[JayBee]

From what I have heard Ricoh has deeper pockets than Hoya.

If someone could check ?


wll

The Pentax announcement may be perceived as bad timing, coming two days after announcing that due to tough times "Ricoh Group needs to take firm steps to improve profitability, including cutting fixed costs." in their Announcement regarding Call for Voluntary Early Retirement / News Release | Ricoh Global
To proceed with this acquisition under these conditions, they must view Pentax as a pretty good catch.

[Kenn100D]

Dear Ricoh,
welcome to be our new mothership in cameraland. We are all loyal users, even when we complain from time to time.

If you want your "children" to be very happy:

• Give us a Full Frame camera!
• Give us new camera electronics that support UHS-I.
• Look at the lenssurvey and just make us happy.

The lenssurvey:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/20195454/lenssurvey.pdf

For a succesfull start for a Full frame camera we only need DFA*85mm/f1.4; DFA*28-70mm/f2.8 and DFA*80-200mm/f2.8 and the rest can come in time.

Greetings Ron Hendriks.

We should name a new thread. Dear Ricoh

[adamfogerty]

I'm not sure how people are interpreting the press release with such positivity. There's nothing in it to suggest this won't just be an asset stripping exercise.

All the talk is of growing Ricochs business. Who's to say they don't just want to get their hands on Pentax's knowledge, IP and brand identity to slap on their own products.

There is specific mention of security products, image archiving, interchangeable lenses and value-added businesses ("view, save & retouch photos")...but nothing on DSLR's, for example.

At the moment I'd say everything is just speculation.

Here's hoping for a rosy future.

Adam

[robgo2]

Mount is alive, but lenses are not Minolta design and cameras are not Minolta's ideas. It's another history.

This is way off topic, but do you have a problem with the A mount lenses that Zeiss has been making for Sony?

Rob

[glanglois]

This is way off topic, but do you have a problem with the A mount lenses that Zeiss has been making for Sony?

Rob

Um, yes. It is off topic. On an already-cluttered thread. I hope we can find a home for this question but I suggest that it is not here.

[Yakim]

For me, larger sensor = larger cameras.

Canon 7D and Sony NEX-C3 has the same sensor size.

[piledon]

Yes, this is all speculation. But taking a quick look at Ricoh's financials, they're a huge company that's not as profitable as they should be (US$21.7B 2010 net sales, US$0.3B 2010 net profits). When a company like that does an acquisition like this, and given JayBee's observation above, this could indeed bode well. But how well they respect the brand name Pentax vs. their own will have to be seen - we could all be buying Ricoh cameras and lenses instead of Pentax.

On the other hand, some of my best Pentax K-mount lenses are Ricoh (XR).

[SteveM]

I'm going to take it to be a good thing. Hopefully this means;

- Some effort will return for sales and marketing of Pentax items. We might see a Pentax ad sometime in the future?
- Someone from Ricoh will drop into the forum to say hi.
- Places where the Pentax name is still well known, like here in BC, there might even be a Pentax rep?

[Clinton]

On the other hand, some of my best Pentax K-mount lenses are Ricoh (XR).

Just as long as we can stay away from the Ricoh pin.

[macTak]

I'm not sure how people are interpreting the press release with such positivity. There's nothing in it to suggest this won't just be an asset stripping exercise.

All the talk is of growing Ricochs business. Who's to say they don't just want to get their hands on Pentax's knowledge, IP and brand identity to slap on their own products.

There is specific mention of security products, image archiving, interchangeable lenses and value-added businesses ("view, save & retouch photos")...but nothing on DSLR's, for example.

At the moment I'd say everything is just speculation.

Here's hoping for a rosy future.

Adam

True, but let's not forget that Ricoh has not been afraid to make and sell small-volume cameras. That's a good sign for us. Ricoh has also lately been making photographer's cameras, not big box store P&S. That's a good sign for us. Ricoh has huge financial resourses they can leverage. That's a good sign for us. If Ricoh simply wanted to exit the camera buisness or have a K-mount unit for the GXR they would not have bought Pentax. They clearly want to expand in the camera area. We may not like the exact direction, we'll see, but at least considering they have sold small-volume photographer's cameras I think it very hopefull they will continue for a long time to produce what many of us want, and not ditch everything for a new system.

If someone wants a really negative take, Ricoh just bought Pentax so they can stop being slandered about the Ricoh pin. AF will be removed from all Pentax cameras and all lenses, even current ones, will require the Ricoh pin to function on the newer models

[Ash]

Sounds good for Pentax IMO.
http://www.ricoh.com/release/2011/pdf/0701.pdf

[violini]

We might see a great new camera next year combining the best of the two companys, for example, Pentax GXR P16 40mm, a camera with DA40 lens and the same sensor used in K-5.

[kenyee]

All the talk is of growing Ricochs business. Who's to say they don't just want to get their hands on Pentax's knowledge, IP and brand identity to slap on their own products

Because that'd make zero sense.
Show me how many people know the "Ricoh" camera brand....ask any people on the street.
I remember a great little film P&S they made way back, but that's about it...

[RonHendriks1966]

Look I found some new friends: Ricoh Forum • Portal

[doggy1972]

Look I found some new friends: Ricoh Forum • Portal

Great find. They sound a little apprehensive too but, I think its very positive for both companies. Lets see a super camera manufacturer with the clout to give the Canikons a run for their money (K mount of course )