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Michael Piziak · 07-09-2021, 07:18 PM - **1 Like**

Article:

These are Japan's 5 favorite camera brands? you won't believe who's first! | Digital Camera World

**NZ_Ross** · 07-09-2021, 07:36 PM

That is a really interesting article, thanks for sharing the link

Unregistered User 8 · 07-09-2021, 07:44 PM

This article was News in May, but not anymore. Moved to General Photography.

Michael Piziak · 07-09-2021, 08:29 PM

Since the article is before the study ended - I wander if Pentax kept its lead. If anyone has a link to the final study/article, please share.

Regards,

Michael

**pentaxus** · 07-09-2021, 09:20 PM

I believe it. Pentax is my favorite brand.

biz-engineer · 07-09-2021, 11:22 PM - **1 Like**

Until now, Pentax followed the old kaizen approach of successive refinement of their fully featured cameras.

During the last decade, other brands moved away from that traditional kaizen model:
- disrupted lens mounts compatibility (e.g nearly all brands, except Leica and Pentax)
- frequent releases of new camera models (programmed obsolescence, e.g Sony) with unfinished firmware
- frequent firmware updates after releases of new camera models (e.g Fujifilm)
- crippled camera models to avoid cannibalization of other products (e.g Nikon, Canon)
- proprietary RAW files (e.g. no DNG, unlike Pentax and Leica)

For customers having a certain experience and maturity, Pentax may well be the favorite.

JPT · 07-09-2021, 11:30 PM

Ricoh/Pentax does well in these surveys online. Another thing I'v enoticed recently is that when Nokishita (a camera rumor twitter account) publishes news of upcoming Pentax or Ricoh news, no matter how minor, they get quite a lot of likes compared to news about other brands.

Perhaps people just tend to show support for the underdogs. Perhaps it means more.

AfterPentax Mark II · 07-10-2021, 01:58 AM

Originally posted by Michael Piziak

Article:

These are Japan's 5 favorite camera brands? you won't believe who's first! | Digital Camera World

I do not believe it. I think it is more about all the compact camera's under the Ricoh brand than Pentax camera's under the Ricoh brand. It would have made much more sense if only the name Pentax was used or only Ricoh. Sales figures point otherwise I think or they must have put the question to older people and taken their span of life into account.

**clickclick** · 07-10-2021, 11:45 AM

Big smile. We know from the videos released as part of the K-3 III launch that a large emphasis is placed on the experience of the photographic process as well as the result. I'd have to say Pentax/Ricoh is on to something here.

**Kevin B123** · 07-10-2021, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by AfterPentax Mark II

I do not believe it. I think it is more about all the compact camera's under the Ricoh brand than Pentax camera's under the Ricoh brand.

I doubt that the GRiii is overwhelming the entire market with all it's marques and models all on it's own. That would be something if it was, and there would have to be another version pronto to continue the dominance.

AfterPentax Mark II · 07-10-2021, 02:32 PM

Originally posted by Kevin B123

I doubt that the GRiii is overwhelming the entire market with all it's marques and models all on it's own. That would be something if it was, and there would have to be another version pronto to continue the dominance.

Do not forget the popular Theta!

**DWS1** · 07-10-2021, 07:27 PM

This doesn't really surprise me. Pentax and Nikon were original Japanese optical companies that helped bring Japan back from WWII. They were the leaders in the Japanese camera market. Most of the others were consumer electronic companies that got into the camera business to capitalize off what Pentax, Nikon, and Canon to a lesser extent were building. The sentiment toward those who started this and are still around goes a long way in choosing a favorite. The poll didn't ask which was best, sold the most, or what you would buy. It asked which is your favorite.

**mroeder75** · 07-10-2021, 09:47 PM

Originally posted by Michael Piziak

Since the article is before the study ended - I wander if Pentax kept its lead. If anyone has a link to the final study/article, please share.

