[LaurenOE]

It's no indicator, but in my recent outings with my Pentax gear - specifically to the Zoo the other weekend - I noticed how many people noticed that I was shooting with a Pentax. Folks with Canikony would make these discreet little circles around me to check out my gear. Once, when my cameras were away, and NO Pentax logo was visible, some guy came up to me and said "Awesome cameras! Rock on!". So he must have been watching and knew I was shooting Pentax. Also, the one Pentax user I did see, was there with his Nikon buddy, and as the two of us went on and on about how we love Pentax, the Nikon guy could tell that his Nikon has ZERO cachet and was not as "cool" as the Pentax. I don't use Pentax because it's cool, but it's cool because I use Pentax!!!

When asked about Pentax, I told the guy that there were no places in Florida where he could buy one! He just wanted to hold my K5, and K30 and K-01 and Q that I was carrying.

(why I have so many cameras with me is another story)

I think those of us that are Pentaxians will always be so.

I think the hipsters and those that are seeking the "next thing" realize that a camera that can be bought at Target/Best-Buy/Walmart - are not cool and that Pentax, as long as they are good cameras - are the next choice to be "different" and "cool".

Funny how consumers are, but Canikony cameras - are NOT cool anymore.

[russell2pi]

I think the hipsters and those that are seeking the "next thing" realize that a camera that can be bought at Target/Best-Buy/Walmart - are not cool and that Pentax, as long as they are good cameras - are the next choice to be "different" and "cool".

Oh Lord, please, nooooo !

I thought they were into the fake retro things, X-100 etc. I was hoping to offload some old film bodies on them for a pretty penny.

[NickLarsson]

An interesting article about CP+ and the financial health of the main actors :
Why CP+ Was So Grim | Sans Mirror ? mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras | Thom Hogan

[boriscleto]

An interesting article about CP+ and the financial health of the main actors :
Why CP+ Was So Grim | Sans Mirror ? mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras | Thom Hogan

Better not let the M4/3 zealots see those numbers.

[LaurenOE]

Better not let the M4/3 zealots see those numbers.

I'm happy that Pentax was mentioned - as this is a 4/3 publication.

This graphic show that ILC (Interchangeable lens cameras) are growing, compact cameras peaked and are in decline.



Cell phones are eating the compact market, and ILC cameras in various flavors are doing better. However, mirrorless is only 9% of the market based on revenue.

If Canikon owns 90% of the DSLR market as this graph suggests,



And Nikon had a bad year - then Sony and Pentax stand to gain the most.

[northcoastgreg]

With the recent blitz of "affordable" (used loosely) FF offerings, is it possible that the big guys are just temporarily shooting for increased market share? If they can effectively block the possibility of the smaller players competing in this format, might it be worth a temporary quarterly loss?

This is probably partly true, at least in the case of Nikon, although I doubt Nikon is much concerned with the little guys: they're going after Canon. They want to be number one again. Hence the attempt to dump D600s on the market during the Xmas season. Hence the cynical attempt to restart the megapixel wars. Unfortunately for Nikon, it didn't work. Nikon really didn't make any significant gains on Canon. It is not in either Canon's or Nikon's interest to come out with a budget FF. The demand for FF is small but very intense. That's a perfect situation for creating high margin products. So why try to ruin that by offering an FF camera and a $600 lens for $2000?

NIkon's also been ignoring their DX line, under the assumption that professionals and advanced amateurs all want FF. But meanwhile they're ignoring that segment of the market that cannot afford an FF system and/or that finds the FF cameras and lenses too big and unwieldy. APS-C DSLRs may be rather boring and uninspiring compared to FF and compact mirrorless, but they still may be the best compromise between size, handling and price, and they remain the most popular format among the ILCs.

[monochrome]

More to the point, you can't keep a worldwide distribution system fully staffed and supportive with low volumes of product. Even just giving a dealer 15-20% margin can make the whole enterprise unprofitable in a declining market with too many competitors. Thus, some of these companies are going to have to consider alternatives to the traditional way the Japanese have built global presence. What would that be? Well, consider if a company like Pentax went to online sales only, and did so with only three centers (Asia, US, Europe). Could they do better taking that route than the method they're currently using? I believe so. Disruption in a business isn't just about product, sometimes it's about sales and support, as Dell proved in the personal computer business. "

A couple days ago I made several Replies on the CP+ FF thread about the financial strategy of Ricoh the parent company, suggesting the "Finance Guys" might not be ready to invest the money necessary to issue a FF camera and build Pentax's global market share. That investment would have a negative effect on Ricoh's earnings stream, set back thier financial recovery strategy post-Tsunami and Thai flooding. Ricoh's cost-reduction strategy has been to rapidly reduce SG&A expenses in the global distribution channel for office equipment, primarily by laying off redundant back-oofice employees and by changing the compensation structure of its sales force.

I have no personal opinion on Ricoh stock. Looking at what is publicly available, the investment community considers such cost-saving good business and views a management decision to invest significant money in DigiCams one of three risks to the investment thesis for Ricoh - the other two being another global recession and (unlikely) Yen strength.

My posts were privately "Liked" but publicly panned by several members, who deride the "Finance Guys" as The Golden Boys and suggest a company should care about product and not money.

I'm not saying Ricoh WILL NOT invest in Pentax. I don't have that information. but I do have significant insight, publicly available access to global institutional security analysis and 30 years of experience in security selection.

I find it curious that someone who has been in the business for 30 years and makes a reasoned, rational case for why Pentax might wait to grow Pentax and introduce FF is criticized, but Thom Hogan (who is so often sneered at as a Nikon Fanboy) is linked for saying precisely the same thing.

