[Not a Number]

Today I got this email from B&H Photo:

Thank you for your interest in the following item:

Pentax Mount Adapter K
(B&H # PEMAK)

You are receiving this message because you asked to be notified when this item becomes available. We regret to inform you that this item has unfortunately been discontinued.
However, please note that a replacement model for this item is available:
General Brand Pentax-K Body to Universal Lens Adapter (B&H # GBCAPU)
Please click the URL below to view the item:
General Brand Pentax-K Body to Universal Lens Adapter ABPKS B&H

If clicking the above link does not direct you to the product page, please copy and paste B&H item code GBCAPU into the search box located on the upper left-hand side of our website.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to serving you again soon.

However just today Chuck of B&H Photo posted this reply to a thread on the B&H sub-forum:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/ask-b-h-photo/221863-genuine-m42-k-adapte...ml#post2362245

Hello,

Sorry for the delay, but I just heard back from Pentax:

Hi Chuck.

The item is not discontinued but we are having difficulty securing inventory from Japan. We have contacted PENTAX Japan to see if he can get an update on availability. As soon as I get an update, I will pass on to you.

All the best.

C h u c k C a p r i o l a
Live Chat and E-Mail Sales Manager B&H Photo-Video

Thank you, we appreciate your business.
*** Peace on Earth ***

So I am afraid I am just as confused if not more than before.

[vonBaloney]

B&H has had the adapters in a couple of times only over the past 2 years, and they usually only last a couple of weeks, so grab one immediately if they ever show up. I heard they were discontinued a year ago, and yet B&H had another batch around last fall/winter for a little bit...

[DeadJohn]

B&H deserves credit for reaching out to Pentax Japan. I think the official adapters are still available but Pentax USA (PRIAC) does not routinely bring them into the country.

[boriscleto]

B&H deserves credit for reaching out to Pentax Japan. I think the official adapters are still available but Pentax USA (PRIAC) does not routinely bring them into the country.

Pentax USA doesn't even list them on Pentaximaging.com.

[Kozlok]

I like the cheap fotodiox ones. I remove the clip, and over tighten them slightly, on the lens and then leave the adapter permanently attached to the lens. The kmount is tight enough without a clip stopper.

[THoog]

My understanding is that Pentax only makes a small batch once a year or so. Every time they run out, B&H marks them as 'discontinued', then they reappear a few months later. I have a couple Genuine Pentax adapters for lenses that don't do well with the knock-offs and a bunch of the knock-offs with the clip removed.

[vonBaloney]

My understanding is that Pentax only makes a small batch once a year or so. Every time they run out, B&H marks them as 'discontinued', then they reappear a few months later. I have a couple Genuine Pentax adapters for lenses that don't do well with the knock-offs and a bunch of the knock-offs with the clip removed.

Yeah, me too. And the genuine ones come in handy when testing out lenses that you haven't actually bought yet so you aren't cranking on an adapter to the lens at the store or whatever. Everybody that shoots m42s should have at least one real one...

[pxpaulx]

Yeah, me too. And the genuine ones come in handy when testing out lenses that you haven't actually bought yet so you aren't cranking on an adapter to the lens at the store or whatever. Everybody that shoots m42s should have at least one real one...

BH lists things as discontinued as often as the sun rises and sets - it seems to be a problem with their systems as it is far more often than not untrue and simply based on a lack of inventory. Bottom line, don't believe the discontinued designation they place or notices they send your way unless you can independently verify it from the manufacturer.

[Docrwm]

This is another of those small things that the new management at Pentax USA could address rather easily.......

We've had any number of instances here on the Forums where Randall S will tell someone that something doesn't exist, or that Pentax Japan will not allow it to be sent to the US, or other nonsense. Only to find that somehow B&H or Adorama or someone finds a way to produce the mythical item that doesn't exist. Pentax USA is a barrier and not an asset in getting Pentax gear into the hands of photographers. The sooner someone, ANYONE, at Pentax realizes that and does two things the better: A) fire the deadwood, in this economy there are good, motivated people ready to take their jobs, and b) start stocking ALL the items that Pentax Japan will send out of the Home country immediately. There, that wasn't so hard was it.

