[johnmflores]

Would you choose your wedding photographer based on the camera that they used?
Would you choose a good wedding photographer that's familiar with Nikon/Canon, hand them a bunch of Pentax gear a couple of days before the wedding, and be utterly confident that when the big moment comes that they'll be able to capture it?
Do you pick restaurants based on the knives that they use?

Very few (if any) ad agencies have photographers on staff. Usually, they'll put the photography part of any ad campaign out to bid or will choose from among the photographers that they have solid working relationships with and who shoot in the genre and style required. Creative directors will evaluate photographer portfolios to find the ones that fit the budget and fit the style/genre desired for that particular campaign. To require that the photographer shoot Pentax has a number of implications:

- it takes more time for the creative team to find a photographer that meets that criteria
- if one is found but is not local, there are additional logistics issues
- if one is not a Pentax photog but is given equipment to use, there is a learning curve which the photographer will want to charge for

Each of these takes more time and costs more money.

Or, if by chance there is a local photog that shoots Pentax but perhaps is not as good or creative as other photographers, does Ricoh and the agency choose them because of the gear but knowing they'll end up with inferior photos?

Ultimately, how many of the tens of thousands of people that buy Pentax cameras and lenses every year care about this?

[Jean Poitiers]

Would you choose your wedding photographer based on the camera that they used? ...

Good points ... And "oui", there are people that will eliminate and/or select certain photographers based upon their gear used. I know two in the Poitiers area that can attest to this ... one in Nikon FF and the other in Canon FF. ("FF" being an important factor in the mix). We have talked about this a few times over a café ...

I think that Ricoh Pentax has to take that "extra step" here and show the world how passionate and proud they are of their product line ... and if they did this and took creative control of their own images, we would not be emailed an embarrassingly poor Photoshop-ed stock image of a giant woman holding a "sweet" K-S1

[NicoleC]

Perhaps they had two versions? I know when I worked at a large company, there would be a 'conceptual' ad that was approved before the real ad.

The conceptual one could've been something like the poorly-photoshopped one...

I see this all the time. Usually there's a reference image, "this is kinda what we want."

[Na Horuk]

Outsourcing may be an economic shortcut, but considering this is a company that makes cameras and lenses, from entry to pro tier, they really should have someone who knows how to take photos on staff, or at least a contact that they can call when they need those photos. It would be odd if a company that designs, manufactures and sells cameras and lenses would be incapable of making some good photos.
And it would be considered marketing, if their ads had Pentax exif, or Pentax character, or would say "*promotional photos taken with Pentax gear" at the bottom.
But sure, it is faster or cheaper to just pay someone and ignore their process. I don't think cheapness should be all we/they care about

[monochrome]

Requiring Pentax cameras in product shots is akin to the Subaru/Isuzu/Mitsubishi USA Distributor requiring their inventory be delivered to Dealers on Mistsubishi Fuso Trucks. *



* note they're not ashamed to put F O R D on the front!!, a legacy of the joint venture with Volvo Trucks, once partially owned by Ford.

[ElJamoquio]

Would you choose your wedding photographer based on the camera that they used?

If I was the marketing director for a major camera manufacturer, it would fer-durn-sure be a requirement that they used my stuff.

[Jean Poitiers]

If I was the marketing director for a major camera manufacturer, it would fer-durn-sure be a requirement that they used my stuff.

Agreed.

The 645z is a professional grade DSLR that is a market leader from what I read/understand ... why not use it to "showcase" further the product line? And maybe throw in a K-3 created image (or two) every now and then ... it's really not that hard and the financial outlay for the equipment would be minimal, plus a probable tax write off as well ... they could probably even enlist a few good PF members to do their stuff.

Really, even I could create these images with a 645z ...



And here's the Ricoh FB page "photo of the week" ... taken with a Q-S1 ... They can showcase users' images, but not their own images ... bizarre, no?!

[normhead]

If I was the marketing director for a major camera manufacturer, it would fer-durn-sure be a requirement that they used my stuff.

