[Medium FormatPro]

Sigma kickin Pentax a$$? lolwut tell that to SD1 buyers when Sigma suddenly announced the price cut for the Merrill =)) True they did have a compensation plan but the dismay their "loyal customers" had against the company is I think still more awful than what we're dissing on Ricoh now.

I agree rather strongly; as I am the unfortunate owner of the Merrill; the most over-priced non full frame camera ever invented. Oops I forgot that technically Leica also qualifies, but really - there is no comparision between a Leica and a Sigma.

But for more on the Sigma; unfortunately I'm not alone on my professional perspective. As usual; I subjected the Sigma to almost one thousand test pics; as was disappointed at every turn. The only good issue that Sigma has going for it is that the optics are actually better than any of the capabilities of the camera. The Sigma sensor does in fact produce good tones - especially in portraiture - but that's at about where it ends.

The images look terrible at anything above 11x14; and in fact don't even look good on the average laptop monitor. I even "outdid" the images taken from a Sigma with pocket consumer digital cameras that one can buy at the average Walmart. Sad but true.

[derekmadge]

Something strange is happening in the camera industry. Canon have inform Their US dealer that they cannot advertise their price directly on a canadian web site
Because of this all US dealer do not show price on Photoprice.ca
See message here

www.photoprice.ca/article/photoprice-silenced-by-canon

photoprice.ca: PhotoPrice.ca Silenced for Canon Products

I poked around Amazon and a couple of less known internet, US, sites for the lens I wanted- the one that rose about $150.00 overnight and for which I'd been saving for two months. There were just a few sellers and having dealt with Amazon only once before I do not know if this is typical or not. But no one in the US would sell to me "where I live", in Canada. (We allegedly have free trade in most sectors.) I usually will pay a slight premium to a Canadian dealer for anything- it's a smaller market. But when the price difference is about 30% and our dollar is worth slightly more, someone is ripping me off somewhere along the line.

And I think that comes down to what is making a lot of people here angry. The feeling that, when an item increases overnight by (I think it was ) ~30 to 90%, we are being ripped off. Is the item worth more money? Maybe, but don't expect anyone to have a good taste in their mouth after being told they must ante up lots more because... well, Ricoh is not talking. Speculation is that this will build the brand more and (hope against dream) improve quality/price ratio (aka value). Maybe so, but it will also identify Pentax as a brand that is no better value (price/performance/quality) than the better known Canon & Nikons. (I often have to explain the Pentax brand to people under 20.)

I buy where I believe the value is best, not necessarily the cheapest. As I am cooling down a bit after feeling betrayed, I will approach my retailer in a couple of months after saving more money and offer an amount half way between the old price and the MSRP. If they agree, they get a sale. If they don't, I'll be doing my research on companies that make lenses and only make lenses.

[sjwaldron]

Ned will give his thoughts pretty soon on the issue:
Happy Passover & Easter - Ned's Photo Journal

[Blue]

Right door: the Pentax Waiting Room. Left door: the way to Canikon. Please choose and shut up.

What was Hoya? The foyer to the waiting room? We may be standing over a trap door if we go in that waiting room.

[Quicksand]

Well, at least the waiting room is close to other, um, amenities.



(Shamelessly borrowed from PF user Katsura's CES gallery.)

[Blue]

Well, at least the waiting room is close to other, um, amenities.



(Shamelessly borrowed from PF user Katsura's CES gallery.)

Is that a Pentax welcome mat or a concealment for the trap door?

[Kennod]

None of us like lens prices to go up the new pricing policy indicates that Ricoh's strategy is to tackle the global competition (i.e. Canon, Sony, Panasonic) worldwide, and not just consider local market share and revenue. Also it marks a deliberate shift from local to global distribution.

For many of us "internationals", we have been envious of the cheaper prices you have enjoyed for these years. Welcome to the global economy and welcome to Pentax-Ricoh as a global competitor

[Chwisch87]

Well basically Pentax in the North American market put deep discounts on NA lens prices and Ricoh has finally put a stop to that..

[ElJamoquio]

For many of us "internationals", we have been envious of the cheaper prices you have enjoyed for these years. Welcome to the global economy and welcome to Pentax-Ricoh as a global competitor

Aren't Canon and Nikon global competitors, too? Perhaps even better at it than Pentax-Ricoh?

[Docrwm]

Well basically Pentax in the North American market put deep discounts on NA lens prices and Ricoh has finally put a stop to that..

Weren't those prices, given there were no price constraints, merely what the market would tolerate? Isn't that how things work when there are no price fixes in place? I have asked this before and do so here again - how many lenses at the new prices are they selling? Does the math actually result in greater income for the retailer and Pentax or is it the case that sales have tanked to such a point that the increased margin does not in fact result in more net income?

[Blue]

Well basically Pentax in the North American market put deep discounts on NA lens prices and Ricoh has finally put a stop to that..

They were selling through PentaxImaging at MSRP or higher. Non of the retailers were selling at a loss. That makes this something of a strawman argument. Basically, the profit margin just got jacked up. Plus, a similar thing is going on in the U.K. and Australia but not France. So far its just the English speaking Pentaxians getting hit.

[bobmaxja]

What is very interesting is before the increase B&H and Adorama where cheaper than most Canadian dealer including freight and tax for Canada
Now They are out of the game for most product and almost all canadians dealer are between 5-20 % cheaper than B&H and Adorama(Tax included)

[rtpguy]

It's all been said at this point.

My personal reality is simple.

The DA* 60-250 has nearly doubled in effective price, which for me, would turn it into an already expensive hobby purchase, but one I had formerly planned on this year, to -> it looks like the Tamron or Sigma 70-200/2.8 will be where my money goes, if prices don't adjust in the near future.

If these prices don't settle, I can see a lot of people no longer buying Pentax lenses as their first choice, and I will certainly be among them.
When the time comes for my next body, it is far more likely that I will consider all brands, vs remaining a Pentax user without thought. Maybe it will still be Pentax for the next purchase, maybe not, but value for $ will no longer be much of a consideration.

[eddie1960]

What is very interesting is before the increase B&H and Adorama where cheaper than most Canadian dealer including freight and tax for Canada
Now They are out of the game for most product and almost all canadians dealer are between 5-20 % cheaper than B&H and Adorama(Tax included)

tax is irrelevant for canadian prices since we pay it one way or the other. most;ly i see the DA* zooms cheaper up here, the FA LTD cheaper down there. and i imagine some of the Us pricing will adjust. the 1100-12000 the 50-135 is up here is really about the same as the european prices after removing vat and doing $ conversions. So the US price needs to adjust (and I bet it will as well) as an example.

Looking today I see the FA 77 LTD is now the same price in the US as here after a huge difference for a long time.

For the longest time we had laws against retail price maintenance up here but no longer as of 2009 they are now civil not criminal issues subject to board review. so it's likely one of the reasons we've had the tight comtrol and higher market price is we have had a variant in place for a while.

[jeffshaddix]

I'm wondering if that 77 limited will jump in price to match the pentax webstore at 1049.95... B+H is still at 784.95, which is the price they've had on it for quite a while... I hate feeling rushed into a buying decision.

Ugh I'm right there with you, come Monday will the price jump for the FA line as well?