[ben-pentax]

So you wonder how Pentax is going to market it's products with no physical presence in many cities ?

The situation is even more interesting in Israel -
The Israeli importer (Karat) just updated a guy that contacted them with the simple question of where he can handle a K-7 in order ro decide if he wull but it or not.

The message from Karat - the K-7 WILL NOT be stocked in Israel and there is no way for you to handle it without purchase. You have to order, pay, wait for 21 business days (about 1 month) and then you'll get your camera. You should hope it's in good order, because if not, there is no way to exchange it with another one (no stock, remember ?) - it will be shipped to Europe and fixed. Sometime.

Well, till now only (only ....) Pentax lenses were not stocked in Israel, and now .....

BTW, for those interested in one more detail :
Karat import many electronics brands. Not just Pentax. Among them you can find another camera brand - Canon. Somehow, Canons ARE being stocked ..... bodies, lenses, flashes ..... Not just stocked - you can actually find them in most camera stores.

Any one has an idea when Oly will release an updated flagship ? Seems this is the way to move from my K10D.

[jimH]

Sounds like Karat doesn't want to sell Pentax very bad.

[koper]

i think karat is going to sell this camera in the next moth
all is the question of demand
most Israelis photographers use Nikon and canon cameras
the situation Will not change if pentax will not produce new lenses and teleconverter which every one wait more thane half year

[Jasvox]

sounds to me that this importer would rather rest balls on his face than sell Pentax gear.

Jason

[Prognathous]

Any one has an idea when Oly will release an updated flagship ? Seems this is the way to move from my K10D.

Why not get a K-7 from a gray importer or from abroad? Unless you shoot for a living, this situation doesn't sound critical enough to warrant a switch (unless you have other reasons to do so).

The E-3 is rumored to be replaced this year, but I doubt its successor would be as light and compact as the K-7, and it obviously won't support your K-mount lenses.

Sounds like Karat doesn't want to sell Pentax very bad.

Sound like Pentax doesn't really want to sell in Israel either. Not that I blame them, it's a tiny market that's hardly worth their very limited marketing efforts.

By the way, the situation for Sony users is not that different. The local importer (Isfar) doesn't bother with high-end bodies either. It's all gray import as far as I know.

Prog.

[redpigeons]

with Israel taxes on electronic the price of the K-7 will be so high that anyway I am not sure anyone will buy it .

find a friend that is going to new york ... or jut take a vacation

Karat is the importer of Canon that says it all.

the other thing you can do is go to Alenby street in Tel Aviv . lots of great camera stores and if i remember correctly its all gray market

[Pentaxor]

I remember the K20D was being sold there for around 1,500 (body only). while it was selling for only 1,200 internationally on other parts of the world.

[lawsonstone]

I love Israel. I travel there often, I teach Hebrew Bible. I take students to Israel.

In Israel, i was frustrated wanting to buy a lens for my K10D and finding nothing available.

But market-wise, the entire population of Israel is fewer than 8 million people. I think Pentax ought to put some effort in, but that market is not likely to change Pentax global share.

My impression is that Pentax is identifying market segments and channels where they can capture a solid chunk of users. So they're pulling back on brick and mortar stores, emphasizing online sales, etc.

I don't know if that's the best strategy, but that's what they seem to be doing.

[superfuzzy]

sounds to me that this importer would rather rest balls on his face than sell Pentax gear.
Jason

"would rather rest balls on his face" - that is an expression I have never heard

[Kerrowdown]

I'm just trying real hard not to visualise that image.

[Prognathous]

I wonder if Karat was starting to feel the heat from Pentax, because they've just announced a country-wide tour (or country-long, in the case of Israel) called "K-7 Challenge", in which they'll be demonstrating the camera and other Pentax gear in 11 different cities. This is definitely good news.

Prog.