[BigMackCam]

And anyway... as we all know.... Pentax.... is.... D O O M E D !!!!!!!

[Tan68]

Nope. The judges are all wrong and have no sense of style. After all, our resident expert was not on the judging panel.

But, is it authentic design language. Anyone can design for the typical consumer. Before any design meaningful to a pro may be achieved, a designer will be the camera. Toes tickle the mount. Two mirrors flip as one. half press.. half press... ..exposure. Only then is it authentic.

+ The trouble starts when a designer is overeager to learn.. The designer becomes one with several different mounts. The designer fails to learn intimate details in a quest for broad experience. They risk being labeled 'promiscuous'.

[Chex]

Latest Pop Photo mag has a two page spread. Inside front cover and page one. Plus a full page on page 84, all on the K-1. Just saying...........

That's exactly what I'm talking about.. magazine ad's are not the largest audience by a LONG shot.
In years past, I've seen plenty of ad's for Canon and Nikon camera's, even on TV..
If I was in marketing, I would be aggressively using YouTube, Instagram & FB ad's. Print still works, but it's audience has diminished enormously as more and more quality content webpages are available, faster internet, more user friendly devices to get you there etc.. Just makes sense to market to the largest bases possible.

[jatrax]

That's exactly what I'm talking about.. magazine ad's are not the largest audience by a LONG shot.

So now you don't want them to advertise? Confused........

[RobA_Oz]

That's exactly what I'm talking about.. magazine ad's are not the largest audience by a LONG shot.
In years past, I've seen plenty of ad's for Canon and Nikon camera's, even on TV..
If I was in marketing, I would be aggressively using YouTube, Instagram & FB ad's. Print still works, but it's audience has diminished enormously as more and more quality content webpages are available, faster internet, more user friendly devices to get you there etc.. Just makes sense to market to the largest bases possible.

I should have thought that the appropriate advertising medium is the one that your target audience is likely to view. In saying that, I'm well aware that I don't have any knowledge of Ricoh's marketing strategy for Pentax, but I do assume they have one. I would expect the size of their advertising budget to be commensurate with their revenue. We should also not mistake advertising for marketing.

[HopelessTogger]

It is 'superior' only if the photographer has a need for this. Granted I suppose some do. The first thing I do with a new camera is put it in single center point focus and never touch it again. So anything more than one focus point is simply a waste of resources, for me.
I'm relatively immune to marketing hype as well but when faced with making a decision and picking "brand x" over "brand z" I'll admit sometimes all you can do is look at the specs, and even if you don't need 245 AF points that certainly SEEMS better than 33 so the camera with the better specs gets the nod, pricing being neutral of course.

At this point I know enough about what I want in a camera that I can ignore the hype (mostly). But from a marketing standpoint beating the other guys in meaningless specifications is a necessary part of the game.

For tracking and focusing outside the "usual box" it is very, very handy. I use it on the A6000 and wish Pentax had this capability.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Print still works, but it's audience has diminished enormously as more and more quality content webpages are available, faster internet, more user friendly devices to get you there etc.. Just makes sense to market to the largest bases possible.

To me, Pentax's failure to get their cameras into the big box stores is one of their biggest marketing short-comings. Their cameras look good and feel good in the hand, and I think if people could just see and handle them, Pentax would start to pick up market share.

My local Target had a white K-50 for a while a couple years ago, but after a few months it was gone, and the display spot where it had been stayed empty for quite a while. Other than that, I haven't seen a Pentax DSLR for sale anywhere locally.

[bobmaxja]

If you read. Most peoples buy at B&H, that the real reason most store dont carry Pentax in the USA

[RobA_Oz]

If you read. Most peoples buy at B&H, that the real reason most store dont carry Pentax in the USA

Surely that's a symptom of the problem, rather than a cause. Otherwise, there'd be no local shops for many more goods. People will buy locally if they can get things at the same price, even slightly more for complex or expensive items.

[BigMackCam]

Here in the UK, the big online photographic equipment suppliers with a high street presence generally do stock Pentax - SRS, Wex, Park... even Jessops carries a limited number of Pentax cameras and lenses. Consumer-electronics stores like Currys PC World don't... they tend to stock lower-end models from the other manufacturers. The smaller family-owned photography shops generally don't carry Pentax, but these shops are gradually disappearing as they just can't compete with online prices...

