[Mistral75]

Asahi being the rising sun comes into being every morning and dies every evening.

[Erictator]

FWIW, here in central Fl, brick and mortar stores have been gone for years, and dumping Pentax, and only carrying Nikon & Canon didn't save them.

The problem isn't Pentax, the problem is Retail has changed. Small brick and mortar mom and pop stores didn't evolve, and were done in by BestBuy, Amazon and the like. Pro shops like North Tampa Photo were great and catered to pro's and enthusiasts, but a break in that got away with 10s of thousands of inventory was enough to do them in. The Ritz/Wolf chain buy out didn't save them either. The only thriving stores I know of in the states or near by in Toronto are B&H, and Adorama... Henry's was a force to be recon'd with, but I haven't seen much from them lately, Cameta... etc etc. Back when Shutterbug was mostly a mail order advertising rag, with just a few articles, there was a TON of camera outlets and stores advertising there... now... not so much.

Times change. We don't have to like it, but we are stuck with it.
Eric

[c.a.m]

The only thriving stores I know of in the states or near by in Toronto are B&H, and Adorama... Henry's was a force to be recon'd with, but I haven't seen much from them lately,

Henry's is still the largest camera chain in Canada. They operate some 30 brick & mortar stores across Canada -- mainly in the province of Ontario but also in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Quebec. There are three in Ottawa (pop. 1 million).

Surprisingly, despite the market direction, they opened a new spiffy store in Vancouver in September 2018 and now operate three in the greater Vancouver area. Iconic Henry's Cameras opening its first store in Vancouver next week | Venture

Regrettably, Henry's has very few Pentax items in store, and most are "special order only" with virtually no return allowed except for defective merchandise. Sigh.

- Craig

[mlt]

So, effectively they’re doing mail order in a b&m store. That may be closer to the future for the remaining b&m stores to compete with the biggest online retailers, unless they’ve found a niche market they can survive in. At least you get to support a local store that way.

[c.a.m]

So, effectively they’re doing mail order in a b&m store. That may be closer to the future for the remaining b&m stores to compete with the biggest online retailers, unless they’ve found a niche market they can survive in. At least you get to support a local store that way.

At Henry's, Pentax items may be ordered online or in-store and they may be delivered to your address or to a store for pick-up. I don't think their 'special order only' policy for Pentax (and perhaps some other lines) is helpful, and I bought my last two lenses online from other retailers.

Henry's does stock other brands in store, and their staff is helpful to prospective buyers. They also carry lighting equipment, accessories, bags, etc. For small items such as bags and filters, I patronize one of their Ottawa stores, which is a 15-minute walk from my house.

I'm not sure whether they have found a niche. Every time I have gone into the local store, I've seen a handful of other customers, and some transactions. However, I wonder whether they can sustain their business.

- Craig

[reh321]

At Henry's, Pentax items may be ordered online or in-store and they may be delivered to your address or to a store for pick-up. I don't think their 'special order only' policy for Pentax (and perhaps some other lines) is helpful, and I bought my last two lenses online from other retailers.

Henry's does stock other brands in store, and their staff is helpful to prospective buyers. They also carry lighting equipment, accessories, bags, etc. For small items such as bags and filters, I patronize one of their Ottawa stores, which is a 15-minute walk from my house.

Apparently Roberts in Indianapolis effectively has the same policy - every time I've checked the KP is 'out of stock', so I purchased mine from B&H.

[sculptor666]

man, camera stores had it tough. cameras and film and developing were something almost everyone could afford.

then all the money from film and developing stopped, and cameras became much more expensive... point and shoot filled the gap for a while, but then that stopped. competition came from 5-6 big box stores, not just one or two... and internet... and skyrocketing rent... phones... they got it from all angles. are only canon and fuji are still selling consumables? i mean, we all have or have had a canon printer, right? what happens to ricoh imaging when phones start to have 360 degree cameras?

[reh321]

man, camera stores had it tough. cameras and film and developing were something almost everyone could afford.

then all the money from film and developing stopped, and cameras became much more expensive... point and shoot filled the gap for a while, but then that stopped. competition came from 5-6 big box stores, not just one or two... and internet... and skyrocketing rent... phones... they got it from all angles. are only canon and fuji are still selling consumables? i mean, we all have or have had a canon printer, right? what happens to ricoh imaging when phones start to have 360 degree cameras?

Our printer right now is "HP" - I don't know that we've ever had a printer labeled "Canon".

[sculptor666]

Our printer right now is "HP" - I don't know that we've ever had a printer labeled "Canon".

i want ricoh to make an affordable 13x19 printer, like the canon pro-100!

