Ricoh announces company name change - no more Pentax Ricoh Imaging, just Ricoh.

**monochrome** · 07-26-2013, 09:07 AM

Originally posted by snake

They're not for casual snappers anymore, as we're seeing pros using smartphones for special work, when they don't have an SLR on them, and so on. And it proves that the person behind the device is most important.

In the 80's professionals who didn't want to carry a loaded Domke F2 on every job might have produced the occasional paid print with an Olympus XA, too. That was (and still is) a very capable fixed lens camera.

But . . . . .

**Clinton** · 07-28-2013, 09:19 PM

Is this thread still rolling? Seriously? A name change gets 30 pages?

We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples... Move along...

**NedZ** · 08-02-2013, 02:39 PM

Originally posted by cali92rs

Why...?

Yes, WHY? I enjoy shooting and no matter how much all of this bothers me (I love Pentax) I'll continue doing it regardless of the camera name.

Racer X 69 · 08-03-2013, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by Clinton

Is this thread still rolling? Seriously? A name change gets 30 pages?

We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples... Move along...

I know! Crazy, huh?

**monochrome** · 08-03-2013, 05:07 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Clinton

Is this thread still rolling? Seriously? A name change gets 30 pages?

We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples... Move along...

THANK YOU!

(more credible than any of my 1/2-page testaments)

**jatrax** · 08-03-2013, 06:56 PM

Originally posted by Clinton

We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples...

When there is no wind the slightest zephyr becomes as the mightiest typhoon......

Clavius · 08-04-2013, 12:13 AM

I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky.

Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work.

snake · 08-04-2013, 01:28 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Clavius

I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky.

Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work.

If your work stands up, no one will be complaining.

This excuse doesn't hold water. Use what works.

Regardless, it's a theoretical right now. There's still the brand and I can't imagine Ricoh would kill Pentax's name off.

**monochrome** · 08-04-2013, 05:53 AM

Originally posted by Clavius

I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky.

Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work.

Ricoh stills the waters for you.

Kunzite · 08-04-2013, 06:27 AM - **1 Like**

Let's ignore what Ricoh says, and panic instead.

Traditional · 08-04-2013, 09:04 AM

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

**jatrax** · 08-04-2013, 10:56 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by Clavius

I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky.

I think the name change has just made things a little clearer. Many of us, myself included, still think of Pentax as a company. It is not any longer, and has not been for a long time. It was a division of Hoya, it was (briefly) 'A Ricoh Company' and now it is only a brand. It was originally just a brand of Asahi but became so popular they changed the name of the company to match so I guess we have come full circle.

I just read through the Kawauchi interview ( https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-mirrorless-camera-discussion/23339...tax-brand.html ) and the use of the illustrations of name placement suddenly made it hit home to me. Ricoh wants top billing. So no longer 'Pentax Ricoh' it is 'Ricoh Pentax' just like it used to be 'Asahi Pentax'. Ego? Corporate pride? Or just reality? Are senior executives still smarting from the fact that Pentax SLR's sold better than Ricoh SLR's 40 years ago? Is this payback for having to go to Pentax for the k-mount back then? Who knows.

Whether this integration was part of the plan from day one or if they tried it as a separate company and did not get the results they wanted, I have no idea. We did hear rumors that 'integration' was not going as fast as anticipated. Maybe they felt the only way to get everyone on board was to make sure they understood who they worked for: Ricoh, which just happens to own a brand name called 'Pentax'. This is now a Ricoh product line and they want people to know that.

It is a paradigm shift for me that will take some time to get used to but at least now I have changed how I look at this and can start to think about Pentax differently. It will be like Lumix is to Panasonic or Vaio or NEX is to Sony, just a brand for a collection of products. The history, tradition and mystique involved with what started as Ashai Optical Company is gone. Whether that is as bad as it sounds is up to Ricoh. If they continue to make products that are in line with the reasons why we bought into Pentax in the first place I see no problems and perhaps even great things. If they use the name to try and sell cheap junk like so many other once great brands then that will be a sad thing.

