[p44f]

Interesting what reactions if someone sticks label over Ricoh .

[stevebrot]

Are we all really stupid?

Yes!

Do we all like it that way?

Yes!



Steve

[ChrisA]

This thread is genius.

When I get one I'm going to stick Nikon over the Pentax on the front, and stick D7200 over the K-3 on the side.

That'll get em going.

[mrNewt]

This thread is genius.

When I get one I'm going to stick Nikon over the Pentax on the front, and stick D7200 over the K-3 on the side.

That'll get em going.

Make sure you use a Leica neck strap

[Pioneer]

This is so amusing. I almost feel like I am back in high school again.

The minute someone expresses their own PERSONAL opinion of the fact that Ricoh decided that their name needed to be on the back of THEIR camera the mob erupts and races out equipped with pitchforks and rage to destroy them. The immaturity shown on this thread has nothing at all to do with LaurenOE's action. The immaturity is with the crowd that feels they must instantly leap up and shout down the few that do not agree.

It would appear that our right to FREELY express our personal opinion on the internet, and especially this forum, is not allowed unless that opinion matches that of the majority.

And, btw. Ricoh has never done me any favors. It is the other way around. By purchasing their product I am the one doing Ricoh a favor.

[Parallax]

It would appear that our right to FREELY express our personal opinion on the internet,

Let's clarify a few things.
No one is being prevented from speaking. Everyone is free to speak their mind here, as long as it is done within the rules set by the forum owner. (which the posts in this thread are, so no problem there.) Yes EVERYONE. Even those who disagree with what others have said.
The problem comes in when people confuse "freedom to speak" with freedom to say whatever they want without repercussion.

[LaurenOE]

This is so amusing. I almost feel like I am back in high school again.

The minute someone expresses their own PERSONAL opinion of the fact that Ricoh decided that their name needed to be on the back of THEIR camera the mob erupts and races out equipped with pitchforks and rage to destroy them. The immaturity shown on this thread has nothing at all to do with LaurenOE's action. The immaturity is with the crowd that feels they must instantly leap up and shout down the few that do not agree.

It would appear that our right to FREELY express our personal opinion on the internet, and especially this forum, is not allowed unless that opinion matches that of the majority.

And, btw. Ricoh has never done me any favors. It is the other way around. By purchasing their product I am the one doing Ricoh a favor.

Exactly.

I don't hate Ricoh, I turned that corner months ago.

However, after owning the K3 for a few weeks, and working with the camera, I searched for places where I could find substantiation for Ricoh being on the back of the camera.

I can't find anything that is "Ricoh" in the K3.
No special menu system.
No special feature that is found on Ricoh cameras only.
No transplanted technology.
Every single thing about the K3 screams of K5 mark III.

Indeed, the K3 is exactly what I thought a K5 update would be, and why I am buying more than one K3 in the future.

The K3 is a Pentax, plain and simple.
Putting Ricoh on the back of only two "reserved" places on a camera warrants a contribution that Ricoh doesn't deserve.

We don't see Acura logos on the front, and a Honda logo on the back.
No other company would even think about doing something as odd as that.

But Ricoh did exactly that.

So Ricoh, in a fit of insecurity - since they did nothing but green light an existing product in the pipeline - decided to start to manipulate my product/brand perception.

I mean even *if* Ricoh did do something inside the K3 that was so revolutionary, why is there no Ricoh camera with the same "pixie dust"?
Why has the Ricoh GXR faded quietly into oblivion?
Why is the Ricoh GR not doing that well?

As it turns out, Ricoh is not that great of a camera company.
Their contribution to an existing Pentax product is little more than window dressing.

To put Ricoh branding on anything that existed in the Hoya pipeline is an embarrassment in my opinion.

So thinking through all of these issues, and looking down at the back of my camera, made me stop the dissonance and cover the embarrassing name up.

Sure it's probably immature. I can live with being immature, as youth is sometimes implied!

What I *am* looking forward to, is a fusion of what the K-01 and GXR could have been.
I will be happy to see Ricoh on the front and back of that camera.

In the mean time, they should remove the Ricoh from the back of the K5 mark III.

---

Last edited by LaurenOE; 11-20-2013 at 12:02 PM.

[DennisH]

Everyone is free to do whatever they want with their money, their camera, and their tape. I just want to get that out there.

But surely you can't have started this thread with that title and not expected some of this reaction. It doesn't look like anyone is protesting anyone's right to cover anything, but if you can read some of the pro-tape posts and not conclude it's pretty silly stuff, then you have a higher tolerance for that kind if thing than I do. I just can't for the life of me figure out what difference it makes.

[jkobleur]

Ricoh and those of us that *do* care will work it out.

