[ogl]

I wonder whether this is the time when we'll talk about alien (extraterrestrial) influence on the decision when a Pentax FF will be launched?
So far we have all them lined up:

No need to exaggerate. The development of new cameras is always coming from the senior leaders of company.
The leaders of company rule the strategy and policy of company with close cooperation of banks or (and) the biggest shareholders.
Marketing department - yes. But their role is not so big.

[Uluru]

And then in the next paragraph he talks of all the Ricoh engineers being absorbed into the Pentax teams to amalgamate all their know-how into Pentax cameras. So what does that actually mean for Ricoh cameras themselves, is this actually confirmation of no more GXR? Yes or no? Who knows? Just as with every other interview since the acquisition, we're left none the wiser by any of the answers when it comes to the future of Ricoh cameras.

Ricoh team being absorbed in Pentax, Pentax being absorbed in Ricoh company structure.
Whetever it means, it can be better for both, so I presume that they will combine ideas and build on common achievements and give strategic advantage to the solutions that most likely transcend and better both previous separate ideas about imaging strategy.

I am afraid that means GXR is dusted. But that doesn't mean they won't deliver something better and even more meaningful. I am also afraid that means that FF DSLR from Pentax will certainly be dusted too. Somehow, I see them making something new, rather than fixing old and endlessly falling behind.

All these may not be the truth. But it also may be, because if it weren't, we would almost certainly see something GXR related and FF DSLR related coming from the joined team. But becuase we hear silence, it means they are not ready to announce that whatever new they are workng on.

Even when analysing like this, in a relaxed and freindly atmosphere, we are not any more ignorant than what we were. Maybe even more calmed. But if we were to listen Pentax Ricox USA talk alone, o boy, history shows we should rather listen to something else. They cannot even encourage their audience to think posiively and be truly inspired.

[anthony mazzeri]

I am afraid that means GXR is dusted. But that doesn't mean they won't deliver something better and even more meaningful. I am also afraid that means that FF DSLR from Pentax will certainly be dusted too. Somehow, I see them making something new, rather than fixing old and endlessly falling behind.

I like that idea I read on that google+ kid's page even if he was making the rest of it up - a totally new full frame MILC system.

If the GXR was actually discontinued to evolve into something like instead, I won't complain.

But always back to the fact it's all just wishful thinking, fantasy, hearsay, rumors, tea leaves, goat's entrails, kids making stuff up on google+ to divine the future of Ricoh cameras. Because even after someone officially from the company actually speaks in an interview we're still none the wiser than before, or even in fact less so.

[Kunzite]

Uluru: I doubt there is anything that could encourage this audience to think positively.
I'd like to know why do you see them making "something new"? Since from the interview I have the feeling that they'll rather build up on their strengths, that a departure from - let's say - their style is not wanted by current Pentaxians.

[ogl]

Pentax facebook is full of Pentax Q10...It seems to me it's new strategy of company.
Q10 is the reality of new Pentax.

Is Ricoh already dead as photo brand? I mean Ricoh as the manufacturer GXR, GRD, CX, G and PX cameras?

[Kunzite]

No, Ricoh is not dead.

[GordonZA]

No need to worry about the future of Pentax as due to their headless chicken behavior the North Koreans have become annoyed and decided to nuke all Pentax production facilities....

[Uluru]

Well, Ricoh owns the show, but I have a hunch that when it comes to a certain product, it may be branded geographically. Car manufacturers do that very well.
In essence, all cameras will definitely be branded as Pentax, but, some models, and in this case I think only GRD, may be branded as Ricoh GRD in Japan, and as Pentax MX-10 (for example) in all other parts of the world. So in Japan where it is well known it's Ricoh GRD, elsewhere it's Pentax MX-10.
Considering that MX-1 is not advertised or offered in Japan at all, but in the rest of the world, I start to believe that something like this scenario may take place in the future, and that they are starting to develop a nomenclature people can follow, and relate to.
But essentially, we'll get same cameras, maybe with minor differences.

[Zygonyx]

I myself am looking for a result in the form of a single-word answer to a straight-forward question: confirmation about the GXR continuation, yes or no. ... in the next paragraph he talks of all the Ricoh engineers being absorbed into the Pentax teams to amalgamate all their know-how into Pentax cameras. So what does that actually mean for Ricoh cameras themselves, is this actually confirmation of no more GXR? Yes or no? Who knows? Just as with every other interview since the acquisition, we're left none the wiser by any of the answers when it comes to the future of Ricoh cameras.