**Clinton** · 08-05-2013, 06:29 AM

Originally posted by Clavius

I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky.

Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work.

Oh please. Smaller brands are bought up by bigger brands all the time and usually the smaller brand vanishes. I've been part of those smaller brands being bought by bigger ones. It's a good thing. It's healthy to combine forces with stronger backing. Let's face it; had Pentax been able to do this on their own, they would have already been the bigger brand.

Do you know the brand Grandcentral? Would you have been disappointed when Google bought them and turned their product into Google Voice? Would you have said "ARRGH! I can't stand by this product that's now in common use," simply because they changed the name?

Originally posted by Kunzite

Let's ignore what Ricoh says, and panic instead.

YES! Let's ignore the statements about how they fully intend to continue the various mounts, bring us full frame, expand our lens lineup, and instead focus on details about naming schemes.

Traditional · 08-05-2013, 09:36 AM

I don't care about the name on the camera. I just want good image quality, some nice features like Wi-Fi, and weater sealed houses and lenses. I couldn't care less if the camera house has "Pentax", or "Ricoh", in the front. This camera thing is not religion, at least not for me. I know what religion is, since I'm a church going Christian.

thibs · 08-05-2013, 11:04 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Traditional

This camera thing is not religion, at least not for me. I know what religion is, since I'm a church going Christian.

Well I hope most non religious people (or agnostics/atheists, whatever) guys know the difference between a religion and camera brand.

Somehow I'm not so sure...

In fact I think many people make a religion of about anything.

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07-26-2013, 09:07 AM	#436
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by snake They're not for casual snappers anymore, as we're seeing pros using smartphones for special work, when they don't have an SLR on them, and so on. And it proves that the person behind the device is most important. In the 80's professionals who didn't want to carry a loaded Domke F2 on every job might have produced the occasional paid print with an Olympus XA, too. That was (and still is) a very capable fixed lens camera. But . . . . .

07-28-2013, 09:19 PM	#437
Clinton Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,910	Is this thread still rolling? Seriously? A name change gets 30 pages? We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples... Move along...

08-02-2013, 02:39 PM	#438
NedZ Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20	Originally posted by cali92rs Why...? Yes, WHY? I enjoy shooting and no matter how much all of this bothers me (I love Pentax) I'll continue doing it regardless of the camera name.

08-03-2013, 04:25 PM	#439
Racer X 69 Moderator Man With A Camera Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: The Great Pacific Northwet, in the Land Between Canada and Mexico Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,068	Originally posted by Clinton Is this thread still rolling? Seriously? A name change gets 30 pages? We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples... Move along... I know! Crazy, huh?

08-03-2013, 05:07 PM - 1 Like	#440
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by Clinton Is this thread still rolling? Seriously? A name change gets 30 pages? We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples... Move along... THANK YOU! (more credible than any of my 1/2-page testaments)

08-03-2013, 06:56 PM	#441
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by Clinton We're like a newspaper on a slow news day. I'm sure new cameras are coming soon; but there's nothing to see here peoples... When there is no wind the slightest zephyr becomes as the mightiest typhoon......

08-04-2013, 12:13 AM	#442
Clavius Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: De Klundert Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,150	I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky. Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work.

08-04-2013, 01:28 AM - 1 Like	#443
snake Banned Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: NY/Germany Posts: 1,183	Originally posted by Clavius I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky. Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work. If your work stands up, no one will be complaining. This excuse doesn't hold water. Use what works. Regardless, it's a theoretical right now. There's still the brand and I can't imagine Ricoh would kill Pentax's name off.

08-04-2013, 05:53 AM	#444
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by Clavius I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky. Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work. Ricoh stills the waters for you.

08-04-2013, 06:27 AM - 1 Like	#445
Kunzite Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 15,132	Let's ignore what Ricoh says, and panic instead.

