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12-07-2022, 04:38 PM - 1 Like   #1
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pentax brand

please if I may ask a question, I have been with Pentax for a long time, at least 15yrs. been saving to get the k3 mark 3, and I am there, but now I nave been seeing quite a large number of articles on Pentax going under, dose anyone know ? anything about this if this is true or not.
if I buy will I still be able to get service?
would like to know, I see a lot of sales right now on a lot of different brands.
not mad, I really want the k3mark3, but don't want to get it if the company is going to be discontinued by the parent co. for profit.
thanks

12-07-2022, 04:48 PM - 1 Like   #2
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Hers a long discussion: Ricoh CFO: "The time has come for us to choose which businesses to choose," - PentaxForums.com

My take is that in April of 2021 the company said some things that a person wanting to drive eyeballs to their site used out of context to imply something was brewing. The reality seems to be that Pentax will keep going for now. Just a few years ago they had written off Nikon in a similar way - so bear that in mind.
12-07-2022, 05:05 PM - 7 Likes   #3
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Hello,

Go for the K3 III. You won't regret it. I don't think Pentax will go away anytime soon. And even if they do, the law will protect you with warranty and stuff.

When I bought my first camera, I was told "Beware. Pentax is doomed and may not be around in the next 2 years or so" The catch? That was in 1989 when I bought my K1000.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks,
Ismael
12-07-2022, 05:10 PM - 4 Likes   #4
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Hi @retired2007,

Personally, I have not seen any credible evidence that indicates or suggests that Ricoh Imaging or the Pentax brand is "going under."

Certainly, articles at some websites have predicted or suggested the downfall over the past several years, in part because of Ricoh Imaging's decision to not produce mirrorless cameras but instead to continue to focus on DSLRs. Most of these articles -- if not all of them -- tend to be shallow opinion pieces that lack analysis or objective consideration.

- Craig

12-07-2022, 05:30 PM - 3 Likes   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by retired2007 Quote
please if I may ask a question, I have been with Pentax for a long time, at least 15yrs. been saving to get the k3 mark 3, and I am there, but now I nave been seeing quite a large number of articles on Pentax going under, dose anyone know ? anything about this if this is true or not.
if I buy will I still be able to get service?
would like to know, I see a lot of sales right now on a lot of different brands.
not mad, I really want the k3mark3, but don't want to get it if the company is going to be discontinued by the parent co. for profit.
thanks
Pentax has been "Doomed" since the mid 1980s when auto focus started to arrive.

it's almost 40 years since then and Pentax is still alive, still making new cameras and lenses.

Regards

Chris
12-07-2022, 05:50 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by retired2007 Quote
if I buy will I still be able to get service?
People in the know usually buy Pentax for the quality of the image, not the quality of the service, so I'd say go ahead and buy, regardless.
12-07-2022, 06:05 PM - 13 Likes   #7
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No need to worry unless Musk buys them.

12-07-2022, 06:14 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by retired2007 Quote
please if I may ask a question, I have been with Pentax for a long time, at least 15yrs. been saving to get the k3 mark 3, and I am there, but now I nave been seeing quite a large number of articles on Pentax going under, dose anyone know ? anything about this if this is true or not.
if I buy will I still be able to get service?
would like to know, I see a lot of sales right now on a lot of different brands.
not mad, I really want the k3mark3, but don't want to get it if the company is going to be discontinued by the parent co. for profit.
thanks
Would you go to a doctor that has 100% of their patients die? Would you use a stockbroker that picks 100% losing stocks? These predictions of Pentax dying have been 100% wrong.

It Is a niche brand no doubt about it but so are thousands of others.

