[Steelski]

No more dear Pentax threads I think.

Dear Ricoh,

As you can see, your price increases are really unpopular.
Frankly, the 50-135mm is really not worth that much,
Frankly, your the 60-250 is not worth that much.
and the 16-50mmm, thats a joke, the optical performance of that lens is a joke compared to similar offerings, especially at the new price.

Before Hoya, the price was really the key selling point. A bunch of good lenses for a low price,
During Hoya, the prices rose beyond the simple Yen strength,
Now, you must be kidding yourselves,

I am not leaving, I can not afford to buy a new system at the moment, but I will not be buying anything new and Pentax branded. for a while I think.
I think Pentax really had a shot at the number 3 slot, if they stayed with their pre Hoya pricing.
Pre hoya pricing, + K-5, + FF upgrade path, would really have made an impact on the scene.
Now Pentax is behind Nikon, Canon, Sony, FUJI, Olympus, Panasonic, and probably soon Samsung.
You wanna price yourselves out.
It just means that we will stick to our old equipment until we give up, move on, forget.
There are no lenses in your roster that live up to the Super Takumars and FA* lens systems of the day, priced well, performed great. Whenever I use my 50-135mm, I am always afraid it will break. really speaks of star quality, But at least it did not cost an arm and a leg.
I hope you are either planning to price these lenses out and update them, or that its simply a bad joke.
Either way, get over yourselves, your just a company trying to get my money, and now your overpriced.

[VictorDA]

Pre hoya pricing, + K-5, + FF upgrade path

In French we have a saying that translates to "you want the butter and the butter money... and the creamer girl!"...

[Steelski]

In French we have a saying that translates to "you want the butter and the butter money... and the creamer girl!"...

the phrase in English would be to have your cake and eat it.
the K-5 was IMO at the top end of acceptable APS-c price, the bodies are fairly priced, but the lenses, How can Tamron, Sigma and Tokina produce lenses at lower prices with similar qualities.

[Mareket]

I guess it serves us right for buying into a system based on value rather than quality right? I knew I should have gone with a PhaseOne rather than a K-x...

[Rondec]

the phrase in English would be to have your cake and eat it.
the K-5 was IMO at the top end of acceptable APS-c price, the bodies are fairly priced, but the lenses, How can Tamron, Sigma and Tokina produce lenses at lower prices with similar qualities.

They are third party lens makers and so of course, their glass will be priced below comparable Pentax/Nikon/Canon lenses. There is definitely a price premium for buying brand name glass. The K5 is very reasonably priced, in my opinion. Sure, its release price was quite high, but at this point, it is priced at or below (the very similarly specified) Nikon D7000.

Anyway, I would wait to see what happens in the long run. Prices will improve from where they are now.

[ogl]

No more dear Pentax threads I think.

Dear Ricoh,

As you can see, your price increases are really unpopular.

I don't see any changes of prices at all.

[causey]

Dear Riocoh, dear Pentax...? If they can remain competitive with these prices (and with a possibly new strategy of development and distribution, of which we know nothing yet), it really doesn't matter whether someone or another thinks the 16-50mm isn't worth much. (I thought it wasn't worth the price before the recent increase.) But they might not manage even to keep their small market share... Personally, I'll wait a bit. Things aren't clear now.

[Mareket]

Personally I think the 16-50 is a fantastic lens, apart from CA problems. But the build and feel definitely make it worth what I paid for it.

And I haven't seen price increases either to be honest :/

[Raffwal]

I guess it serves us right for buying into a system based on value rather than quality right? I knew I should have gone with a PhaseOne rather than a K-x...

I'm not a very long time Pentax user, only for some 3-4 years. But the whole time the tune has been the same: we have bought into the bargain under-dog brand. And the users have always wanted the brand to remain bargain, yet perhaps unreasonably to upgrade its quality and supply to the high end standard. Buying into a bargain brand one has to accept some shortcomings. But when the brand increases its prices to approach the high end level, they should also step up the service: product range, warranty, service, brand image.

[monochrome]

I don't see any changes of prices at all.

Isn't that comment rubbing salt in our wounds?

[monochrome]

I'm not a very long time Pentax user, only for some 3-4 years. But the whole time the tune has been the same: we have bought into the bargain under-dog brand. And the users have always wanted the brand to remain bargain, yet perhaps unreasonably to upgrade its quality and supply to the high end standard. Buying into a bargain brand one has to accept some shortcomings. But when the brand increases its prices to approach the high end level, they should also step up the service: product range, warranty, service, brand image.

They can't change the entire worlf in six months. Especially in the USA, from whence comes the service, marketing and Dealer and Customer relations. Having outsourced virtually eveery business function to a contract provider while under Hoya it will take Pentax-USA years to rebuild the infrastructure. And It will take Pentax Ricoh Imaging years to rebuild the lens lineup and brand image.

This price management change looks ludicrous to us on the outside but it is only one part of a completed )or at least framed-out) business plan, and an accepted business practice in times of brand transition.

[rparmar]

Before Hoya, the price was really the key selling point. A bunch of good lenses for a low price,
During Hoya, the prices rose beyond the simple Yen strength,
Now, you must be kidding yourselves,

Five years back I could recommend Pentax to anyone looking for a great camera system at an affordable price. No need to spend tons on features that certain manufacturers stuff into their camera in an attempt to convince people they are "professional". Just great optical quality, great ergonomics and the all-important IBIS in a nice form factor... and at a favourable price.

I think I sold a lot of Pentax cameras! Got several young people into the system. Etc. All not bad for a country in which they have almost zero presence in stores.

Now there are better choices. And every single time I am out shooting people look at what I am using and ask me how to get something similar. I suppose that now I am selling a lot of Olympus cameras. Just great optical quality, decent ergonomics and the all-important IBIS in a nice form factor... and at a favourable price. Sound familiar?

How can Tamron, Sigma and Tokina produce lenses at lower prices with similar qualities.

First, they are not equivalent to the Pentax lenses I enjoy. They are ugly, heavy, and very few models have any rendering magic. Second, these companies work through economy of scale, producing similar lenses across several different mounts. Makes sense they'd be cheaper.

[jsherman999]

Personally I think the 16-50 is a fantastic lens, apart from CA problems. But the build and feel definitely make it worth what I paid for it.

:/

Agreed, apart from the potential SDM issues, I got a ton of good stuff from my copy. Incidentally, the Tokina 16-50 2.8 (same lens optically) is pretty well thought of in Nikonia.

.

[Wheatfield]

The sky is falling (again).

[ogl]

Isn't that comment rubbing salt in our wounds?

Pentax has the equal prices in all world now and nothing else.
It could be called as "Price justice".
We have such prices for long years.