Pentax going the Leica path OR?

surfar · 09-06-2022, 03:18 PM - **1 Like**

Ive just stumbled upon this information.

Some very encouraging figures for Ricoh/Pentax if true...5.4% of the Dslr market.Back in 2019 the figures were 3%,so thats a huge sales increase.

130,000 units

Watch(he is boring, but),there is other information, some people may find interesting

Youtu.be

**ramseybuckeye** · 09-06-2022, 04:14 PM

Wow, maybe he should actually look at the Ricoh Imaging website to see the direction the company is going. I had no idea that the K-3III was not well received. And I feel that a lot of Nikon and Canon's recent DSLR sales are due to last chance buyers that are trying to extend the life of their heavily invested systems.

But of course, if they suddenly had new ownership, who knows?

Fogel70 · 09-06-2022, 09:48 PM

Years when new cameras are introduced sales usually increase a lot, especially since there were no new camera for a couple of years from Pentax. Canikon did not drop all that much in sales despite not having any new DSLR in 2021.

It will be interesting to see how the DSLR market evolves in 2022 and the coming years.

Comparing year to year sales during a pandemic may not show the whole picture, as 2020 sales may have been hit harder by it than 2021.
And the coming years may not be the best for cameras sales depending on how the world economy develops.

biz-engineer · 09-06-2022, 10:16 PM

"Pentax believe in the future of SLR photography". "Pentax is committed to the future of SLR photography through the continued development of camera technology"

Youtu.be

Pentax don't follow the Leica path, because:
- Leica invested in mirrrorless, such as the SL series, they didn't say "we aren't going to make mirrorless camera because we're a rangefinder company".
- Leica created / joined the L mount alliance
- Leica sell their camera in most camera shops that also sell Canon, Nikon and Sony
- Leica sell full frame cameras and lenses $5000 or more.
- Leica is a luxury brand, and has the design and the marketing to support a luxury brand.

Last edited by biz-engineer; 09-06-2022 at 10:53 PM.

surfar · 09-06-2022, 11:12 PM

Originally posted by Fogel70

Comparing year to year sales during a pandemic

Yes, 20/21 and 22 are not normal years and we have the Nato/Ruski war too that interupts the flow of things.

Fogel70 · 09-07-2022, 12:55 AM

Originally posted by biz-engineer

"Pentax believe in the future of SLR photography". "Pentax is committed to the future of SLR photography through the continued development of camera technology" https://youtu.be/mfrMcXAkd0o

Pentax don't follow the Leica path, because:
- Leica invested in mirrrorless, such as the SL series, they didn't say "we aren't going to make mirrorless camera because we're a rangefinder company".
- Leica created / joined the L mount alliance
- Leica sell their camera in most camera shops that also sell Canon, Nikon and Sony
- Leica sell full frame cameras and lenses $5000 or more.
- Leica is a luxury brand, and has the design and the marketing to support a luxury brand.

And not to forget that Leica also sell DSLR. So Leica actively support many different lens mounts on many different types of cameras.
So Pentax and Leica are quite the opposite of each other, in many ways.

**jersey** · 09-07-2022, 01:44 AM

Quality and design that Pentax does not have. By quality I don't mean overall build, but small details like paint that is too easy to damage, oversized prints, labels, etc. I think Pentax is not yet(?) at the point where it can go the price route of Leica. It is still a utility tool, not a vanity item.

reh321 · 09-07-2022, 11:54 AM

Originally posted by ramseybuckeye

Wow, maybe he should actually look at the Ricoh Imaging website to see the direction the company is going. I had no idea that the K-3III was not well received.

Even reading posters here is confusing. You simultaneously read praises of the K-3iii and complaints that it doesn’t have a flippy LCD.

**mlag** · 09-07-2022, 12:33 PM

Originally posted by reh321

Even reading posters here is confusing. You simultaneously read praises of the K-3iii and complaints that it doesn’t have a flippy LCD.

Everyone has its own priorities....
The latest aps-c models had some peticuliar choices :

wifi or not
tilt screen or articulated or not
gps astrotracer integrated or not
double sd card reader or not
flash integration or not
smaller handgrip or not
....

So I guess each model had its controversy...and would appeal differently.
The ideal model would have it all (but the price maybe?).

der gelbe Fisch · 09-08-2022, 04:53 AM

The guy in the first Video not always gets it right.
BCN covers around 40% of japanese camera sales.
I suspect the other 60% is made up by big camera retailers, where Pentax sales are stronger.
Recently published data indicates, that, on the japanese market, after its release K-3III was the top-selling DSLR for a short period.