To me the R&D merger was a business evidence from the start.
To me the brand merger is an other evidence, with potential positive impacts on marketing and sales network optimisation. Ricoh is poorly known as a public label, i see no objection to replace it with Pentax.
The last thing which is of no evidence for me is the product streamlining : in this respect, only sales (volumes and ROCE) are talking, but we miss these data....

[Kunzite]

Considering that MX-1 is not advertised or offered in Japan at all, but in the rest of the world, I start to believe that something like this scenario may take place in the future, and that they are starting to develop a nomenclature people can follow, and relate to.

Actually, they just announced it for the Japanese market - under the Pentax brand, of course, with a release date of 3rd May.

[LamyTax]

Pentax facebook is full of Pentax Q10...It seems to me it's new strategy of company.
Q10 is the reality of new Pentax.

Is Ricoh already dead as photo brand? I mean Ricoh as the manufacturer GXR, GRD, CX, G and PX cameras?

Yes, and you will have to buy 12 of them.

Why do you mind that a company markets one of its products? It's not like they don't advertise the other cameras as well. They even write about the 645D. Wowsers.

You need to come down a bit. You're seriously overinterpreting things in a very negative way. That's not healthy.

[ogl]

Yes, and you will have to buy 12 of them.

Why do you mind that a company markets one of its products? It's not like they don't advertise the other cameras as well. They even write about the 645D. Wowsers.

You need to come down a bit. You're seriously overinterpreting things in a very negative way. That's not healthy.

Dear Lamy, first of all, you are mistaken...You are wishful thinker.
And you don't understand and feel the context and overtone of our discussion.
Secondly, your statement is offensive and breaks the rule of this forum.
If you want to be a teacher, you chose the wrong person - I'm not your pupil

Don't forget - it's the place for another opinions and discussions. Free space.

[jsherman999]

marketing people are very smooth.
"the integration process with ricoh has taken longer than anyone expected" means "we have really serious problems with the merge" (maybe the biggest problem was idea to merge design departments itself). As a result the common designing department is malfunction and abitious statements of ricoh of lst year wanished
personally, i do not like mr malcolm's interview, it seems he created problems for sony in past and will do it for pentax now.

+1

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[Kunzite]

What problems?

[jsherman999]

.
"...Pentaxians are saying, “Just keep doing what you’re doing."

They are? As in, 5th place and dropping, Sigma/Tamron slowly leaving the mount... keep it up!? This sounds like Thom Hogan playing a joke on us.

Also that sounds amazingly close to the typical Ford/GM/Chrysler 'customer survey' from the 70's or 80's, as in, "Our customers are satisfied with our products, they don't care about the Japanese cars, we know, we asked them!"

When you only survey your current customers about product wants/needs you get a very skewed picture of what the current and future market potentials are. It's something you do when your strategy amounts to nothing more than "shrink less than 20% in the next five years."

"...Let’s work on optics, let’s work on the size of the camera, or the weather resistance, and battery life and resolution and start paying attention to—continue paying attention to—the camera the way it is."

It would be hard to make up a less inspiring message.

Optics? Sure - if you intend to stick with and somehow dominate the aps-c DSLR space, where are the exciting new optics, then?

"work on" size? How much smaller can you make an aps-c DSLR? How much smaller can you make a K-01 replacement while still keeping the K-mount register distance? What is there to work on?

"work on" weather resistance? What, a new type of O-ring? What is there to work on here? You could start with making all new lenses fully WR, no exceptions. I see no suggested movement toward that, even.

"battery life" - ?? Invent a new cell? Put the camera to sleep quicker? What exciting development can you do here that someone else cannot do?

"resolution"? - you mean finally, at some point, go with the 24MP aps-c Sony sensor? OK, what after that with regard to 'resolution'? 36MP? 54MP? on aps-c?! (Maybe I like all my lenses diffraction-limited by f/3.5! )

This strategy is understandable for Pentax-standalone or Pentax-forsale (Hoya,) but not for Pentax-Ricoh. You don't buy a company to let it wither, unless you're Yahoo.


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