[Kelvin 5500]

With the opening of the WPPI Conference & Expo just two months away, I started to prepare my list of expo booths I intend to visit. My search of the WPPI website exhibitor list for "Ricoh" or "Pentax" returned "No Results Found."

Knowing that it is possible that Ricoh may not have yet completed its WPPI 2019 booth arrangements, I sent a message to the Ricoh Imaging Facebook Fan Page (@RicohImagingNA) inquiring if Ricoh is planning on exhibiting at the WPPI 2019 Expo. Here is the response:

"Hi Dennis. Ricoh will not be at WPPI this year."

I am extremely disappointed to receive this response because it signifies that Ricoh has chosen to not have a strong physical presence of Pentax products and brand name identity at the largest attended professional portrait photography show in North America. Ricoh had a very attractive booth at the WPPI 2018 Expo with the word "Pentax" dominantly displayed in large red letters. Not having a Pentax retailer within 280 miles of my home, the Ricoh booth at WPPI 2018 provided me the opportunity to actually hold a Pentax K-1 Mark II with attached battery grip in my hands and get a feel for my comfort of its handling and access to the controls. That was when I made the decision to pre-order the K-1 Mark II which I received in April, 2018.

It is possible that Ricoh will have reps working in dealer booths at WPPI 2019 showing Pentax products and talking about Show Special Pricing. If I see this type of activity at the expo, I'll report back here. The WPPI 2019 Conference is February 25 through March 1. See: WPPI Conference & Expo for Wedding & Portrait Photography

Dennis

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Last edited by Kelvin 5500; 12-28-2018 at 12:07 PM.

[D1N0]

It coincides with CP+.

[Adam]

There was a year where they skipped Photoplus, and even then someone set up a Pentax stand with a handful of gear.

I suspect that the reason for this is that they're planning to announce everything at CP+, which is after the normal date of the WPPI show as far as I'm aware. Otherwise they'd be showing off just the same gear we've seen time and time again.

[btnapa]

I am extremely disappointed to receive this response

Hi Dennis,

I am not surprised. I too live in Las Vegas. I go to WPPI and CES to see Ricoh/Pentax. The only year Pentax booth was busy at WPPI was when they gave away three 645Z cameras. I stopped by the Pentax booth last year and it was DEAD. The action was at Fuji and Sony. Even Canon and Nikon were poorly attended (with their high attendance standards).

I kind of felt sad to see no one at the Pentax booth. It is a shame but I guess it is sign of the times. Someone at Ricoh/Pentax must have seen the writing on the wall. It costs a lot to exhibit at one of these shows and they probably did not see enough benefits for all the money they have to spend.

I hope this does not mean Pentax is getting ready to fold!

Take care,
Boris

[boriscleto]

This can only mean PentaxIsDOOOmed!

[DeadJohn]

...Ricoh has chosen to not have a strong physical presence...

Pentax has been like that in North America for over a decade. It's not a change and doesn't indicate a decline. For reasons that are known to insiders (plenty on PF like to guess, some make more educated guesses than others), Pentax' owner doesn't see justification for a large marketing budget in North America. It's a conservative approach that protects the brand from big losses but also limits potential sales.

This is not a change. Ricoh's been operating that way since buying Pentax, and the prior owner Hoya worked in a similar manner.

[Kelvin 5500]

It coincides with CP+.

There is no comparison between CP+ and WPPI. North American wedding and portrait photographers are not going to travel to Yokohama to make equipment purchasing decisions.

I suspect that the reason for this is that they're planning to announce everything at CP+, which is after the normal date of the WPPI show as far as I'm aware. Otherwise they'd be showing off just the same gear we've seen time and time again.

Not having new product to show is not a reason to abandon an important market segment. Ricoh Imaging has existing viable Pentax products that can be enthusiastically shown to the North American wedding and portrait marketplace.

I hope this does not mean Pentax is getting ready to fold!

Frankly, Boris, I sense that Ricoh may be getting close to selling its consumer camera products division. I believe that there are companies with a worldwide photographic products distribution network that could benefit by acquiring Pentax.