Last edited by bladerunner6; 12-07-2022 at 06:43 PM.
12-07-2022, 06:15 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by JohnMc Quote
No need to worry unless Musk buys them.
Musk thinks in terms of 1000 years. He plays a very long game.
12-07-2022, 06:22 PM - 1 Like   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by JohnMc Quote
No need to worry unless Musk buys them.
More worry if Xhina gets it ! Musk will super charge it and take it to Mars
12-07-2022, 07:47 PM   #11
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I came across yesterday a local YouTube post about the same thing, I don't know if it was new or old news someone re-post, but there are always people who wanted Pentax to die. Some said it was Pentax's inability to produce mirrorless so they have to stick with the old tech DSLR, but not long ago Pentax reasserted Commitments to DSLR over mirrorless, and I don't think it is too hard for Pentax to produce mirrorless, it was their passion on DSLR. Frankly, I was a little disappointed to see Pentax release the KF, instead of K1 MKIII or KP MKII or something similar, it seems Pentax was forced to produce something simple without too much of effort to keep its name be heard. Funny is that, there are so many people who dislike Pentax, but when it comes to lenses they put Takurma on top of the list, trying hard to adapt it to their mirrorless body, they rarely do Canon and Nikon lenses from the same era ! If Pentax were to go down, Samsung would be a good new home for it, they had a close relationship before and Samsung is big enough to spend money on this 'dying brand', Samsung produced excellent mirrorless before that Pentax can use the tech.
12-07-2022, 08:10 PM   #12
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Not news nor rumor so moved to the Photo Industry & Professionals section.
12-07-2022, 08:22 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by lotech Quote
Samsung would be a good new home for it, they had a close relationship before and Samsung is big enough to spend money on this 'dying brand', Samsung produced excellent mirrorless before that Pentax can use the tech.
Samsung exited photography and is unlikely to reenter it. They did use what they learned in some of their cellphone imaging efforts.
12-07-2022, 09:15 PM - 3 Likes   #14
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I find it bizarre that an article from April 2021 - almost 20 months ago - is being brought up again for numerous new articles right now. Why?

So, the April 2021 article says that Ricoh is evaluating their businesses for profitability. OK. Nice. They were doing that in 2021. And ?

In the meantime, Ricoh has introduced a couple new lenses and the Pentax KF camera. For that camera, they faced component supply problems. Rather than simply drop the K70, which a company may do if going out of business, they found new components, drafted and signed new supply contracts, revised the specs to add different components and renamed it the KF. They put a continuing model back into production, engaging new costs.

Those are not the actions of a "dying company" or a subsidiary being shut down by the owner.

The latest lens is the HD D-FA 100mm Macro with revised optical design. That's been under development and manufacture during all this time after April 2021. Pentax didn't cancel development or walk away from the continued expense of production before introduction, did they? Ricoh didn't halt R&D costs, did they?

We continually see signs that whatever the pretty much ancient April 2021 Ricoh article was supposed to convey, it hasn't affected continuing R&D and product introduction by Pentax. So ignore it.

No, maybe new lenses and camera models are not rolling off the belt fast enough for everyone's satisfaction. But they are arriving. Therefore, no, Ricoh is not shutting down Pentax. The review was completed, likely long ago in 2021, and Pentax is obviously still in business.

My conclusion is that the old article has nothing whatsoever to do with Pentax operations. And I question the purpose for various sites bringing up an OLD article again at the end of 2022.
They're empty meaningless posts trying to draw clicks, apparently.
12-07-2022, 09:57 PM - 2 Likes   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by retired2007 Quote
please if I may ask a question, I have been with Pentax for a long time, at least 15yrs. been saving to get the k3 mark 3, and I am there, but now I nave been seeing quite a large number of articles on Pentax going under, dose anyone know ? anything about this if this is true or not.
if I buy will I still be able to get service?
would like to know, I see a lot of sales right now on a lot of different brands.
not mad, I really want the k3mark3, but don't want to get it if the company is going to be discontinued by the parent co. for profit.
thanks
The articles about Pentax's demise are clickbait ramblings from folks who have little knowledge not only of Pentax as a brand, but Pentax's very deliberate positioning of itself in the camera market. These are folks who conflate marketshare with success - a philosophy that killed Olympus as a camera manufacturer, caused Panasonic to partially retreat from the photography market, and put even mighty Nikon on unsteady ground for a while. Pentax has planted their flag firmly on the DSLR hill and have stated that is where they are making their stand, as a niche manufacturer working more closely with their customers than is usually found in the industry.

My one qualm about Pentax is their after-warranty service here in the US. I am on several brand-specific forums and have seen more agita about Pentax repairs than any other brand. Not that Pentax gear is less reliable, but obtaining out-of-warranty service can be problematic. Either the repair is denied, or the item is shipped to Japan for service, leaving the owner up the proverbial creek for months. Of course, the likelihood of needing factory service for your gear is slight, unless you have some sort of mishap or it's simply been used so much that the cost of the repair would be greater than the value of the body or lens.
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