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01-13-2012, 06:10 AM   #106
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rondec Quote
I just like information -- particularly to know a general direction the company is taking. Do I need to start saving for full frame? Is a sweet mirrorless APS-C on the way?

A lens road map would be a good start.

It has been a long time since the kr and K5 were released, we are due for new cameras and I'd like to know what is next.

The US Pentax division is completely clueless as to where Ricoh is going to take Pentax and so, interviewing any of them is pretty silly.
You want information. We all do. But it's unrealistic to expect a roadmap for lenses or bodies a scant two months after a major acquisition like this. Pentax surely had been working on successors to the K-5 and K-r when the acquisition took place. They probably even had people working on 645d successors, and next generation Q and maybe even a FF in the skunkworks. But this acquisition has probably pushed all product timelines out by at least 3 months, with only mission-critical or 90% completed projects having the green light. With everything else it's probably, "let's hold on this major investment in capital/resources until we figure out where Ricoh Pentax is heading."

01-13-2012, 06:25 AM   #107
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Why is the Senior Marketing and Sales person for PentaxUSA clueless and unable to answer even the most elementary questions when PentaxUK seems able to put clear information up on their FaceBook page???

_________________________________________________
Pentax UK

Hi Guys

We can confirm that Japan has now ceased production of the PENTAX K-r. However, it will continue to be available to purchase in Europe until at least May.

Customers and users of the K-r can be assured that, as with all Pentax SLRS, future lens introductions will be compatible with the K-r body.

We can also confirm that rumours about the K-5 discontinuing are untrue.
________________________________________________
This seems incredibly clear and coherent to me while addressing at least 2 recurrent questions posed here.
01-13-2012, 06:27 AM - 2 Likes   #108
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QuoteOriginally posted by johnmflores Quote
You want information. We all do. But it's unrealistic to expect a roadmap for lenses or bodies a scant two months after a major acquisition like this.
Indeed, but Jon Carlson could have been the tiniest bit more enthusiastic about the current and the upcoming products. In this interview (at least) he came across as someone VERY uninterested and uninformed. With this interview he has done more harm than good; he single-handedly made several people switch to another brand by spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt (really). What good is that for? Everything, from the stand itself, the laughable photo of the "toilet entrance" and this interview makes it an epic fail.

It's not about the message itself (we all understand that Pentax/Ricoh currently is in a special transition phase) but the way the message is told. And Pentax USA has chosen the worst possible way to do so.

No, I will not cut Jon Carlson some slack. He really has to work harder to make us Pentaxians happy. It is his work, dammit!
01-13-2012, 06:29 AM   #109
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QuoteOriginally posted by Asahiflex Quote
Indeed, but Jon Carlson could have been the tiniest bit more enthusiastic about the current and the upcoming products. In this interview (at least) he came across as someone VERY uninterested and uninformed. With this interview he has done more harm than good; he single-handedly made several people switch to another brand by spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt (really). What good is that for? Everything, from the stand itself, the laughable photo of the "toilet entrance" and this interview makes it an epic fail.

It's not about the message itself (we all understand that Pentax/Ricoh currently is in a special transition phase) but the way the message is told. And Pentax USA has chosen the worst possible way to do so.
What do you expect from a company whose CEO lives in another state and only commutes to the PentaxUSA headquarters? Seriously, Pentax Japan - great products, PentaxUSA - err....ah.....

01-13-2012, 06:30 AM   #110
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Well in my experiance, the acquisition with this size like Pentax transfered from Hoya to Ricoh, most employees wont notice it did happen at all, maybe some get new buisinesscards, but thats it....
The "things"Ricoh changed or will change (regarding the products) will not be seen before the K5-Successor-Successor .... As well as the release of "new" products wont be delayed by 3 month...

Most likely, what we are experiancing now is the way Hoya worked with Pentax.

