[biz-engineer]

Pentax is dead fella. It just is. If people like me are abandoning ship after all these years and all the money spent (and more to spend) because we see it and we feel it...

Pentax is a dead fella, yes and no, depending on customer expectations:
- For a lot of Pentaxians who have a lot of Pentax glass, Ricoh Imaging maintaining the Pentax brand, keep the kaizen rolling based on existing products, despite difficult market conditions, is doing a favor to Pentaxians.
- For customers who like to have the latest technology in terms of cameras and lenses, and want to have a lot of customer support in case of misfortune, Pentax might not be the best choice assuming they want to build a camera system from scratch, unless they want a DSLR specifically (the Optical Viewfinder) and not a MILC.

[Sandy Hancock]

This thread needs to get back on topic really fast.

One member will no longer be contributing, so please resist the temptation to counter/respond/argue/moan/whine/attack or otherwise debase the standard of discussion we expect here.

[sundown]

Will they expand selling to more European (EU is easy at least) countries? That's what I want to know

[eric1965]

Referring to the original post regarding the closing of the ricoh-imaging.eu webshop more especially the Pentax part:
A lot of smaller items like lens hoods, small parts like protective covers are out of stock for more than a year. Although available through other channels on special order, e.g. I needed a new lens hood for my DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 (PH-RBK 67mm) as it was out of stock at the ricoh-imaging webshop for more than a year, I did not have great expectations to find a new one. I finally contacted a local store and they ordered the part and got it in around 14 days. It is obvious the contract with the subcontractor maintaining the webshop has been terminated and Ricoh is planning a restructuring of the way they bring their products to the market. Let's hope it will be a positive move.
The only gripe I have is that they are no plans of migrating the user database of the webshop and that you loose your loyalty points if you do not take them before closing.
Regarding the user database I am of the opinion it is more a legal issue regarding European GDPR legislation (user data)

[JPT]

Given that the new strategy in Japan seems to be mainly about selling more directly to customers, I think this is part of strengthening the online sales presence in Europe. I think it will probably work out with a better online presence, customer contact and store for European customers.

I think the GDPR point may be important. According to the compliance training I did the other day (fun, fun, fun!) the GDPR prevents data taken for one reason from being used to do something else. They might not feel they have a legal foundation to do the customer contact they want to do with the old ID. If they ask you to register for a new ID and ask if it's OK to send you direct mails and so on, perhaps they'll be able to do more of what they do with customers in Japan.

The separation of Pentax and Ricoh GR is something that has been subtlety been happening for a while now. From what I understand, they are basically going to operate like independent divisions within RICOH IMAGING. I guess they have found that even through the two brands complement each other, there is little synergy between them and it makes more sense to let them operate separately. After all, GR has a very minimalist image and Pentax is anything but minimalist.

Anyway, I think this is going to work out well for European customers because the sales situation has been quite poor for a while now. Chances are it will be for the better.

[slartibartfast01]

Given that the new strategy in Japan seems to be mainly about selling more directly to customers, I think this is part of strengthening the online sales presence in Europe. I think it will probably work out with a better online presence, customer contact and store for European customers.

I think the GDPR point may be important. According to the compliance training I did the other day (fun, fun, fun!) the GDPR prevents data taken for one reason from being used to do something else. They might not feel they have a legal foundation to do the customer contact they want to do with the old ID. If they ask you to register for a new ID and ask if it's OK to send you direct mails and so on, perhaps they'll be able to do more of what they do with customers in Japan.

The separation of Pentax and Ricoh GR is something that has been subtlety been happening for a while now. From what I understand, they are basically going to operate like independent divisions within RICOH IMAGING. I guess they have found that even through the two brands complement each other, there is little synergy between them and it makes more sense to let them operate separately. After all, GR has a very minimalist image and Pentax is anything but minimalist.

Anyway, I think this is going to work out well for European customers because the sales situation has been quite poor for a while now. Chances are it will be for the better.

Maybe they intend to run the new Web Store themselves rather than through an independent distributor. GDPR probably doesn't allow the transfer of data from Luzern to Ricoh.

[reh321]

Maybe they intend to run the new Web Store themselves rather than through an independent distributor. GDPR probably doesn't allow the transfer of data from Luzern to Ricoh.

The U.S. may eventually get some sort of Pentax online presence, but listening to what European users face, we are so fortunate to be served by B&H. They will never serve the feedback function, but in general they do the “hand holding” without ever missing a beat.

