Originally posted by woodywesty Ha! I thought about that but didn't say it....
I do have hope for Pentax with Ricoh but I wish they communicated with their true believers and especially with some of the fantastic Pentax photographers that Ricoh should be giving free gear, apparel, and visibility. Would be cheap advertising for the brand.
The really difficult thing to internalize here is the amount of Pentax human capital that was retained by Hoya or terminated (and now is retained by competitors). There was certainly a Pentax design team and a specific design ethic - that differed from Ricoh's - to the extent that building unity and then synergy might have been more challenging than expected. Some posters here will think about that and view current products in a context. Others will just sneer.
I believe you are a thinker.
P.S. - it has taken my company 5 years to have our 'legacy thinking' beaten out of us by our acquirer. Finally, everyone who is going to complain has been terminated; everyone who is going to leave has left; and we seem to be pulling our oars together at last.
It takes a long time.