I think there is some kind of Roadmap, because half a year ago a Pentax representative said to me that there will be a K-Mount Mirrorless in this Spring und there are other "exciting" Products on the Way. But after this 60-250-Disaster they just dont want to publish a Roadmap, simply because they dont know IF they can deliver anything something in the timetable...
01-13-2012, 06:39 AM   #111
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote
What do you expect from a company whose CEO lives in another state and only commutes to the PentaxUSA headquarters? Seriously, Pentax Japan - great products, PentaxUSA - err....ah.....
Pentax USA is effectively a Distributor, they have little to no impact on timelines for product announcements or for that matter what is developed. their job is to sell what Pentax japan makes.
JC did a poorer job than Pentax UK but it was a different environment (an interview VS a controlled Press release statement)
He should have been less wishy washy on the Kr K5 thing, and stronger on the great product they have. He could also have been more enthusiastic about the future. instead of the basic no comment, he could have gone with a "while obviously I cannot divulge any future releases or plans at this time I can say that there is some very interesting product coming to market this year and Pentax users will be very happy when they arrive." that is what a salesman would have done. still say nothing but build the interest . then when he got questions he couldn't answer he could have found various ways of saying that. ie as mr k in jp said in his interview with... we are looking at many interesting possibilities right now and it is an exciting time to be at Pentax blah blah.
Now without actually having heard all his responses and seen what the journalist chose to write, I will also point out that journalists pick and choose from what the responder said so maybe it was their lack of enthusiasm that caused it to read that way.
01-13-2012, 06:46 AM   #112
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QuoteOriginally posted by eddie1960 Quote
Pentax USA is effectively a Distributor, they have little to no impact on timelines for product announcements or for that matter what is developed. their job is to sell what Pentax japan makes.
JC did a poorer job than Pentax UK but it was a different environment (an interview VS a controlled Press release statement)
He should have been less wishy washy on the Kr K5 thing, and stronger on the great product they have. He could also have been more enthusiastic about the future. instead of the basic no comment, he could have gone with a "while obviously I cannot divulge any future releases or plans at this time I can say that there is some very interesting product coming to market this year and Pentax users will be very happy when they arrive." that is what a salesman would have done. still say nothing but build the interest . then when he got questions he couldn't answer he could have found various ways of saying that. ie as mr k in jp said in his interview with... we are looking at many interesting possibilities right now and it is an exciting time to be at Pentax blah blah.
Now without actually having heard all his responses and seen what the journalist chose to write, I will also point out that journalists pick and choose from what the responder said so maybe it was their lack of enthusiasm that caused it to read that way.

Of course journalists pick and chose what they will write. But only an incompetent journalist would ignore a firm statement about a line that has been rumored to be killed in fact not being killed, like the K5 statement from PentaxUK. If JC did in fact say such a thing I can not imagine it not making it into the article.

Any marketing person worth a *$#& would want to stop a rumor, particularly if untrue but even if not in many cases, about one of their product lines being killed because that rumor will hurt sales. PentaxUK actually has probably saved several customers for PentaxUSA by actually doing their job competently and addressing unfounded rumors that hurt the image and sales of the company.

PentaxUSA just doesn't seem to have its act together, even if they are not "in the know" about what is going on at Pentax Japan.

01-13-2012, 06:57 AM   #113
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QuoteOriginally posted by Docrwm Quote

PentaxUSA just doesn't seem to have its act together, even if they are not "in the know" about what is going on at Pentax Japan.
and this is news. Hate to tell you but Pentax USA is probably the weakest arm of the company as far as I can see. Pentax JP doesn't seem to care since they have focused on the Asian market (smart it's a rapidly expanding market) and the European market where they have B&M presence and enough outlets to get the camera in peoples hands.
the US has become a market completely driven by internet sales, which can be great for price point but lousy if you need people to see product. Part of the problem is the ability to avoid sales tax that exists in the US if you shop across state lines via the web and previously mail order. I don't know of anywhere else this exists. while it''s nice for the web consumer, it kills B&M sales models quite effectively. for the rest of us if we shop across borders we still end up paying tax on import. In Canada if I shop the Web across provincial (read state) borders the retailer is required by law to collect the tax anyway. the only tax i ever avoid is low value shipments via postal orders. if it comes by courier i'm penalized by the couriers obscene clearance fees as well.

As for them not being in the know, I think JC was alluding to the K5 when he discussed inventory issues but he could have been a lot clearer by being upfront like Pentax UK

In any case he did a mediocre job of it, and that is largely what I expect from Pentax US marketing.
01-13-2012, 07:20 AM   #114
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QuoteOriginally posted by bobmaxja Quote
The Q was not design for the American market, this was made mainly for the Asian market were they like miniaturation and gadget.
THis is also interesting reading regarding market share in Japan
Year in Review (Episode #2): Big in Japan:: Mirrorless Gains, M43rds Wins Mirrorless segment - 1001 Noisy Cameras
he last graph show Pentax the bottom blue line gaining up to 5% market share at the end of 2011 but not sure . Could it be the Q, if so that a great success when you start with 0
See
2011??????????????????????????????????
This graph is about the mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras sold in Japan in 2001, from January till November 2001 with market shares specified by brand.