But again, it's Japan. A market very different to markets in North America or Europe.
Its possibly where Ricoh/Pentax has its highest market share.
Therefore it's not recommended put put BCN sales figures on the same table as global production figures.

The guy does it, and this leads him to wrong conclusions.

Lord Lucan · 09-08-2022, 05:20 AM - **1 Like**

I unsubscribed from that guy (JCristina) when he seemed to have turn his channel over to promoting, and giving advice, on Starlink. Not primarily because Elon Musk's Starlink project is filling the sky with spacejunk, but mainly because I dislike Musk and his projects intensely.

reh321 · 09-08-2022, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by Lord Lucan

I unsubscribed from that guy (JCristina) when he seemed to have turn his channel over to promoting, and giving advice, on Starlink. Not primarily because Elon Musk's Starlink project is filling the sky with spacejunk, but mainly because I dislike Musk and his projects intensely.

All ‘casters are ultimately sensitive to advertisers in some manner,
but this is another detour from the topic of the thread.

reh321 · 09-10-2022, 03:38 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by jersey

Quality and design that Pentax does not have. By quality I don't mean overall build, but small details like paint that is too easy to damage, oversized prints, labels, etc. I think Pentax is not yet(?) at the point where it can go the price route of Leica. It is still a utility tool, not a vanity item.

The main thing lacking by Pentax is respect/recognition by others - not what the product looks like.
Frankly, I don’t care what others think.
They would have to understand what DSLRs deliver - and right now they apparently don’t.

Midorime · 11-17-2022, 11:19 AM

Originally posted by reh321

The main thing lacking by Pentax is respect/recognition by others - not what the product looks like.
Frankly, I don’t care what others think.
They would have to understand what DSLRs deliver - and right now they apparently don’t.

For what it's worth I actually like the design of Pentax DSLRs and I agree that the awareness and recognition is what Pentax is missing right now. Outside of Japan Pentax is rarely on the radar at all for someone trying to get into photography. They need to fix their marketing before they can get anywhere in Europe and I assume the situation is similar in most places outside of Japan.

In the sense that Leica for a long while has been the last manufacturer focused on rangefinders for their main line I can see where you could draw similarities to Pentax soon potentially being the last (D)SLR brand on the market. The J Limited special editions of the K-1 II are a step in that direction and it does seem like Pentax is interested in exploring that more exclusive high end of the market.

09-07-2022, 12:33 PM	#9
mlag Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: Zuiderkempen - Grote Netewoud - Belgium Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,397	Originally posted by reh321 Even reading posters here is confusing. You simultaneously read praises of the K-3iii and complaints that it doesn’t have a flippy LCD. Everyone has its own priorities.... The latest aps-c models had some peticuliar choices : wifi or not tilt screen or articulated or not gps astrotracer integrated or not double sd card reader or not flash integration or not smaller handgrip or not .... So I guess each model had its controversy...and would appeal differently. The ideal model would have it all (but the price maybe?).

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09-06-2022, 04:14 PM	#2
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,291	Wow, maybe he should actually look at the Ricoh Imaging website to see the direction the company is going. I had no idea that the K-3III was not well received. And I feel that a lot of Nikon and Canon's recent DSLR sales are due to last chance buyers that are trying to extend the life of their heavily invested systems. But of course, if they suddenly had new ownership, who knows?

09-06-2022, 09:48 PM	#3
Fogel70 Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Photos: Albums Posts: 3,062	Years when new cameras are introduced sales usually increase a lot, especially since there were no new camera for a couple of years from Pentax. Canikon did not drop all that much in sales despite not having any new DSLR in 2021. It will be interesting to see how the DSLR market evolves in 2022 and the coming years. Comparing year to year sales during a pandemic may not show the whole picture, as 2020 sales may have been hit harder by it than 2021. And the coming years may not be the best for cameras sales depending on how the world economy develops.

09-06-2022, 11:12 PM	#5
surfar Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: mid nth coast,nsw Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,141 Original Poster	Originally posted by Fogel70 Comparing year to year sales during a pandemic Yes, 20/21 and 22 are not normal years and we have the Nato/Ruski war too that interupts the flow of things.