[Edgar_in_Indy]

If you read. Most peoples buy at B&H, that the real reason most store dont carry Pentax in the USA

I do read, thanks for asking! But I personally know many people who have bought Canon, Nikon, and Sony DSLR/mirrorless cameras at big, local retailers. But if you're talking about Pentax specifically, then yeah, you kind of have to buy online from stores like B&H since they're mostly not available in local stores in the US.

If Pentax could get their cameras into the big retailers, I think that would be a tremendous boost to their visibility. And I think they would sell, given their great ergonomics, and the way Pentax usually offers more features for less money in their bodies.

The only reason I didn't buy a Pentax sooner is because I didn't even know about them. I just happened to come across a blurb about the colorful new K-x on a tech blog, and once I checked it out I ended up selling my brand-new Canon t2i, which was the hot camera at the time with its new 18MP sensor and HD video. But the K-x just blew it out of the water in terms of value.

[jatrax]

But if you're talking about Pentax specifically, then yeah, you kind of have to buy online from stores like B&H since they're mostly not available in local stores in the US.

This is a classic 'catch 22'. General retailers are not going to allocate inventory dollars and precious shelf space to another camera brand without some assurance it will sell. Or other incentive such as the manufacturer offering spiffs, slotting fees, guaranteed sales, or extended dating. And if the camera is not in those retail outlets then the sales numbers don't take off to the point where the retailer is interested.

Getting your product into general retail can be done in two ways:
1) Boots on the ground, one store at a time. This is hard work and requires a talented and dedicated sales staff, as well as lots and lots of time. Decades to be honest.
2) Spend lots and lots of money on advertising, shelf promotional material and displays, pay slotting fees to get the product on the shelf. This takes really, really deep pockets.

Seeing Pentax on retailer shelves (in the USA) is not going to happen in the short term. Stop back in 10 years and see what Ricoh might have accomplished.

[bigdavephoto]

To be honest, I really don't want to see Pentax at my local wallyworld, even though it would be interesting to see the KS-2 on the shelf. What I would like to see is Pentax back in local camera stores that have a sales staff that could promote the product.


Here in central Indiana, we basically have two camera stores, Roberts Camera in Indianapolis and Jacks Camera in Muncie Indiana. Both a well stocked camera stores but the only way to get anything Pentax is in the used department. It's been awhile since I have been to Roberts so I don't know about the sales people there but after talking to one of the sales people at Jacks, Pentax needs to do something. He basically said that he thinks Pentax will be gone in a few years. This conversation took place shortly after Ricoh bought Pentax.


One of the things that Jared Polin said that sticks with me, and he has said it more then once, is that any camera is better than no camera and I agree.

[jatrax]

What I would like to see is Pentax back in local camera stores that have a sales staff that could promote the product.

What I said above applies to retail camera stores as well, but even more so. Small stores are often inventory dollars limited, meaning they have only so much money available to put inventory on the shelf. Manufacturers often help by offering extended dated. For example in the industry I work in it is common to ship product to the store in December or January and provide the store with a bill due June 30th. Essentially giving them a 6 month 'loan'. Of course the retailers pay for that loan in higher prices but usually they do not notice that.

So if a small camera store has limited shelf space and limited inventory dollars why would they allocate any of that to a brand that will command at best 5 to 10% of their sales? In other words, 80% of the customers that walk in the door can be taken care of by offering Nikon and Canon. Why risk money bringing in another brand for the small percentage of people who might be interested?

Ricoh could get back into camera stores but they would have to offer incentives to make that happen. That could be extended dating, slotting fees, sales spiffs, even guaranteed sales. I don't see any of that happening for the small mom & pop store because even if Ricoh offered all of that the sales volume would not justify the cost to Ricoh.

[Edgar_in_Indy]

Here in central Indiana, we basically have two camera stores, Roberts Camera in Indianapolis and Jacks Camera in Muncie Indiana. Both a well stocked camera stores but the only way to get anything Pentax is in the used department.

A couple months ago when I thought my K-30 was dead (it wasn't) I checked with Robert's because I was in a tight spot. They had no less than four used K-30's in stock in their downtown location, and two of them were even white. I thought that was interesting since I practically never see another Pentax DSLR in these parts.

I just can't believe that it's really such an insurmountable obstacle for Pentax to get DSLR's into stores. Afterall, they already have Pentax p&s cameras in hundreds of stores across the country. I think it's a business decision they've made for the US market, the reasons for which I cannot understand. Just like they have made the decision to do almost no advertising or other promotion in the US.