Case in point being when the shareholders of Apple decided they'd be better off with a guy who'd been the marketing executive of a Tobacco company than they would be with Steve Jobs... they almost killed the company. Not having a user at the helm, is a major concern for any company. Jobs did well at Apple because he was in a position to put what he wanted into a computer. IN terms of market share, that's probably not going to get you more than 10% market share, at least that's what Apple topped out at with computers. But if Pentax had 10% market share, they'd be thrilled.

There are any number of guys on this forum, if they were in the position at Pentax , Steve Jobs was at Apple, the camera would be more suited to the average Pentax shooter. Most of us know what we like, what we'd like and what something we'd like would look like if we saw it.

As long as it wasn't someone who wanted video or tons of really big fast glass. It would have to be a Pentax guy.

[ogl]

Best Superzoom 2014: Conclusions and Winners

[Note to Pentax fans: We requested but did not receive a Pentax X-G1]

It's the shame...

[RonHendriks1966]

Would you choose your wedding photographer based on the camera that they used?
Would you choose a good wedding photographer that's familiar with Nikon/Canon, hand them a bunch of Pentax gear a couple of days before the wedding, and be utterly confident that when the big moment comes that they'll be able to capture it?
Do you pick restaurants based on the knives that they use?

Very few (if any) ad agencies have photographers on staff. Usually, they'll put the photography part of any ad campaign out to bid or will choose from among the photographers that they have solid working relationships with and who shoot in the genre and style required. Creative directors will evaluate photographer portfolios to find the ones that fit the budget and fit the style/genre desired for that particular campaign. To require that the photographer shoot Pentax has a number of implications:

- it takes more time for the creative team to find a photographer that meets that criteria
- if one is found but is not local, there are additional logistics issues
- if one is not a Pentax photog but is given equipment to use, there is a learning curve which the photographer will want to charge for

Each of these takes more time and costs more money.

Or, if by chance there is a local photog that shoots Pentax but perhaps is not as good or creative as other photographers, does Ricoh and the agency choose them because of the gear but knowing they'll end up with inferior photos?

Ultimately, how many of the tens of thousands of people that buy Pentax cameras and lenses every year care about this?

John this is all fine when you sell cars or anything, find a driver that can show the merits of the new product. When you sell camera's then you use them. If not there is simply a lack of believing in your own product wich wil lead to loosing customers. When you hire a photographer (wich they did for the add of the K-3, the dancing images) that doesn't use Pentax for his work......Ulimately your message is: With Pentax K-3 you can make great images, but if you want to be the great photographer that I am then you better buy Canon (or Nikon).

---------- Post added 26-10-14 at 21:02 ----------

And here's the Ricoh FB page "photo of the week" ... taken with a Q-S1 ... They can showcase users' images, but not their own images ... bizarre, no?!

There is nothing wrong with the concept of user images. I also entered an image for that a few weeks ago. This has nothing to do with the portfolio of the company. They also ask people of the PPG to use images. I know on one occasion that this gave some trouble because of rights, since comercial use wasn't aranged in advance by the hobby photographer.

[clackers]

work......Ulimately your message is: With Pentax K-3 you can make great images, but if you want to be the great photographer that I am then you better buy Canon (or Nikon)

Ron, IMHO if Canon made an ad for the 5D shot with a Pentax 645Z, they'd be being practical rather than stubbornly principled.

The CEO of McDonalds shouldn't exist on a diet of cheesebugers. :-D

[RonHendriks1966]

Ron, IMHO if Canon made an ad for the 5D shot with a Pentax 645Z, they'd be being practical rather than stubbornly principled.

That wil NEVER happen with Canon, they are very strickt on those things.

[clackers]

That wil NEVER happen with Canon, they are very strickt on those things.

So you admire that in a company, Ron, the rigid discipline over pragmatism?

[Na Horuk]

The CEO of McDonalds shouldn't exist on a diet of cheesebugers. :-D

I agree, but I see that as a critique of McD. I am suspicious of vegetarian butchers.

[RonHendriks1966]

So you admire that in a company, Ron, the rigid discipline over pragmatism?

The rigid isn't my favorite, but I'm very aware of the things I would out about my business.