Originally posted by Clavius Professionally, I've stopped using my Pentax gear completely now. I had to. Dispite the black tape over the Pentax-logo, one of my clients said: "Pentax?! But aren't they the ones with all the happy coloured cameras? You're kidding, right?" Ashamed I told them it was a mistake and went to my car to get my "serious" camera. A 5DmkII, which I dislike using a lot. Next time the K-5IIs stays at home.
That's what they're destroying right now. Pentax was famous for their excellent primes, great optics, durability and high IQ. Now, they're becomming known for their Walt Disney gear. They'll have a hard time shaking off that reputation. Just like they had a similar bad time shaking off the reputation of being "cheap". The cheap-label is still sticking sometimes.
Agree 100%
Originally posted by tclausen I agree completely with you: if you're in the picture-taking business, then a "coloured tool" doesn't do one iota to help you do the job.
Ricoh is, however, not in the picture-taking business...they're (in this case) in the camera-selling-business. I'd bet dimes to donuts that a "coloured tool" helps them in their camera-selling-business in the markets where that tool is available.
Clavius, you're thinking about a camera as a "tool". Let me therefore ask you, do you have a car? What color is it? How does that color (over, say, any other color) make you a better driver.....? Why aren't you driving a military jeep, they'll get you from A to B, and are reliable to boot?
I think that the problem that many are having is, that they're thinking about a camera as a "photo making tool", and so think that buying it is "with the head only".
A camera is a tool, most certainly, and I think that you will agree that the K-01 is competent as such, in that there're great pictures made with it.
But, it's not exclusively a tool - like your car, it's to some degree an extension of your personality, or at least a reflection of it. You bought it not /only/ for rational reasons, although you may try to think of it as such.
The target market of the K-01 doesn't buy "military jeeps" solely as tools, they buy a red sportscar, or a yellow SUV because they /also/ buy with their hearts, and the object - for whatever reason - attracts them.
And, if Ricoh manages to tap into that correctly........
Agree with this too.
However, when a company has a product, that was heavily discounted to liquidate inventory, and was officially said to be discontinued, as in the K-01, bringing it back means that a production line is re-started. That means that whatever was to come "after" on that production line, is put in limbo. Unless you have a parts bin that is filled with the parts you need and no "new" parts are actually being made.
These two realities show a horrible insight into a manufacturing company's process.
Unless, in other markets the product had never ceased production, which then makes you look ever worse in that some of your customers were told one thing, and now it means you lied to them.
I don't think I have ever heard of a company, other than a company that is going out-of-business that has such a fractured "message" in all their operations.
As a long time Pentaxian, I struggle to interpret these moves by Ricoh.
With over $70k dollars worth of Pentax gear, I have started to give up on how to plan for what Pentax gear I will buy in the future.
I make an international trip each year to build up my "inventory" of images and video for the subsequent year to use.
My serious tools have been K5 cameras, and where needed, either my MZ-S or 645.
I am waiting on a higher resolution camera with incremental advances based on the technical competence of the K5. Period. Nothing fancy. Pretty simple given what the competition is putting out now.
If Pentax is no longer going to be a "serious" camera company, just tell me, so I can keep all my wonderful Pentax gear, but move on to a "grown-up" company.