[Rondec]

On the other hand Pentax cameras and lenses (the new ones) can't be found in stores because store owners don't want to block money on something that is not selling. This seems ok to you? To me it doesn't look ok at all. It makes me sad because I can't rent a KP or a K1 to play with. It makes me sad to go in stores and see that there is not even a Pentax logo anywhere as if Pentax doesn't exist.

It makes me sad that even the Pentax official dealer doesn't give a ... about the brand here, in Romania. It makes me sad seeing friends of mine leaving Pentax because of the aggresive marketing of others.

I'm not worried about mirrorless killing the DSLR market in which Pentax is also present (to respond also to Steve) because Canon is releasing tomorow the new 70-200mm f2.8L lens and also the new 70-200mm f4L lens. It's a good enough sign that we will see DSLR cameras in the next few years.

Each country is different. I have told you before that there are very few camera stores in the United States and none in rural areas such as I live in. I would have to drive a little over an hour to get to the nearest camera store that has base end Canon and Nikon products. They would have to order in anything that was top end, even for those cameras. In this situation, having online presence is equally good for all brands and B and H can have whatever I want on my doorstep in two days.

I agree that Pentax should do better, at least with regard to advertising, but brick and mortar shops are dying in the US due to pressure from online sales and just generally from the camera market being squeezed by smartphones, etc.

[Kevin B123]

I would liken Pentax to Mazda or maybe Alfa-Romeo.

Umm, Let's say Mazda then, for reliabilities sake

[Kunzite]

That is true. Ricoh said that there will be FF...it was before Ricoh that it was said, there was multiple times discussion of that.

Indeed, Ricoh said there will be a FF as early as 2012.
OTOH Pentax-under-Hoya said "not for now". I don't remember any statement where they closed the possibility of a future FF.

[stevebrot]

Indeed, Ricoh said there will be a FF as early as 2012.
OTOH Pentax-under-Hoya said "not for now". I don't remember any statement where they closed the possibility of a future FF.

Ned Bunnell reportedly leaked that the K-7 would have built-in MP3 support and an LCD that doubled as a strobe light for dance effects.


Steve

[repaap]

Time does fly.

I do recall some discussions, when there was photokina, and Pentax was asked of having FF or not. It could have been *not for now*...

Indeed, Ricoh said there will be a FF as early as 2012.
OTOH Pentax-under-Hoya said "not for now". I don't remember any statement where they closed the possibility of a future FF.

[BigMackCam]

Ned Bunnell reportedly leaked that the K-7 would have built-in MP3 support and an LCD that doubled as a strobe light for dance effects.

Maybe those features will come in a firmware update for the K-1II. Come on, Ricoh... Pro photographers have been waiting long enough...

[reh321]

Ned Bunnell reportedly leaked that the K-7 would have built-in MP3 support and an LCD that doubled as a strobe light for dance effects.

Steve

We refer to those as "bells and whistles".

Does anyone truly believe that the "bells and whistles" which typified the K-S1, helped Pentax very much?

Does anyone truly believe that releasing new "bells and whistles" every years would be more helpful than making significant changes every three or four years?

I'm guessing that most here would answer "NO!" to both questions, and yet, as soon as people finish complaining about the most recent changes, they start agitating for another release.

[RobA_Oz]

Umm, Let's say Mazda then, for reliabilities sake

SDM apart?

Best to leave fraught analogies alone, really.

[RonHendriks1966]

Does anyone truly believe that releasing new "bells and whistles" every years would be more helpful than making significant changes every three or four years?

Well the current af-module is from 2013........So that could be the next refreshment.

[Kerrowdown]

Amateur Photographers (UK) Predicts End for Pentax

All seems a wee tad unlikely to me.

[Dan Rentea]

Each country is different.

I agree that Pentax should do better, at least with regard to advertising, but brick and mortar shops are dying in the US due to pressure from online sales and just generally from the camera market being squeezed by smartphones, etc.

Do better? It may sound harsh, but they did anything and we don't know? I wonder how expensive was that photographer from the army (Heye I think is his name) which Pentax let go so easily. His online presence was far better than the presence of all Pentax ambassadors combined. No one outside this forum knows who are the Pentax ambassadors. I don't question the work of Pentax ambassadors because I'm sure that they are very good photographers, but if you talk over a beer with other photographers about Pentax, 9 of 10 people who heard about Pentax saw on Youtube the shower of the 2 Pentax cameras in the military camp. That guy builded from zero the reputation of Pentax when comes to build quality, not Ricoh or Pentax ambassadors.

