Originally posted by Daikokuya That's too much.
I don't think it is "too much," frankly. Is it "too much" to argue that brands such as Leica, Hasselblad, and Mamiya are perceived to be in a class beyond Canon / Nikon? We are talking about perceptions, I think. If Ricoh keeps its word that they intend to bring focus to the Pentax name by delineating it as a more professional-end line, then I think it is not at all "too much" to shape perceptions of the Pentax brand being in the same class as Leica, Hasselblad, et. al. And that class is very definitely beyond the Canon / Nikon world. Indeed, Canon / Nikon have really dropped a notch in my view. They are very much consumer-grade brands now. Part of that is their ubiquity, of course, but I get the sense they each have kind of hit their ceiling in terms of market share. With medium format-ish stuff like the 645D, Pentax simply steps over Canon and Nikon and has a lot more profitable future, I think. What muddles that is every time Ricoh does stupid stuff like placing "Ricoh" on the back of the otherwise Pentax cameras. That's just corporate hubris, and it attains nothing but ticking off loyal Pentaxians and confusing those unfamiliar with the brand. If Ricoh can reign in such dopey actions and keep their word with regard to preserving Pentax for their higher-end stuff, I think they will be able to pull it off.
But then I shoot film, so what do I know?