Originally posted by amstel78 Let me ask you and the rest of the respondents here: do you truly believe Pentax is going to be around 10 to 20 years from now? I personally don't know. The way they're going, I don't think so. I believe at best case, the Pentax name will be sold off to another buyer who may or may not have its owners best interests at heart. But what do I know...
I certainly think the Pentax
brand will be around in 10 - 20 years time. There's too much of a loyal following for it not to be, and that following isn't the odd-ball group of Kool Aid drinking weirdos that some folks would like to believe, but mostly folks who really like and
enjoy shooting with the equipment, and mostly get what they want and need from it (with full appreciation that it has weaknesses, like any other gear). I underlined the "enjoy" part, because that's a big part of what Pentax brings to the table for me. I
enjoy shooting my Pentax cameras more than the Sony gear I own.
Whether that future is under Ricoh's ownership, who knows? It was bought by Hoya previously, then Ricoh who - in spite of a brutal stripping of brand value by Hoya - made a success of it... not at the same level as the old film days, but enough to be an interesting and viable brand that continues to be profitable enough to be worthwhile.
So long as Pentax stays relevant and true to a significant bunch of photographers - and I believe it will - it has a future, IMHO.