Professional photographers ask about lenses acording to Kenspo, lenses which are delayed. This is not a good thing if you want to attract new customers (I'm talking about pro photographers). In stores you can't find Pentax and if photo shops are dying, the Pentax online presence is non existing.

For example:
- You know about Pentax being a long time Pentax shooter
- Those who were shooting film knows about Pentax and if they can use some legacy lenses they are happy because they don't have to spend money on new lenses for a passion.

But what about young generation? I see each and every day young people (17 to 25 years old) buying D5300, T6i, Oly E-M5, X-T1, not to mention A6000 or A6300. If 2-3 years ago I had at least 10 friends shooting with Pentax, now I have only one and he is thinking to sell his K1 and go to Sony or Nikon. I see K1 on second hand market at half the price, with under 2000 clicks. I haven't seen K3 cameras being sold 2 years ago almost new at half the price.

There are a few like you who buys K1 and the new lenses. Good clients like you seems so rare for Pentax.

There are others who buy K1 and use it with legacy lenses that they already have. They are trully Pentaxians in their hart but as clients they are not among the best, but at least they spend some money.

There are others who upgrade their Pentax cameras and lenses by buying from second hand market. Those are not doing any favor to Pentax in terms of sales.

There are lots of photographers who add another camera from other system to suppliment the gaps that Pentax has. Those 9 friends of mine who were shooting Pentax did the same and ended up selling their Pentax gear.

If brick and mortar shops are dying and it seems that this is the trend not only in US and with the non existing online presence of Pentax... then Pentax in my opinion is in a little more difficult position than it was 2-3 years ago. Why? Because 2-3 years ago there were Pentax cameras in stores and people could touch them, compare them with other cameras, etc. If this goes away and if Ricoh will further ignore the online marketing, then I really don't know if and how well they now the market.

I really wish them all the best because all the limitations of my K-5 II and K-3 II forced me to do my best and learn how to deal with them and how to approach dificult shots. If you ask me, Pentax offers the best cameras for the ones that want to learn tehniques which will help them on the long term. I remember that I read and put into practice anything I could find online about af and flash system, even if the articles were dedicated to Canon and Nikon shooters. I wouldn't have learned as much if I would have had a 7D Mark II or a D7000 instead of a K-5 II.

[biz-engineer]

On the other hand Pentax cameras and lenses (the new ones) can't be found in stores because store owners don't want to block money on something that is not selling.

Fundamentally, Sony aren't selling more than Pentax, except that Sony make sure that the Sony cameras are promoted first and at the expense of other brands. Now in my city, Sony have clogged every shop with they promotional materials, so much that Canon Europe came to build an open air stand to still have a word and be seen in the city! In my usually camera shop, if I ask to buy any of Canon, Nikon, Fuji cameras, they systematically propose me a Sony and even if I say "no thanks, can I see the Canon 5DVI?" they say "Sorry we don't have in stock at the moment, but in the meantime you can try the Sony A7III" !!!

[ffking]

Regarding marketing - as Dan was saying a coupe of post back, YouTube is huge in terms of presence - Thomas Heaton, for example has over a quarter of a million subscribers for landscape photography - there are loads of landscapers YouTubing - none of them use Pentax - on the principle of 'be the change you want to see' - are any of us going to start a YouTube channel using Pentax kit?

[stevebrot]

...except that Sony make sure that the Sony cameras are promoted first...

Interesting observation. At two Best Buy locations near my home, Sony is prominently displayed on a row-ender location with most current models in stock and on display. The other brands they sell are a considerable distance away and not readily visible from the main aisles. A couple of years ago, I asked a local camera shop why they did not sell Sony and was told that Sony had an exclusive relationship with Best Buy for their entire consumer electronics lineup requiring preferential product placement and that other stores were locked out from offering Sony.


Steve

[stevebrot]

there are loads of landscapers YouTubing

Are they promoting their work or trolling for traffic with lightweight tutorials. I don't know any landscape photographers locally that vlog. Those that are financially successful spend their time out shooting or promoting their work to sell.

Steve

(...me not either...no salable stuff and no on-camera charisma...)