Originally posted by ogl Ricoh had photo division too and they simply merged divisions and make restructing. Pentax is just a brand now. All belongs to Ricoh.
Traditions is very dim area after sales of Pentax's photo division to Hoya and then to Ricoh. With dismissal of personnel.
Originally posted by ffking That's true. Legally
But the DNA lives on...
Originally posted by ffking Well, no - I don't imagine a little closed community of Pentax pixies literally breeding a new generation in a factory somewhere in Japan (or Vietnam, or the Philippines) - but when I read what they say about their design philosophy on the special site, that's pure Pentax.
I've done several mergers and take-overs, both as victim employee as well as managing them as a project. From my experience I can say that the "brand" and the culture a.k.a. DNA can live independently from the legal status and company name.
It depends on the people and their commitment to "live" their culture, passion, vision and/or mission. This needs support, or at least permission, of the legal owner. Seeing the Pentax webpage and their passionate description of what they are doing, I have no doubt that they want to continue to live the Pentax spirit and values.
Pentax has changed a lot, due to the changing market they live in, but I can also see that they seem to have found their direction in the recent years. It's a niche with certain values, but not the great mass market any more. Bigger is not always better. From my limited outside perspective, I think its a good strategy.
Originally posted by Cerebum I am still hoping for my Pentax thermos
If they bring out a new, better looking one, I'll take one from the Pentax booth. I want one too.
Originally posted by Caat The GXR is a good indication that Ricoh has been very prepared to innovate and take risks. I really loved Ricoh's early digital camera designs like the RDC 2 - out there but at least pushing boundaries.
However, the market has changed a lot and is no longer growing in the way that it was, especially with the competition from phones driving consumer expectations of the level of technology a standalone camera should have.
It seems that Ricoh knows how to work the enthusiasts market. From the newsletter that Mistral75 has posted, the GR photowalks at Photokina were booked out quickly and they added additional times for more walks. I think there is still a market for such cameras, it is just different than in past times.