What the hell is Hoya thinking?! Europeans buy your lenses NOW!

Blue · 07-23-2009, 08:30 AM

Originally posted by koper

you can bay lenses from sigma
there is no need to bay original pentax lenses

I have seen an increase in the cost of Sigma lenses here in the U.S. Fore example about a year ago the Sigma 105mm was around $379 and it is currently $479.

MikePerham · 07-23-2009, 08:54 AM

Originally posted by rparmar

People who are justifying the Pentax price hike by comparing to Canikon prices are missing the point. Those two companies have market share, professional network, aftermarket support, product line and used gear way in excess of what Pentax can offer. One of Pentax's main advantages was price. Now that's gone, there's going to be far fewer people choosing Pentax, which will only mean further diminishing sales.

At the camera store where I deal, the staff are all Pentax fans and they sell a fair amount of Pentax gear. In the general market place Canon and Nikon have greater brand recognition and certainly the staff will not talk themselves out of a sale for someone wanting one of those brands. However, Pentax sits on the self with the other brands and while their market share may not be that of Nikon or Canon, I see more people using Pentax gear than I have since the 80's.

For my personal preference, I like the Pentax gear better than the competition, My K-7 and DA* lenses have no competition in my eyes. And I am not saying this as a "fan boy" type of comment, I simply prefer the Pentax formula.

poppyer · 07-23-2009, 09:39 AM

Exactly. That is what the story is about. pentax's revenue seems more and more depending on pentax fans.

And for existing old pentax fans, producing a cheap 50/1.7 make no sense, because we all have DA* 55/1.4 already. So pentax will (and have to) make some "better" lens to satisfy fans. But also keep in mind that less production quantity means more production cost. Eventually it will become Leica No.2

This is very interesting. Consider Sony as the opposite move who just release the cheap 50/1.8 and announce plenty of (cheap?) camera models. (and even flowing the rumor of a budgeted FF, a850?)

Alphonse · 07-23-2009, 11:02 AM

Originally posted by MikePerham

At the camera store where I deal, the staff are all Pentax fans and they sell a fair amount of Pentax gear. In the general market place Canon and Nikon have greater brand recognition and certainly the staff will not talk themselves out of a sale for someone wanting one of those brands. However, Pentax sits on the self with the other brands and while their market share may not be that of Nikon or Canon, I see more people using Pentax gear than I have since the 80's.

For my personal preference, I like the Pentax gear better than the competition, My K-7 and DA* lenses have no competition in my eyes. And I am not saying this as a "fan boy" type of comment, I simply prefer the Pentax formula.

Hi MikePerham,
I see your answer, you react as a fan boy as everybody on this website would have behaved. Everybody here know the quality of the Pentax stuff. I own myself the FA limited lenses trinity, one F macro lens, a FA 50mm f1.4, a 21mm Ltd DA. If I havent these lenses, how could I manage to tell the very-well-made work of Pentax.

No, the real foreabout is to be stead of a real beginner with no idea where to begin. Pentax? did he only hear about this brand if the so-saying professionals or the Canikon users snuffed Pentax? Please read the story of several pentaxians who should have bear the high self esteem of the Canikon users regarding their gears and look down our stuff.

How to defend a brand if we consider his price market strategy so bad for the newcomers. I would like to spread the fam of my favorite brand but how to make that if its only positive features - affordable quality of lenses, well good build camera - are now its drawbacks?

**Pål Jensen** · 07-23-2009, 01:32 PM

Originally posted by rparmar

People who are justifying the Pentax price hike by comparing to Canikon prices are missing the point. Those two companies have market share, professional network, aftermarket support, product line and used gear way in excess of what Pentax can offer. One of Pentax's main advantages was price. Now that's gone, there's going to be far fewer people choosing Pentax, which will only mean further diminishing sales.

Pentax main advantage has never been price (I don't think Pentax have had a main advantage). At best this is selective price comparisons.
Since I started frequenting Pentax forums in 1995 somebody have always whined about the expensive Pentax lenses. Some lenses are cheaper than Nikon and Canon; others aren't. Funnily enough there were countless whines about the expensive FA 50/1.4 cause the Canon 50/1.8 was cheaper. Not to mention the FA* 80-200/2.8!
Anyway, the latest price increases are mostly on low volume items bought by the Pentax fan anyway. The kit lenses are still competitive. I don't think this price increase will hurt Pentax one bit.

thibs · 07-23-2009, 01:56 PM