver from Adorama and got a response a few days later that was very similar to the one you received from Pentax. Having the exact same concerns as you, I wrote Adorama and their response was that I shouldn't have gotten the email as a "pre-order" and that it was meant more for people who order but then the item goes out of stock in the interim. So, while they didn't use the words "we promise you'll get one" (which would have made me feel better) they made it sound like I would.

By the way, Adorama (I believe the same at B&H) lists April as when it will ship.

03-05-2011, 10:24 AM   #8
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The backorder language from the Pentax Store also sounds like generic "boilerplate" material automatically generated to provide some level of customer contact (though not really providing accurate customer timelines).

Note that on the first day or two of availability from the Pentax online store the silver edition was the same price as the black K5--Really--that's partly why I immediately bought it. About day 3 the pricing disappeared only to reappear a day later at the same $1699 price as advertised by Adorama and B&H. So those of us who couldn't contain ourselves saved $100. I had a $1200 target threshold for the black model, but since almost all my lenses are silver FA* and silver Japan FA Limiteds I had to roll. On that day I really believed it was going to be a limited production product.

As to the limited availability question...I only saw notice of limited quantities in relation to Pentax UK before the official release. Based on the current worldwide announcements from the various Pentax offices my guess is that there will be no limit on the number of silver K5's produced.

And I feel bad for folks who have a tight timeframe in which they "need" the camera to deliver. Based on past products and new releases of internationally manufactured products in general, I'll be perfectly happy if the silver K5 ships to me by June. I wouldn't be pissed if it takes until September. To bet on which week in March...well, I'm not that confident. It isn't like this is a rollout of the new Ipad or Verizon getting Iphone or something. This isn't a multibillion dollar product intro, but more of a nice gesture for us Pentax afficianado's. And manufacturers know that the afficianado niche is the group most tolerant of delays, especially for small production number items like this. I won't hold my breath waiting for the delivery!
03-05-2011, 10:42 AM   #9
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Well I have one on pre-order. I spoke to my store and a Pentax (for The Netherlands) representative last week and they have no idea at all at the time. They do not know if, when and how many K-5 Silver body's they will get. They represent Belgium, The Nederlands and Luxembourg (where 27 miljon people live). So when I look at Brittan, (they would get 50 units or was it 100?) then for this dealership I expect it to be something like 10-20 units at most, if any.

So we heard that Silver would come in March at first, and then released in april. To my idea the Silver will come out after the black troubles are all over. I'm happy to have it in may.
03-05-2011, 01:23 PM   #10
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Update, told they were shipping starting March 15th ...

QuoteOriginally posted by Ron Boggs Quote
Note that on the first day or two of availability from the Pentax online store the silver edition was the same price as the black K5--Really--that's partly why I immediately bought it.
Me too! I figured it was worth it, so I got the same deal, only $1,599. I only delayed the purchase a few hours, getting approval from the spouse.

QuoteOriginally posted by Ron Boggs Quote
As to the limited availability question...I only saw notice of limited quantities in relation to Pentax UK before the official release. Based on the current worldwide announcements from the various Pentax offices my guess is that there will be no limit on the number of silver K5's produced.
I've read from a few different places that the total Worldwide will be only 1,500. Can anyone confirm?

QuoteOriginally posted by Ron Boggs Quote
And I feel bad for folks who have a tight timeframe in which they "need" the camera to deliver.
In all honesty, when I pre-ordered in early February, I only "hoped" it would ship in time for Sebring. It would be nice, but I didn't expect Pentax to commit to it. My only concern was that if I still wait, I'll find out later I'm not getting one (delaying those few hours cost me one of the US models), when I could have bought a black for Sebring.

However, I did receive this response Friday afternoon (3/4) ...

QuoteQuote:
"Unfortunately, your order is on backorder at this time. We expect to receive the merchandise into stock on or around 3/15.

Once your order has shipped, you will receive a shipment confirmation via email.

Please note that all orders are shipped complete; therefore, if you purchased several items, we do not ship orders until all items are available."
Sebring is none-too-far from my Oviedo home where I'm shipping it to. So I could shoot with the K20D, then drive home to pick it up Thursday or Friday evening before the race itself on Saturday if it comes in. I figure with my luck, it will come in Monday (3/21), right after I'm back at work in Maryland. I'm not planning to come back to Florida for many months after Sebring.

Oh well, as long as I get it, even if it's after the race, I'm happy, especially for the intro price of $1,599. At least I'm hopeful I still might get it for the Sebring race itself.
03-05-2011, 01:36 PM   #11
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I feel for you...and am glad to hear the 3/15 date. Hopefully that isn't just an automated message. Though I'm OK waiting until "whenever" for my preordered silver K5, I'd certainly welcome an early surprise.
03-06-2011, 03:24 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ron Boggs Quote
Hey Frank, do you have one ordered too?

Ordered from Pentax Store first day as well. Order was confirmed. That means one will come my way. All the rest is details that are beyond my control. All is well...trying not to "hawk" the mail carrier...
Yeah, I ordered one from our local agent, and was recently told that Pentax Japan can only start the shipment from 18 Mar 2011. Well, this is inline with the news from DCWatch: Pentax Confirmed the Sale Days of Optio WG-1 GPS, DA Limited Lenses and Silver K5
03-07-2011, 08:34 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by frank Quote
Yeah, I ordered one from our local agent, and was recently told that Pentax Japan can only start the shipment from 18 Mar 2011. Well, this is inline with the news from DCWatch: Pentax Confirmed the Sale Days of Optio WG-1 GPS, DA Limited Lenses and Silver K5
I was hopeful that someone with Pentax could confirm the dates (by country) here. I'm not looking for any hard verification, but just what is planned. I don't blame Pentax for anything, they have their dates and we all knew the introduction would be March-April. So just knowing the first date the first orders will ship, not necessarily when ours will ship, would be nice.
03-10-2011, 11:34 AM   #14
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In warehouse! Whoo hoo!
03-10-2011, 12:10 PM   #15
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Just got an email from Pentax USA that its in stock at the Pentax store. I called and they have 5 on hand. Go get em!
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