[biz-engineer]

All this is good news. Boutique like camera brand with cameras designed to the wishes of customers, with our beloved optical viewfinders and all those unique Pentax features that other brands don't have. Excellent, I like it. Long live Pentax. I will buy more lenses (next one is the D-FA 21 limited).

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Last edited by biz-engineer; 01-21-2022 at 12:37 AM.

[eddaytona]

"will also end distributor relationships and go direct-to-consumer."

Huh? What distributor relationship? Not in the US for sure.

Just another way to say can't justify any new models and the business has become unviable.

[biz-engineer]

Huh? What distributor relationship? Not in the US for sure.

There are still many shops selling Pentax in Europe, but Pentax retail was wider spread a decade ago, they gradually stopped selling Pentax over the last decade, I believe it was intentional to no invest in brick & mortal retail style. That press release is just the continuation of Pentax retail strategy that started many years ago = going 100% online (via amazon, B&H, Adorama and many others). That's the modern way to go. Selling via camera shops is simply not cost effective compared to selling online.

---------- Post added 21-01-22 at 08:23 ----------

Just another way to say can't justify any new models and the business has become unviable.

They're going to make new models, but models closer to what customers want and more expensive. I expect to see variants of the Pentax K3 III, and also a Pentax K1 Mark III that will come with variants of the main model, but premium priced. Ricoh are just adapting to market trends, it's good news.

[larryaustin3]

I wouldn't like an online presence only. I've had a hard time finding a place where I could feel and try the DA* 2.8/16-50mm PLM (partly because of a lack of dealers, last few weeks more due to a lockdown that has just ended). My local (big) shop doesn't stock Pentax. But there's no other way to try things out - and there are no Pentax meetings either. I also want to try the new 21mm. I need a physical presence in some sort of way. Only when you already know what you want, online buying makes sense.

I am assuming that ‘mall’ doesn't imply an Apple-like store - just a mistranslation for an online shop?

/

Ditto. It's why I wouldn't buy a KP with interchangeable grips without trying them all out first. I'm not buying something expensive that I'm not sure about.

I would be fine if Pentax sold a camera like a GR, K-3, etc. with the same form factor every time (like a Sony A6XXX) but with different specs as options.
Full frame or APS-C.
Flip down screen, side hinge screen, flip up screen, no flip screen.
Pop-up flash, no pop-up flash.
GPS ... interchangeable grips ... choose your kit lens ... FPS ... buffer size.

[mroeder75]

That's just the effect of the auto-translation he used. In the the original Japanese sentence, it clearly says "manufacturing / and Japan sales system"

Thank you for the translation service, but does that mean manufacturing will be in Japan in the future? Or, will cameras be produced in the Philippines, and lenses in Vietnam? Or is all production returning to Japan?

[biz-engineer]

I wouldn't like an online presence only. I've had a hard time finding a place where I could feel and try the DA* 2.8/16-50mm PLM (partly because of a lack of dealers, last few weeks more due to a lockdown that has just ended). My local (big) shop doesn't stock Pentax. But there's no other way to try things out - and there are no Pentax meetings either. I also want to try the new 21mm. I need a physical presence in some sort of way. Only when you already know what you want, online buying makes sense.

Ricoh have show rooms, Ricoh Imaging Square in Paris, show rooms in Tokyo and in Moscow. You fly to Paris or Tokyo to try and buy Pentax, and do sight seeing and picture taking, "kill two birds with one stone".

[repaap]

We have one shop where you can go and try them out, but still I have bought mostly from net. No matter which camera(one camea I did buy in net and picked it up from that shop. I bought my computer also from net(mac). I let them know which parts to put in and paid for it, and received my computer in few weeks. This actually does not mean that my computer was not made mass produced. They have plenty of different parts, which they can put together easy.


If I'm not happy with my purchase, I'll send it back. Quite easy.

[biz-engineer]

Bad interpretation of the press release is not good, it's just spreading FUD, it's inaccurate and unnecessary. Contrary to how some people may interpret, the press release of Ricoh Imaging doesn't say Ricoh Imaging are going to stop Pentax, it simply says Ricoh Imaging are tuning their organization to better match current market trends. Bascially, they adapt and keep going with Pentax. To me this sounds like good news.

[Paul the Sunman]

What does this mean for manufacturing in Vietnam and the Philippines? It sounds like they may be planning to bring production back to Japan in a more artisan style.

[BarneyL]

I doubt that manufacturing will leave those places... we will have 'artisan style' goods with the same QC as usual

[JPT]

Thank you for the translation service, but does that mean manufacturing will be in Japan in the future? Or, will cameras be produced in the Philippines, and lenses in Vietnam? Or is all production returning to Japan?

The article doesn't say anything about where they will produce anything. It just says they will change how they produce them.

If the camera business is marginal, then I really doubt they would move from a country with cheap labour to a country like Japan with high labour costs, especially since it sounds like a more labour intensive method.

Also, they would have to recruit and train people in Japan to manufacture lenses, as well as built a facility. At this point they have probably developed very skilled staff in Vietnam and the Philippines.

[jersey]

Wow, and I thought that I was the pessimist here

I mean, come one, everyone here (or almost everyone) was predicting that Pentax will go niche and Leica-like. And now when they start switching from "normal" mass production to more boutique style of manufacturing, development and contact with client it is Pentax death?

Frankly I am less concerned now then I was a month ago when I was pondering if I really should spend money on another Limited. At least there is clear direction that Ricoh wants Pentax and GR to take and/or agreed to finance that change. And that is rather reassuring. I would be more concerned if signal was "it is business as usual, nothing changes".

[Zari]

"manufacturing-like process" generally means the increase in price and decrease in the number of available products.

So... nothing will really change. I will still buy cameras and lenses from second hand, no matter the brand. The support and repair options in EU, or more precisely in PL will still be very limited. I hope Pentax marketing will be improved with greater visibility in social medias, by ambassadors.

[BarneyL]

Maybe 'made to order' manufacturing is the only way to get a full frame teleconverter in this system

[romay]

Well, at least that explains the massive price drop you saw with japanese used pentax gear. Some people already knew it a month ago and tried to cash out before the prices bottom out.
I guess it's ebay time!