I don’t know whether Rich/Pentax officially/unofficially monitors the discussions here, but they could learn so much by simply listening to the complaints that do ooze out at times.

[Kunzite]

Maybe they intend to run the new Web Store themselves rather than through an independent distributor. GDPR probably doesn't allow the transfer of data from Luzern to Ricoh.

Or it's just too complicated technically, due to different platforms being used for the old and new sites.

[H. Sapiens]

It is pretty obvious to me that Ricoh finally have realized that there is a difference between selling products and services to consumers vs businesses. And that the person who buys and GRiii have a different perspective than the one who buy a K1ii. We might like to see ourselves as semiprofessional consumers making rational choices - and 5 procent of us might do so. The rest of us buy a 21mm f2.4 because it looks sexy and we see some nice photos taken with it.


More than ever before cameras are lifestyle products. I expect to see a site that reflect this. The new Tokyo clubhouse is designed with serious vintage vibes and nostalgia, and I would not be surprised to see that reflected in the new Pentax site, complimented with some geeky stuff about technological advances etc.

[TwoUptons]

How does Ricoh Europe do the business to business part of the Ricoh imaging portfolio?

Theta seems to be the main part of that, but there's also the Ricoh ruggedized cameras.
And would the Pentax IR camera they did a few years back fall into that category (since it was aimed at museums, etc.)? How about the consumer compacts?

But that seems to fairly naturally split everything into three: GR, Pentax, and Theta/Business, with a little overlap among the three...
So maybe the GR site sells some Thetas and maybe the Pentax site sells the IR conversions (which to me would be helped with a monochrome DSLR).
Though who sells the consumer-grade compacts?

-Eric

[Smolk]

My home was photographed, videoed, and 3D-ed as well as measured the other day in order to sell it.
The photographer used for these tasks respectively a Canon EOS R, Ricoh Theta and some Leica instrument I'd never seen before which took 3D measurements.
Horses for courses.

[reh321]

Referring to the original post regarding the closing of the ricoh-imaging.eu webshop more especially the Pentax part:
A lot of smaller items like lens hoods, small parts like protective covers are out of stock for more than a year. Although available through other channels on special order, e.g. I needed a new lens hood for my DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 (PH-RBK 67mm) as it was out of stock at the ricoh-imaging webshop for more than a year, I did not have great expectations to find a new one. I finally contacted a local store and they ordered the part and got it in around 14 days. It is obvious the contract with the subcontractor maintaining the webshop has been terminated and Ricoh is planning a restructuring of the way they bring their products to the market. Let's hope it will be a positive move.
The only gripe I have is that they are no plans of migrating the user database of the webshop and that you loose your loyalty points if you do not take them before closing.
Regarding the user database I am of the opinion it is more a legal issue regarding European GDPR legislation (user data)

I had thought of getting one of their “ribbons” for my “Q”. Possibly more likely if I could get it directly from Ricoh. Less likely if it turns out to be a ‘one shot’ thing.

[Tipptoggy]

I've received an e-mail, saying that the Ricoh Imaging Europe website will be closed - and brand oriented websites will be launched instead.
That's in the line with the launching of a Pentax Clubhouse in Japan; except it seems the first sign of things happening outside Japan.

They say:
"We are currently creating new exciting websites for you. Our new websites will be brand oriented and will therefore have greater value for you. The first website will be opening soon."
- and they advise me to download all the invoices and so on until September 5th, because these won't be transferred (don't have any).

I don't know what to say about this separation of marketing efforts. Wouldn't it make more sense to integrate instead?
OTOH, I'd be glad to see pentax.* sites again.

Here in Ireland Ricoh is regarded as an office copier company, good idea to take Pentax out on it's own.

[Sandy Hancock]

Here in Ireland Ricoh is regarded as an office copier company

So is Canon
Sony traditionally made stereos and TV's.

Companies diversify.

By the way, my (Irish born) wife and I drove through Cashel and visited The Rock in 2016. It's glorious country

[robbiec]

I'm looking forward to seeing the new Pentax focused websites. I used all up my loyalty points getting a nearly free super fast charger for the K-3iii so no issue with the transfer across. Feels and sounds like Ricoh are shifting to a new advertising partner (my opinion) and the new one might be in direct competition with the current one thus creating an issue bringing historical data across. We'll wait and see, I'm positive.

OT - there is a Ricoh copier centre around the corner from the vet I use. Must pop in some day and see if they have a stash of *'s sitting on a pallet in the corner of the warehouse