From top to bottom:

- dark blue is Olympus
- red is Panasonic
- green is Sony (NEX) -note the fall in November due to the flood in Thailand
- violet is Nikon (J1 and V1)
- light blue is Pentax (Q)
01-13-2012, 07:26 AM   #115
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QuoteOriginally posted by fuent104 Quote
...
The fact that Pentax would send a representative to a show without giving any positive news seems ridiculous to me. What are they hoping to achieve, showing up and saying "well, we have nothing to tell our you." Saying that they're "looking at" longer lenses for the Q and K mounts, and that full frame "is out there," or whatever he said?

It all seems ridiculous to me. I can't believe they wouldn't send him out with a message like "we are doing our best to make the most dynamic, exciting, high-quality imaging products we can make," or "we are working to become a leader in the photographic industry over the next few years."

...
Funny how I got attacked in another thread for saying the same thing.
Their PMA booth is pathetic, nothing on display, a few bored clueless guys sitting by an empty table with
a Ricoh M-mount presented as their flagship product...
A sad Pentax logo behind them. If PMA is meaningless as others told me, why would they even come at all?
To make fools of themselves?
And please stop expecting miracles next month in Japan, or next year in Fresno.
It's over guys, stop lying to yourself, nothing to gain here. Simply look around,
photography is exciting again in 2012, look at Sony, look at Fuji.
It's all about fun and crating great images, why does it have to be such a pain,
lost expectations and lost hopes all the time?
01-13-2012, 07:28 AM   #116
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QuoteOriginally posted by andi Quote
It's over guys, stop lying to yourself, nothing to gain here. Simply look around,
photography is exciting again in 2012, look at Sony, look at Fuji.
It's all about fun and crating great images, why does it have to be such a pain,
lost expectations and lost hopes all the time?
Not that I don't understand the frustration about having no news to ingest, but what exactly is preventing you from having fun and creating great images with Pentax right now ?
01-13-2012, 07:29 AM   #117
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given how universally despised and bad the Q is according to some grabbing 5% of what is a big mirrorless market is pretty good IMO (and anyone who says yeah but look at Nikon needs a slap - Nikon has 2 models and way way bigger marketing budgets. Along with the very good k5 and kr sales i imagine Pentax' overall japanese ILC share has jumped quite well.
01-13-2012, 07:31 AM   #118
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K-x is my first and last Pentax product i'll ever buy, i'm convinced now. Got some nice Sigma and Tamron lenses, and that's it. My last bit of trust and hope is gone.

That stand is a joke, the "toilet room" is sad, and the interview dude....forget about it...
01-13-2012, 07:35 AM   #119
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QuoteOriginally posted by RBellavance Quote
Not that I don't understand the frustration about having no news to ingest, but what exactly is preventing you from having fun and creating great images with Pentax right now ?
exactly. Ricoh's impact on Pentax' lineup will not show until Photokina IMO. right now they have had the company a scant 3 months. Green lighted projects of hoya designs are probably coming (for the Kr anyway) New Ricoh Products may well get earlier release because they were already under ricoh development and we'd be dumb to think they won't try and leverage thee Pentax community for their original brand of camera. Expect a GXR K module

Meantime I have 3 digital bodies 3 film bodies and a whack of lenses that all work just fine. No reason I can't just go Shoot some Pictures. That is after all what we but the bloody things for, not Pixel Peeping and shots of Brick Walls
01-13-2012, 07:49 AM   #120
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I agree with most people here that JC's interview left me feeling a little underwhelmed. In a way, I suppose it's nice to see someone not overegging the pudding with statements like "the K-r remains a great camera and a fantastic choice for users. We are also very excited about what we have coming for the future--and are sure our users will be too--so stay tuned". I'm not concerned about Pentax at the moment; I think dissapointment has translated as concern for a number of people on the forums. After Hoya's (and Pentax prior) tight-lipped policy and lack of effective communication, I think people hoped that Ricoh would immediatly turn this about and be more open and encouraging of the future of Pentax (e.g. a roadmap, some product announcment or hint). Instead, it's been a couple of trivial statments, a quiet discontinuance (and distribution wind-down) of the lower-end DSLR without having released a sucessor, and a rather poor trade-show showing (surely the GXR M-mount adaptor is less worthy of being featured than the K-5 or even 645D as far as marketing goes). We just have to wait a little longer to see what Ricoh's intent and vision is with Pentax (both products and marketing); at the moment it all seems to be on auto-pilot.
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