Dennis

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Last edited by Kelvin 5500; 12-28-2018 at 02:23 PM.

[btnapa]

Frankly, Boris, I sense that Ricoh may be getting close to selling its consumer camera products division. I believe that there are companies with a worldwide photographic products distribution network that could benefit by acquiring Pentax.

Hey Dennis,

What you are saying makes perfect sense. I would not be surprised if that happens. The question is who is going to buy it and are they going to take the intellectual property and or the technology and just kill the brand. It has happened in other industries (tech sector) many times that I can remember. Our Pentax camera values can go through the roof or straight to the dumpster... hard to tell which.

[D1N0]

So this was just an excuse for another Pentaxisdoomed™ thread after all.

[btnapa]

Not having new product to show is not a reason to abandon an important market segment. Ricoh Imaging has existing viable Pentax products that can be enthusiastically shown to the North American wedding and portrait marketplace.

I buy that argument. However, as much as I have advertised and shown my beloved Pentax gear to my other pro photographer friends (most of whom attend WPPI religiously), they look at Pentax as a curiosity and no one is ready to switch from their existing brand no matter how cool or great bang-for-the-buck Pentax stuff is.

I have gone to many WPPI shows and have made a point of observing how people react to the presence of Pentax at the show. Most young photographers (the iPhone generation) wants techy stuff and have no emotional or nostalgic connection to the Pentax brand. And the old timers (like me), who know about Pentax are getting old and want compact/lighter (mostly mirrorless) cameras. I guess Ricoh/Pentax is seeing the same thing or sensing it (gotta give them credit for that) and do not want to throw any more money at it.

After all, how many people remember answering machines and beepers. Not the younger crowed. They don't even want to type stuff anymore... they wanna talk to their tech device and have it do things!!

[RGlasel]

Not having new product to show is not a reason to abandon an important market segment.

Pentax doesn't have a significant presence in this market and "professional" DSLR users aren't looking to switch brands, so there is no market for them to abandon. The 645Z did make a splash in this market a few years ago, it made sense to exhibit for a couple of years to support the 645 system, but now there are no new 645 products, exhibiting would only make the point that Ricoh doesn't have anything new to draw attention from potential customers. If I was a marketing exec at Ricoh Imaging, I wouldn't waste any money on this show, either. Not participating in WPPI won't cost Ricoh Imaging a single customer at this point in time and presents virtually no opportunities to gain new customers.

Ricoh may be getting close to selling its consumer camera products division.

Between Ricoh's 2% global market share, the dismal state of the photographic equipment industry and the fact that Pentax is not costing Ricoh money, mean that this is very unlikely.

[twilhelm]

Leica isn’t listed as having a booth either. Just saying...

[normhead]

Frankly, Boris, I sense that Ricoh may be getting close to selling its consumer camera products division. I believe that there are companies with a worldwide photographic products distribution network that could benefit by acquiring Pentax.

Another thread I should have avoided.

[reh321]

There is no comparison between CP+ and WPPI. North American wedding and portrait photographers are not going to travel to Yokohama to make equipment purchasing decisions.

Not having new product to show is not a reason to abandon an important market segment. Ricoh Imaging has existing viable Pentax products that can be enthusiastically shown to the North American wedding and portrait marketplace.

I don't suppose the way you value WPPI has any conection to your place of residence.

[Kelvin 5500]

I don't suppose the way you value WPPI has any conection to your place of residence.

I value the WPPI Conference & Expo for its outstanding classes, excellent print exhibition, fun social events and an opportunity to see up close a vast variety of photography products as presented by the representatives of manufacturers and distributors. The projected attendance at WPPI 2019 is 10,000. WPPI is, of course, geographically convenient for me but this is not a requirement for me to attend. I would attend even if it were held in a distant U.S. city because it is an excellent conference and expo which is directed at a photography market segment that greatly interests me. The NANPA 2019 Nature Photography Summit and Trade Show is also being held in Las Vegas but I will not be attending. I respect and admire many nature photographers and enjoy seeing the photos they produce but doing nature photography is not something that interests me. "To each his own."

Wishing peace and happiness to all.

Dennis