[77tbholmes]

Moderator please please this where you thinks this best serves.

As a business owner I have to make difficult decisions and this year I had to sever ties with 2 large companies. One of those companies we dealt with since the 1980's and the other the 1990's. I did not take these decisions lightly and emotionally I had to detach myself as it was what was best for my company and my customers.

This week I couriered my 400mm lens in to a repair facility requesting a cleaning and repair. I spoke to the tech who said the following " I will do what I can't but I am sorry Pentax does not support their customers if we need anything from them".

I deeply reflected on that comment and turned to my brick and mortar supports for Pentax and discovered another was not flying Pentax colors while another had decreased it's stock.
So this morning I went to the Canadian map to see where else to go and it would not work so I sent the following to support at Pentax.

"Just needing to know who is all selling your products here in Manitoba or are you going to online ordering. You have now reached 100 years with little fanfare and I could not even get a list of your retailers in Canada from your map. Now I have been a Pentax user since the 1980's using many legacy lenses but now question where is Pentax's future. With a decreasing brick and mortar presence and no online sales where am I left to? I just recently sent in a 400 mm lens in for repair and I was advised that they will do what they can but Pentax is not not really supporting their customers anymore.
So do I continue to invest in Pentax or do I sell it all take a loss and invest in another Brand so I can concentrate on photography and not my my brands longevity. I have 4 dslrs. 1 mirrorless, 12 different lenses, 5 flashes all dedicated to Pentax the questions is are you dedicated to me?"

So why the post, I love photography and I love the Pentax legacy to do my art the way I want to. I just want Pentax to get it together and provide products, support and keep me in the loop and not have to worry about their future. So I can only do what I can by starting with support and I will work my way up so why do I tell you all this. If enough of us pressure Pentax to change they can 1. ignore us and we know where we stand or 2. Change and we all can work on our art not our worries.

Just a thought. Loving Pentax not loving the unkown!

[selfnoise]

You can't order online in Canada?

But yeah, Pentax's US marketing operations are largely moribund and will likely never return. I'm sure it's the same for a lot of territories.

Pressuring Ricoh is likely pointless as they logically don't want to spend the money. This current state will likely allow the Pentax brand to survive a while longer which ultimately is best for everyone.

I just recently bought a KP and I have a lot of K mount glass so... I'm going to use it for a few years and then reassess.

[Dartmoor Dave]

You Tube

You Tube

[Kunzite]

I don't know what to say about Pentax support on another continent - but, 400mm? The most recent is the FA* which was introduced in 1997 and discontinued about 2 decades ago.
Is this about general Pentax support, or Pentax support for discontinued products?

Anyway, quite likely someone here will be able to recommend a good repair shop.

[Vmax911]

Pentax will continue to be a niche brand. When we get new products they are excellent, but we can't really wait or expect them to have the same lineup as the mainstream brands.

The Pentax world seems to get smaller day by day.

[bwgv001]

If you use them professionally, make your decision based on that. If you use them for fun. Use them and have fun with it. Don't get drawn into all this negative talk about... If the time comes that Pentax goes down we still have our cameras to go about our passion. Once , of course they break we have to substitute with new stuff. At that point, I think you need to make the decision, what other system to buy. I still have my old KX-from film days that is functional, so for me I anticipate there is a long time out, before I run into a problem. I am just an enthusiast, and I don't necessarily need the latest and greatest of the SONY, or CanoNikon features, especially not all the mirrorless hype thingies, and of course I also don't have the cash for that.

[CarlJF]

To be honest, it’s the same story for all brands, unless being a subscriber to Canon or Nikon professional services. AFAIK, parts are an issue, for any brand, for all shop not being an authorized service center. And there isn’t a lot of these, even for Canon.

If you need Pentax service in Canada, the best is to send the gear to Sun Camera Service, which is the only authorized repair shop in Canada.

And as other pointed out, you should not expect a manufacturer to support products for an infinite amount of time. The 400mm is quite old, you would get the same answer from the shop with a similarly old lens from any manufacturer: they would do what they can, but not expect parts to be easy to find.

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Last edited by CarlJF; 10-04-2019 at 08:48 AM.