[nunzio]

I think those retailers are in real trouble. Camera and lens sales have fallen off a cliff in the last five years and will continue to do so for another couple of years until they reach a bottom which is pros and enthusiastic amateurs. There will be almost no 'casual' camera purchases.

That might suit Amazon, BH, KEH or whatever in some way, but 'bricks and mortars' shops are doomed in my opinion, more likely to close before any companies do. There used to be camera stores in any reasonable size town but I think in a decade's time it will be cities only, and not many at that.

Pentax is not losing money like Olympus or watching profits destroyed like the big companies Sony, Canon and Nikon. It continues as a very niche (perhaps less than two percent) brand under Ricoh, and actually increased its sales the other quarter.

in fact one of the things that consoles me is this

---------- Post added 11-08-2019 at 08:19 PM ----------

FWIW, here in central Fl, brick and mortar stores have been gone for years, and dumping Pentax, and only carrying Nikon & Canon didn't save them.

The problem isn't Pentax, the problem is Retail has changed. Small brick and mortar mom and pop stores didn't evolve, and were done in by BestBuy, Amazon and the like. Pro shops like North Tampa Photo were great and catered to pro's and enthusiasts, but a break in that got away with 10s of thousands of inventory was enough to do them in. The Ritz/Wolf chain buy out didn't save them either. The only thriving stores I know of in the states or near by in Toronto are B&H, and Adorama... Henry's was a force to be recon'd with, but I haven't seen much from them lately, Cameta... etc etc. Back when Shutterbug was mostly a mail order advertising rag, with just a few articles, there was a TON of camera outlets and stores advertising there... now... not so much.

Times change. We don't have to like it, but we are stuck with it.
Eric

Yes, I know

---------- Post added 11-08-2019 at 08:38 PM ----------

At Henry's, Pentax items may be ordered online or in-store and they may be delivered to your address or to a store for pick-up. I don't think their 'special order only' policy for Pentax (and perhaps some other lines) is helpful, and I bought my last two lenses online from other retailers.

Henry's does stock other brands in store, and their staff is helpful to prospective buyers. They also carry lighting equipment, accessories, bags, etc. For small items such as bags and filters, I patronize one of their Ottawa stores, which is a 15-minute walk from my house.

I'm not sure whether they have found a niche. Every time I have gone into the local store, I've seen a handful of other customers, and some transactions. However, I wonder whether they can sustain their business.

- Craig

The problem is that here in Italy a product not imported through Fowa, cannot be repaired at Fowa even when it is out of warranty, so it faces considerable difficulties because the repair must probably be done in France or Germany at Pentax Europe, with considerable time extensions and considerable expenses. A year ago I phoned to Fowa because I wanted to have my 16/50 2.8 ED checked and it was no longer under warranty and I hadn't purchased it with Italian warranty; Fowa replied that they wouldn't fix it!

[totsmuyco]

That's the risk when you buy online from stores not accredited in your country. When your equipment conks out, you're done.

[reh321]

That's the risk when you buy online from stores not accredited in your country. When your equipment conks out, you're done.

I never think about 'warranty service'. I feel that if the product, camera body for example, fails within the warranty period, the company has failed.

[nunzio]

Nothing new... before moving to Italy I had three brick and mortar shops in my area. They all slowly dropped Pentax, then just about every brand other then Canon and Nikon. Over a couple of more years they were all gone. One of the owners that I got to know stated it was a simple decision. They could not compete with the web and places like B&H. To compete they would have to a non profit. It was economics and the market that drove them to close.

Funny thing two of the shop owners shot with Pentax.

Now in Italy, Rome to be exact I have a shop about 5 blocks away that carriers Pentax. You will find a good range of lenses and bodies. The prices are competitive. The staff great to work with and they know their products. Also if you look around you will find a few other shops around Rome that carry Pentax gear.

I have been shooting Pentax for over 50 years and are amazed that some one will come up with the comment - why buy gear from a company that is almost out of business? The fan boys of other brands buy into all the marketing hype and just don't get it. If you want the biggest bank for the buck and a setup that works - Pentax.

I like being in the minority. I get a chuckle out of folks asking me what Canon lens I used for a shot..... when I tell them it is all Pentax they just walk away.

I'm glad to hear this

[Karen the Star]

Pentax is doomed, yet not doomed.

Schrödinger's Pentax

[totsmuyco]

I never think about 'warranty service'. I feel that if the product, camera body for example, fails within the warranty period, the company has failed.

I bought several of my gears from a store in Facebook that buys directly from Japan. I do hope none of what I purchased from them fails. The store didn't answer my inquiry for an 18-135. It will be difficult for me to have my gears fixed if they fail.