Originally posted by f22 That's true what you say about the lenses, and also true for all companies like Sony especially, Looking at the newer D FA lenses for the K-1, I could be quite happy with just the 24-70 mm f/2.8 and the 70-200 mm f/2.8. The IQ, fast aperture, performance, etc seem to address a great many shooting situations and styles. It's not like I need 15 different lenses with a lot of overlap to be satisfied. I didn't have that with film cameras, and it helped me learn to take better photographs with fewer lenses around my neck. Digital format made allows me even more creative capability (higher ISO, high noise reduction, CA correction, etc) than what the film camera's could address. Add PP software to the mix and it removed even more obstacles.
I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have more choices from Sigma or Tamron though that helped bring down the price. They actually make some of the lenses for Pentax, so there must be some non-compete clause in there?
I agree that there will always be a group of consumers that are proud of how much more they paid for something than whether they got the best value. I prefer to be the latter, and that is the appeal Pentax has for me. It has the features I need most for a reasonable price that get the job done. A lot of what I read on the forum is folks wanting the camera to automate something for the user instead of learning how to use existing functionality to achieve the result. Pentax is great at prioritizing the functions that will give you creative improvements without driving the cost of the product into the Nikon-Canon-Sony league, where they know they can't win sales.
Yes, I agree the thing that people overlook sometimes in these discussions is the 3rd party and even more neglected for discussion is the used market. I love my K1, and there is really no reason I couldn't live happily ever after with the lenses I have and the performance of the K1 in its current state... BUT... and this is a big BUT...
...is that while some CanNikon Pro bodies might seem priced beyond the top of some of our budgets, their enthusiast models are bought and re-sold used in such tremendous numbers by people who just wanted to try or play, that the "Deals" on used gear are seemingly infinite in comparison to Pentax K mount gear and reasonably priced.
I'm not saying I want to base my hobby entirely on used gear, I am just saying that for the same reason we brag about all the available K mount glass out there going back to the begging of time, that CanNikon also has an attractive second hand market that while maybe stops when you hit the Nikon AI vintage and back, it still has sheer quantity of product out there.
The other thing on the used market is supply and demand of 3rd party glass. Ever price a Nikon mount Bigma against the K Mount Bigma in same condition? (if you can find a used one in decent shape in K mount). The Nikon mount will be dang near HALF the price most times I've looked, just because there are so many of them out there, the competition for used product is less. Etc etc etc. Even with in-lens VR, the used market is pretty attractively priced model for model. Not to mention local sales... Your local Craigs list is probably littered with Canikon gear, and you might see a rare DSLR era bit of K mount kit posted once in a blue moon, but not daily like the big 3.
This creates enthusiasm for a brand, and even though the big 3 don't get a dime out of used sales, once that person has been bit by the shutter bug and has a loyalty to the brand, if/when they do buy the odd body or lens, then they will get a sale. That is the slow road to a sale, but you can't travel back in time to start that process.
Pentax enjoyed a certain amount of that type of sale when they released the *ist DS. A lot of folks had SMC P F, SMC P FA gear on the shelf, and people took advantage and got on board. The slow to market new product periods and loss of 3rd party lens support that followed have created a dip in that curve, and loosing 3rd part support more and more tells me that the market share will contract even more down the road.
We are loyal, but Pentax isn't Leica, I don't think there are too many of us that will support $10K bodies that don't match the competition just because we like our brand so much and want to keep them in business... some might, but not enough. And that is what Pentax would have to do to stay in business if they kept losing volume sales because of shrinking landscape.
I guess what I am getting at is that there is a bit of a snow ball effect. Low or non available products on the new market trickle down to the used market, and this effects the mindset of the enthusiast who might spring for a new K1 body, but doesn't want to break the bank on lenses, or might buy a used K1 but can't find the new lens he wants in K mount. The sword cuts both ways. I hear people down play the lack of 3rd party lens support lately, but I think it really does have a negative impact on future markets and is a trend that Ricoh should try to reverse if they are serious about keeping Pentax going.
Pentax isn't Doomed, but, they could shoot them-self in the foot enough times to bring on some doom in the future.
Eric