Finally, survey the Pentax users (NOT through Facebook) and ask what items other than cameras and lenses that Pentax used to make should they reintroduce. M42 adapters are pretty simple to manufacture and the markup is pretty drastic and yet they go for even more on the used market. I'll bet there are a host of items sitting in old catalogs and on shelves at HQ that could be put back into production with minimal updating that could start generating both revenue and respect for Pentax as a system again.

[stevebrot]

BH lists things as discontinued as often as the sun rises and sets - it seems to be a problem with their systems as it is far more often than not untrue and simply based on a lack of inventory. Bottom line, don't believe the discontinued designation they place or notices they send your way unless you can independently verify it from the manufacturer.

From what I can tell, if they cannot backorder an item from their source, they mark the item as discontinued.


Steve

[Jonathan Mac]

As far as I'm aware, they were discontinued around a year ago. I imagine that when they doubled the price (to the equivalent of around $100 in the UK) that sales fell through the floor and so there was no reason to keep making them. I bought a second one (they're both second-hand) due to this.

They are still available in the UK, but at the price above.

[DeadJohn]

... We've had any number of instances here on the Forums where Randall S will tell someone that something doesn't exist, or that Pentax Japan will not allow it to be sent to the US, or other nonsense. ...

Heh. In my original post I considered writing that Pentax should start giving Randall's salary to B&H I feel like he passive-aggressively goes out of his way to make Pentax Japan (and therefore all of Pentax) look bad. He would make a good character on The Office. I hope the new management educates him, gives him tools to do his job better, or fires him.

Anyway, I hope the OP is able to find the adapter he needs.

[boriscleto]

As far as I'm aware, they were discontinued around a year ago. I imagine that when they doubled the price (to the equivalent of around $100 in the UK) that sales fell through the floor and so there was no reason to keep making them. I bought a second one (they're both second-hand) due to this.

They are still available in the UK, but at the price above.

In the US the price fell. From $31 to $21. When those sold out the adapter was removed from the web page, not just listed as out of stock as before. It reappeared for a short time before selling out again, and again being removed from the site.

[jatrax]

Pentax USA is a barrier and not an asset in getting Pentax gear into the hands of photographers.

Don't hold anything back, let it out, you will feel better...........

But, +1 I agree. We call those folks the "sales prevention team". It is too easy to armchair quarterback what Pentax has been (or not been) doing in the US. But to be honest it is hard to imagine how it could be any worse. Especially when we often hear good things about Pentax Canada, and the distributors in other countries. I am hoping that new management will start to turn things around. Look at the bright side: they have no where to go but up. The ideal situation for a new CEO, easy to show great improvement because you started out at rock bottom.

[Docrwm]

Don't hold anything back, let it out, you will feel better...........

But, +1 I agree. We call those folks the "sales prevention team". It is too easy to armchair quarterback what Pentax has been (or not been) doing in the US. But to be honest it is hard to imagine how it could be any worse. Especially when we often hear good things about Pentax Canada, and the distributors in other countries. I am hoping that new management will start to turn things around. Look at the bright side: they have no where to go but up. The ideal situation for a new CEO, easy to show great improvement because you started out at rock bottom.

I've been positive on the current equipment and own 1 of each of the 3 categories (K-5, K-01, and Q) but neutral on future equipment from Pentax. I am not a FF Fanatic but I do think Pentax needs to do better with communicating its vision. On Pentax USA there is nothing to be happy with at all, other than some slight improvements in the website over the past year or so. Their head of Marketing doesn't even get the facts straight when he is demoing equipment for blogcasts. Their phone support person seems to simply want to find the fastest way off the phone. I will say that their field personnel that I have dealt with, 2 at the K-30 tour, did seem to a) know their stuff and b) actually want to interact with Pentaxians and answer questions <GASP>! The three photographers I know well who have handled my K-5 have each expressed nearly the same initial impression 'Wow, this thing is really built well!' - and after handling 2 Nikons and 1 Canon that felt like 100% plastic I knew why they were so impressed. When folks handle the K series of cameras they come away impressed. The specs have been excellent when they are released and the reviews and DxO ratings support their abilities too. Pricewise they have been very competitive. My K-x was a real steal when I bought it with the 18-55 & 55-300, and my K-5 was also significantly less costly than the 7000 at the time I bought it. The K-01 has been a steal for the past few months too. So, why aren't more people using Pentax gear? It's not the gear.