It will be interesting to see whether HoyaTax and RicohTax have actually had the more durable, lasting business strategy all along. Even more interesting if Ned and John were ahead of their time using the "Big Box" distribution strategy. Wouldn't that frost a few of our members tails?

Told 'ya so. (Couldn't resist, no matter how hard I tried).

---

Last edited by monochrome; 02-09-2013 at 08:05 AM.

[RBellavance]

ssue a FF camera and build Pentax's global market share.

One could argue that issuing a FF camera is not the way to build Pentax's global market share. That may be exactly what those "Finance Guys" are thinking.

[monochrome]

One could argue that issuing a FF camera is not the way to build Pentax's global market share. That may be exactly what those "Finance Guys" are thinking.

Yes, one could. make that case very easily and likely very correctly. Wouldn't it be an interesting outcome if Pentax survived and eventually thrived by concentrating on APSc enthusiast value cameras for a few more years?

We simply can't know what their plan is - we're not inside. But I am fairly confident that if it would take millions of dollars and years of investment to make Pentax the #3 maker Ricoh will be reluctant to make the investment at this time in this global economy.

[RBellavance]

Yes, one could. make that case very easily and likely very correctly. Wouldn't it be an interesting outcome if Pentax survived and eventually thrived by concentrating on APSc enthusiast value cameras for a few more years?

It sure would. Wasn't Pentax's slogan "Be Interesting" in the not so distant past ?

We simply can't know what their plan is - we're not inside. But I am fairly confident that if it would take millions of dollars and years of investment to make Pentax the #3 maker Ricoh will be reluctant to make the investment at this time in this global economy.

I agree.

[THoog]

I find it curious that someone who has been in the business for 30 years and makes a reasoned, rational case for why Pentax might wait to grow Pentax and introduce FF is criticized,

Yeah, as an engineer, that's how I feel whenever I'm told how 'easy' it would be to add additional functions/hardware to an existing camera. The less you know about something, the 'easier' it would be for someone else to do it!

[gidewey52]

It's no indicator, but in my recent outings with my Pentax gear - specifically to the Zoo the other weekend - I noticed how many people noticed that I was shooting with a Pentax. Folks with Canikony would make these discreet little circles around me to check out my gear. Once, when my cameras were away, and NO Pentax logo was visible, some guy came up to me and said "Awesome cameras! Rock on!". So he must have been watching and knew I was shooting Pentax. Also, the one Pentax user I did see, was there with his Nikon buddy, and as the two of us went on and on about how we love Pentax, the Nikon guy could tell that his Nikon has ZERO cachet and was not as "cool" as the Pentax. I don't use Pentax because it's cool, but it's cool because I use Pentax!!!

When asked about Pentax, I told the guy that there were no places in Florida where he could buy one! He just wanted to hold my K5, and K30 and K-01 and Q that I was carrying.

(why I have so many cameras with me is another story)

I think those of us that are Pentaxians will always be so.

I think the hipsters and those that are seeking the "next thing" realize that a camera that can be bought at Target/Best-Buy/Walmart - are not cool and that Pentax, as long as they are good cameras - are the next choice to be "different" and "cool".

Funny how consumers are, but Canikony cameras - are NOT cool anymore.

I was shooting birds at Occoquan NWR (northern Virginia) in mid-January. There was a guy there with a spotting scope. As I got closer I could see it was a Pentax.

We started talking and he spoke of the fine optics of the Pentax scope, but he was shooting a Canon 50D. I showed him my K5 with the DA* 300 and he played with it for a bit, and was clearly liking it. He said he really hadn't thought much about getting a Pentax camera, but loved the scope. Bottom line - we may have another Pentax user.

Jerry
Manassas VA
"I shoot birds."

[philbaum]

My understanding is that only half of Canon's revenue is generated from consumer camera sales. I don't have any figures but I believe the story is similar with Nikon. That percentage is even smaller with both Ricoh and Sony. With that in mind it may be very difficult to take articles such as this one and use it as a barometer for the health of the photographic equipment industry.

I just today posted a link to comments by Thom Hogan about CIBA news about 2012 shipments and 2013 forecast.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/general-photography-industry/214991-why-c...hom-hogan.html

I didn't realize this thread was here with a related topic. Anyway, Hogan notes a funny thing in the statistics where he calculates a "whopping" 17.6% reduction in forecast 2013 DSLR sales (not including mirrorless) from Nikon and Canon (some combination). So looks like something is going on in the camera market.

[Stone G.]

I just today posted a link to comments by Thom Hogan about CIBA news about 2012 shipments and 2013 forecast.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/general-photography-industry/214991-why-c...hom-hogan.html

............. So looks like something is going on in the camera market.

Here's what Nikon say themselves:

Imaging Company
Inventory level at the end of 1st half of fiscal year was raised to cope with the Thai floods risk. As Q3 started seeing the reduction of the inventory, the market condition got abruptly worsened from late November. That led a substantial reduction of assumed unit price of digital camera ― Interchangeable Lens Type, resulting in deterioration of the Q3 operating income ratio compared to 1st half.

http://www.nikon.com/about/ir/ir_library/result/pdf/2013/13third_1_e.pdf

Was there indeed an "abrupt worsening of the market in late November"? I have no reason to doubt that statement, but surely, other manufacturers would have felt that change too?

[monochrome]

Was there indeed an "abrupt worsening of the market in late November"? I have no reason to doubt that statement, but surely, other manufacturers would have felt that change too?

Canon did.