[FozzFoster]

Took me two seconds to Google... Ricoh authorized Canadian repair dealership is called Sun Camera.
Sun Camera Service Ltd. - Home

[mlt]

Parts availability seems to be tied to going to a single centralized repair facility rather than letting independents order them. This may also limit availability of parts for older lenses, coupled with the change of corporate ownership selling off resources just as the change from film to digital was really taking hold could be the real issue here. Has anyone looked into finding a repair facility in Japan having parts and the ability to fix items that are long out of production?

[jatrax]

If enough of us pressure Pentax to change they can 1. ignore us and we know where we stand or 2. Change and we all can work on our art not our worries.

You are I think mistaking intent for ability. I have no doubt Ricoh would like to support it's customers in a first class manner. But at this point with a dramatically shrinking market and Pentax's minuscule share of that market it simply makes no economic sense. To be blunt there is very little to no brick and mortar support and that is not going to change.

They do have a USA repair center which despite a rocky start has gotten good reports. I have no idea who you would send items to for repair in Canada. However, this site does provide links to authorized repair centers: Pentax Repair Facilities (Wordwide listing) - PentaxForums.com

You do not mention which 400mm but as noted above there is no current 400mm and the last produced has been discontinued for decades. So "Pentax does not support their customers if we need anything from them" can simply mean you sent the lens to the wrong shop and they are not an authorized repair center any longer OR it is the right shop and he simply meant that there are no parts available for your legacy, vintage lens.

There are third party repair shops that can do some work, I have sent several vintage lenses in for repair to them with good results. But I was warned the last time that parts are drying up for 20 and 30 year old lenses and not to expect to much in the future.

I have no doubt Pentax is firmly dedicated to us. The fact they brought out the K-1 in response to user demand despite a lot of people saying it would be a bad move is one clear indication. Another is the recent announcement of a replacement for the K-3II. I do not think that would have happened if they were not listening and wanted to support their customers.

[pschlute]

I just want Pentax to get it together and provide products, support and keep me in the loop

Pentax have an authorised repair centre in Canada.

Did you ask them if they can repair a 20 year old lens ?

[LaurenOE]

Here is the deal. In Japan, you can go into pretty much any camera retail department, and see well stocked Pentax gear. In Japan there are three Pentax repair centers that are within a day's drive or less. In Japan, you can go into a repair center and get great customer service. In Japan, there are stores that carry used Pentax gear in pristine condition.

See where this is going?

Pentax/Ricoh is a Japanese camera company not so much because they are based there, but because Japan is the only market that Pentax/Ricoh cares about. They make "enough" money to keep folks employed and happy, and for Pentax/Ricoh, that is enough.

Sure there are pockets around the world where Pentax cares, but generally its Japan that matters to Pentax.

So, now that is out in the open, maybe it will help your decision? I am a rabid Pentaxian, and where I can, I use Pentax in my professional media workflow. However, when I can't even get an "L-Bracket" for a K1 with grip, and I have severely limited choices in the aftermarket space, its natural to realize that Pentax cameras, while awesome and so dear to me, do not have enough depth to keep up with my other gear.

Knowing that and realizing that, is the reality of loving Pentax.

Pentax is a Japanese brand.

I can't get Luxemburgerli anywhere outside of the limited places they are made around Switzerland, and the Spruengli folks are just fine with that.

https://www.spruengli.ch/de/spruengli-welt/luxemburgerli.html

So its not uncommon for a product to be regional/country specific, and not matter what the demand is.
Once you have a Luxemburgerli...you will want it everywhere...but that will never happen.

The Luxemburgerli "look" like other products out there, but once you eat one, you realize there is NOTHING like one.

Same with Pentax.

[biz-engineer]

So do I continue to invest in Pentax or do I sell it all take a loss and invest in another Brand so I can concentrate on photography and not my my brands longevity.

I understand your problem. I'd go to Sony and ask them if they can repair a 30 years old 400mm lens from Minolta, and if they do , then switch to Sony. Now if Sony doesn't support Minolta product range anymore, I'd be worried about how long Sony will survive.

[aslyfox]

Pentax is Pentax

the biggest selling point for me is the ability to use good glass from long ago

why

because it is cheaper to buy those lenses

[KiloHotelphoto]

You have a old lens that wasn’t a big seller when it was new so the parts availability will be low. Also with the company being bought and sold several times doesn’t help with inventory of parts.

If the shop you sent it to can’t fix it I would look online for independent repair shops in Japan. I know shipping from Canada is expensive but if the lens is that important to you and you don’t want to buy a new one from another brand it’s a option.