08-04-2013, 09:04 AM	#446
Traditional Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 57	I hope you all have a wonderful day!

08-04-2013, 10:56 AM - 2 Likes	#447
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by Clavius I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky. I think the name change has just made things a little clearer. Many of us, myself included, still think of Pentax as a company. It is not any longer, and has not been for a long time. It was a division of Hoya, it was (briefly) 'A Ricoh Company' and now it is only a brand. It was originally just a brand of Asahi but became so popular they changed the name of the company to match so I guess we have come full circle. I just read through the Kawauchi interview ( https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-mirrorless-camera-discussion/23339...tax-brand.html ) and the use of the illustrations of name placement suddenly made it hit home to me. Ricoh wants top billing. So no longer 'Pentax Ricoh' it is 'Ricoh Pentax' just like it used to be 'Asahi Pentax'. Ego? Corporate pride? Or just reality? Are senior executives still smarting from the fact that Pentax SLR's sold better than Ricoh SLR's 40 years ago? Is this payback for having to go to Pentax for the k-mount back then? Who knows. Whether this integration was part of the plan from day one or if they tried it as a separate company and did not get the results they wanted, I have no idea. We did hear rumors that 'integration' was not going as fast as anticipated. Maybe they felt the only way to get everyone on board was to make sure they understood who they worked for: Ricoh, which just happens to own a brand name called 'Pentax'. This is now a Ricoh product line and they want people to know that. It is a paradigm shift for me that will take some time to get used to but at least now I have changed how I look at this and can start to think about Pentax differently. It will be like Lumix is to Panasonic or Vaio or NEX is to Sony, just a brand for a collection of products. The history, tradition and mystique involved with what started as Ashai Optical Company is gone. Whether that is as bad as it sounds is up to Ricoh. If they continue to make products that are in line with the reasons why we bought into Pentax in the first place I see no problems and perhaps even great things. If they use the name to try and sell cheap junk like so many other once great brands then that will be a sad thing.

08-05-2013, 06:29 AM	#448
Clinton Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,910	Originally posted by Clavius I don't know if this is a slight zephyr. In my opinion Pentax disappearing is a falling sky. Should I go visit clients with a brand name that has disappeared? Should I buy the next model with "RICOH" on it and visit clients with THAT? No and no. This means that I have to invest even heavier in my Canon branded gear. Of course I can shoot my Pentax outside of work... But I never shoot an SLR outside of work. Oh please. Smaller brands are bought up by bigger brands all the time and usually the smaller brand vanishes. I've been part of those smaller brands being bought by bigger ones. It's a good thing. It's healthy to combine forces with stronger backing. Let's face it; had Pentax been able to do this on their own, they would have already been the bigger brand. Do you know the brand Grandcentral? Would you have been disappointed when Google bought them and turned their product into Google Voice? Would you have said "ARRGH! I can't stand by this product that's now in common use," simply because they changed the name? Originally posted by Kunzite Let's ignore what Ricoh says, and panic instead. YES! Let's ignore the statements about how they fully intend to continue the various mounts, bring us full frame, expand our lens lineup, and instead focus on details about naming schemes.

08-05-2013, 09:36 AM	#449
Traditional Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 57	I don't care about the name on the camera. I just want good image quality, some nice features like Wi-Fi, and weater sealed houses and lenses. I couldn't care less if the camera house has "Pentax", or "Ricoh", in the front. This camera thing is not religion, at least not for me. I know what religion is, since I'm a church going Christian.

08-05-2013, 11:04 AM - 1 Like	#450
thibs Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Photos: Albums Posts: 7,001	Originally posted by Traditional This camera thing is not religion, at least not for me. I know what religion is, since I'm a church going Christian. Well I hope most non religious people (or agnostics/atheists, whatever) guys know the difference between a religion and camera brand. Somehow I'm not so sure... In fact I think many people make a religion of about anything.