09-07-2022, 12:55 AM	#6
Fogel70 Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Photos: Albums Posts: 3,062	Originally posted by biz-engineer "Pentax believe in the future of SLR photography". "Pentax is committed to the future of SLR photography through the continued development of camera technology" https://youtu.be/mfrMcXAkd0o Pentax don't follow the Leica path, because: - Leica invested in mirrrorless, such as the SL series, they didn't say "we aren't going to make mirrorless camera because we're a rangefinder company". - Leica created / joined the L mount alliance - Leica sell their camera in most camera shops that also sell Canon, Nikon and Sony - Leica sell full frame cameras and lenses $5000 or more. - Leica is a luxury brand, and has the design and the marketing to support a luxury brand. And not to forget that Leica also sell DSLR. So Leica actively support many different lens mounts on many different types of cameras. So Pentax and Leica are quite the opposite of each other, in many ways.

09-07-2022, 01:44 AM	#7
jersey Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: 3City agglomeration Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,056	Quality and design that Pentax does not have. By quality I don't mean overall build, but small details like paint that is too easy to damage, oversized prints, labels, etc. I think Pentax is not yet(?) at the point where it can go the price route of Leica. It is still a utility tool, not a vanity item.

09-07-2022, 11:54 AM	#8
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,177	Originally posted by ramseybuckeye Wow, maybe he should actually look at the Ricoh Imaging website to see the direction the company is going. I had no idea that the K-3III was not well received. Even reading posters here is confusing. You simultaneously read praises of the K-3iii and complaints that it doesn’t have a flippy LCD.

09-08-2022, 04:53 AM	#10
der gelbe Fisch New Member Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Essen Posts: 4	The guy in the first Video not always gets it right. BCN covers around 40% of japanese camera sales. I suspect the other 60% is made up by big camera retailers, where Pentax sales are stronger. Recently published data indicates, that, on the japanese market, after its release K-3III was the top-selling DSLR for a short period. But again, it's Japan. A market very different to markets in North America or Europe. Its possibly where Ricoh/Pentax has its highest market share. Therefore it's not recommended put put BCN sales figures on the same table as global production figures. The guy does it, and this leads him to wrong conclusions.

09-08-2022, 05:20 AM - 1 Like	#11
Lord Lucan Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: South Wales Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,961	I unsubscribed from that guy (JCristina) when he seemed to have turn his channel over to promoting, and giving advice, on Starlink. Not primarily because Elon Musk's Starlink project is filling the sky with spacejunk, but mainly because I dislike Musk and his projects intensely.

09-08-2022, 09:38 AM	#12
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,177	Originally posted by Lord Lucan I unsubscribed from that guy (JCristina) when he seemed to have turn his channel over to promoting, and giving advice, on Starlink. Not primarily because Elon Musk's Starlink project is filling the sky with spacejunk, but mainly because I dislike Musk and his projects intensely. All ‘casters are ultimately sensitive to advertisers in some manner, but this is another detour from the topic of the thread.

09-10-2022, 03:38 PM - 1 Like	#13
reh321 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: South Bend, IN, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,177	Originally posted by jersey Quality and design that Pentax does not have. By quality I don't mean overall build, but small details like paint that is too easy to damage, oversized prints, labels, etc. I think Pentax is not yet(?) at the point where it can go the price route of Leica. It is still a utility tool, not a vanity item. The main thing lacking by Pentax is respect/recognition by others - not what the product looks like. Frankly, I don’t care what others think. They would have to understand what DSLRs deliver - and right now they apparently don’t.

11-17-2022, 11:19 AM	#14
Midorime Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Tampere, Finland Posts: 133	Originally posted by reh321 The main thing lacking by Pentax is respect/recognition by others - not what the product looks like. Frankly, I don’t care what others think. They would have to understand what DSLRs deliver - and right now they apparently don’t. For what it's worth I actually like the design of Pentax DSLRs and I agree that the awareness and recognition is what Pentax is missing right now. Outside of Japan Pentax is rarely on the radar at all for someone trying to get into photography. They need to fix their marketing before they can get anywhere in Europe and I assume the situation is similar in most places outside of Japan. In the sense that Leica for a long while has been the last manufacturer focused on rangefinders for their main line I can see where you could draw similarities to Pentax soon potentially being the last (D)SLR brand on the market. The J Limited special editions of the K-1 II are a step in that direction and it does seem like Pentax is interested in exploring that more exclusive high end of the market.