Lauren, I understand how you feel. The name matters because we "Pentaxians" have held out against Canikon and the other brands and have been loyal to our wonderful, quirky Pentax brand and we don't want to see it disappear. I also have a Savin copier which is now a Ricoh brand. If you love a Mustang it's not any less lovable because it is also a Ford. I seem to remember someone saying "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." I love Pentax and do not mind if Ricoh wants to bask in the reflected Pentax glory by putting their name on the back as long as they leave Pentax on the front. I think your modification to the rear of your K-3 is whimsical and interesting just like your (our) Pentax cameras.

[Lars]

This thread is genius.

When I get one I'm going to stick Nikon over the Pentax on the front, and stick D7200 over the K-3 on the side.

That'll get em going.

Why not D400

[LaurenOE]

Everyone is free to do whatever they want with their money, their camera, and their tape. I just want to get that out there.

But surely you can't have started this thread with that title and not expected some of this reaction. It doesn't look like anyone is protesting anyone's right to cover anything, but if you can read some if the pro-tape posts and not conclude it's pretty silly stuff, then you have a higher tolerance for that kind if thing than I do. I just can't for the life of me figure out what difference it makes.

I get it, sure.
Some folks follow sports teams their whole life.
Some folks follow an actor or actress (please no Kardashians).
Some folks only buy certain products or boycott others.
Apple/iFans anyone?

So why should Pentax be any different?
I have followed the brand since the 1980s.
It's my "team".

In all that time, Ricoh as a brand, has never risen to be noticed by me.
Not even when they produced K-mount cameras.
I had heard of Ricoh copiers, but never considered a Ricoh camera.

I was ambivalent for the most part towards Ricoh, until they started to kill Pentax on the web. That was the first step that ruffled my feathers.

Pentax is more than a brand to me, so it has everything to do with how big a fan anyone is towards the brand.

How many people still think of the Brooklyn Dodgers vs. LA Dodgers?

Until we "Old School" Pentaxians die off, we will fight for our team.

Can you imagine if before moving to LA, some members of the Brooklyn Dodgers showed up with uniforms reflecting "LA"?

[DennisH]

I own a Saab, so I've been through this before. I chose to look at the GM takeover as a chance to keep the company going and put more Saabs on the road. My car still says Saab on it (with GM labeled parts), it's a turbo, it drives like a European car, and the ignition is in the console. It's a Saab. I don't think about GM when I drive it.

As a Saab owner, I also know what happens when a company takes over and doesn't know what it's doing. Ricoh so far seems to get it, and it seems to want to make Pentax succeed. It seems like we should be thankful for that.

[alcstudios]

This is so amusing. I almost feel like I am back in high school again.

The minute someone expresses their own PERSONAL opinion of the fact that Ricoh decided that their name needed to be on the back of THEIR camera the mob erupts and races out equipped with pitchforks and rage to destroy them. The immaturity shown on this thread has nothing at all to do with LaurenOE's action. The immaturity is with the crowd that feels they must instantly leap up and shout down the few that do not agree.

It would appear that our right to FREELY express our personal opinion on the internet, and especially this forum, is not allowed unless that opinion matches that of the majority.

And, btw. Ricoh has never done me any favors. It is the other way around. By purchasing their product I am the one doing Ricoh a favor.

You acted like this in high school? you must be a really late bloomer.


"The immaturity shown on this thread has nothing at all to do with LaurenOE's action" I agree 100%, the immaturity started when she decided to post and brag about it like she is some kind of badass with tape and a marker, if she didn't want a reaction then she could have kept it to herself, if someone did call her "stupid" or "immature" then maybe the shoe fits.


And, btw. Ricoh doesn't need your favor, they will survive just fine with you going to another brand.... and take the "black tape bandit" and a few other whiners with you.

[LaurenOE]

I own a Saab, so I've been through this before. I chose to look at the GM takeover as a chance to keep the company going and put more Saabs on the road. My car still says Saab on it (with GM labeled parts), it's a turbo, it drives like a European car, and the ignition is in the console. It's a Saab. I don't think about GM when I drive it.

As a Saab owner, I also know what happens when a company takes over and doesn't know what it's doing. Ricoh so far seems to get it, and it seems to want to make Pentax succeed. It seems like we should be thankful for that.

I get it too.

But for me, the gig is up.
Like the K50/500 being a re-badged K30, the K3 is a K5 Mark III.

Unlike the K50/500, Ricoh decided to tag along for the ride.

All the claims about Ricoh being a steward of Pentax, and has the right to put their name on their cameras are weak excuses.

If Ricoh wants true brand loyalty, they are going to have to do better and write their own thesis instead of looking to tack themselves to better more award worthy colleagues.

The gig is up.

[DennisH]

I'm back to being drop-jawed.