Originally posted by panonski ...
and they're much better at SALES / MARKET / COVERING positions - then Pentax.
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I remember that one times flagship OMD-1 from Oly - was way pushed forward with its firmware updates. They start at 1.0 - and if I remember good - the last one was at 4.0
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They implement focus stacking, and much more - from first release.
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*and I was always upset with that in mind,
when I switched to Pentax - and realise - that Pentax doesn't do that .
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So keeping this in my mind - I can tell that selling - the feature - wich others gave it for free during camera support lifespan - is dumb move - and specifically because you actually don't have much space to offer anything new to the customer.
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And somehow - die hard pentaxians - again - and again - finds out - their loyal brand - is doing the right thing.
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With such enthusiast one eye blinded market - Pentax will never be doomed
I am not certain how Uncle Vanya or my reactions could be said to be saying that Pentax is "doing the right thing." The only thing that I have said is that it isn't the same as a subscription.
Let's say a couple of things.
(1) The status quo for Pentax in the past would have been to add nothing new to Pentax cameras in the field. They have fixed bugs, added electronic shutter, and added new lens profiles, but that's about it. If they had continued that pattern, there would have been no new firmware to talk about and no one would have started a thread to complain that Pentax hadn't released a GND filter for their camera.
(2) As has been before mentioned, all of us who own one of these cameras will have the choice with regarding the GND. If we choose not to pay for it, our cameras continue to function just the way they always did. This is no ransomware attack and in point of fact, most people probably don't even have a reason to use an in-camera GND and would be better off purchasing physical filters.
(3) Pentax needs to continue generating income to survive as a company. If this is successful, they may offer other features "a la carte." The majority of features will be free, of course, but there are certain things -- video modes, astro modes, etc -- that the majority of folks wouldn't ever use, but that some people would be willing to pay additional money for. I think it is reasonable to look at some of these features down the road, just as they are looking at specialty cameras, like the all black K-3 III to generate a little additional interest and revenue.
Pentax makes plenty of mistakes. Maybe this is one of them. I just think that if Pentax releases a new lens, accessory, or even firmware update that I am not interested in, it doesn't hurt me one little bit to move on and not purchase it. I guess the only pain comes from the knowledge that something that I didn't even know existed a couple of days ago is now available for a price when I think it should have been free. Somehow that doesn't bother me too much and I won't think about it again, unless I re-visit this thread.