Originally posted by JimmyDranox Admitting that this is true, and not a seller ''story'', how many camera will be made until the end of this year? Tens of thousands, or only 2-3 thousands? How many Pentax DSLR users will buy it, from hundred of thousands, or maybe more than a million worldwide?
I hope it will be a success, but I think that a good FF camera made by Pentax will have a bigger one. Much Bigger.
I have heard the same, independently, but of course it could all be BS. My understanding is the intial run of 645z is 2000 units and 400 a month was planned. That monthly number has been increased a little bit and they're still sold out. Recall the entire planned production of the 645D was 10,000 units over three years and they weren't even going to release it in the US.
Thom Hogan says USA gets
30% ~10% of the entire industry run of MILC's - 20,000 units a month. So WW production of all brands combined is approx.
65200,000 a month. Big deal -
we're not really talking iPhone volume here.
At a <5% total market share of dSLR's, I wonder what the planned production for the entire run of K3 is - 70,000? 150,000? (I think it is 70,000) If FF is 10% of the dSLR market then planned production of a Pentax FF should be 7,000 units. Compared to what I've heard of the response to the 645z, 7,000 'LX-
ii' bodies isn't a game changer for Pentax - it would be nice, but not a huge deal. I believe they will do it - and sooner than most of us think - but it isn't a huge money maker.
And don't count on FF lenses Pentax designs - they'll have a few, but at first many of the lenses will be co-produced or simply rebadged. They have 16 645 lenses available and/or in production.