Regards,

Michael

I don't understand Japanese language characters. I understand bar graphs and numbers. Here is the final survey result:

??????????????????????????????2021????????????????? | ???????

Pentax on top, by a considerable margin: 25.7% v. Nikon at 19.5%

JPT · 07-10-2021, 11:57 PM

Originally posted by DWS1

This doesn't really surprise me. Pentax and Nikon were original Japanese optical companies that helped bring Japan back from WWII. They were the leaders in the Japanese camera market. Most of the others were consumer electronic companies that got into the camera business to capitalize off what Pentax, Nikon, and Canon to a lesser extent were building. The sentiment toward those who started this and are still around goes a long way in choosing a favorite. The poll didn't ask which was best, sold the most, or what you would buy. It asked which is your favorite.

I think this is true and the survey does not mean much in practical terms. But it seems there is a lot of goodwill for Ricoh/Pentax. If there was a Ricoh or Pentax product that looked good to them, the brand label would be a plus, not a reason to avoid it.

stevebrot · 07-12-2021, 09:42 AM

I seem to remember this "survey" being discussed elsewhere on this site a few month ago.

And to round out the sites that pointed to that survey...

https://pentaxrumors.com/2021/05/14/favorite-digital-camera-makers-in-japan/

Steve

07-09-2021, 07:18 PM - 1 Like	#1
Michael Piziak Closed Account Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,815	Pentax, Japan's favorite camera brand? Article: These are Japan's 5 favorite camera brands? you won't believe who's first! \| Digital Camera World

07-12-2021, 09:42 AM	#15
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	I seem to remember this "survey" being discussed elsewhere on this site a few month ago. And to round out the sites that pointed to that survey... https://pentaxrumors.com/2021/05/14/favorite-digital-camera-makers-in-japan/ Steve Last edited by stevebrot; 07-12-2021 at 09:48 AM.

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07-09-2021, 07:36 PM	#2
NZ_Ross Kiwi Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Timaru Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,225	That is a really interesting article, thanks for sharing the link

07-09-2021, 07:44 PM	#3
Unregistered User 8 Closed Account Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,694	This article was News in May, but not anymore. Moved to General Photography.

07-09-2021, 08:29 PM	#4
Michael Piziak Closed Account Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,815 Original Poster	Since the article is before the study ended - I wander if Pentax kept its lead. If anyone has a link to the final study/article, please share. Regards, Michael

07-09-2021, 09:20 PM	#5
pentaxus Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Central Coast, CA Posts: 1,320	I believe it. Pentax is my favorite brand.

07-09-2021, 11:22 PM - 1 Like	#6
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,252	Until now, Pentax followed the old kaizen approach of successive refinement of their fully featured cameras. During the last decade, other brands moved away from that traditional kaizen model: - disrupted lens mounts compatibility (e.g nearly all brands, except Leica and Pentax) - frequent releases of new camera models (programmed obsolescence, e.g Sony) with unfinished firmware - frequent firmware updates after releases of new camera models (e.g Fujifilm) - crippled camera models to avoid cannibalization of other products (e.g Nikon, Canon) - proprietary RAW files (e.g. no DNG, unlike Pentax and Leica) For customers having a certain experience and maturity, Pentax may well be the favorite.

07-09-2021, 11:30 PM	#7
JPT Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,821	Ricoh/Pentax does well in these surveys online. Another thing I'v enoticed recently is that when Nokishita (a camera rumor twitter account) publishes news of upcoming Pentax or Ricoh news, no matter how minor, they get quite a lot of likes compared to news about other brands. Perhaps people just tend to show support for the underdogs. Perhaps it means more.

07-10-2021, 01:58 AM	#8
AfterPentax Mark II Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2021 Posts: 1,467	Originally posted by Michael Piziak Article: These are Japan's 5 favorite camera brands? you won't believe who's first! \| Digital Camera World I do not believe it. I think it is more about all the compact camera's under the Ricoh brand than Pentax camera's under the Ricoh brand. It would have made much more sense if only the name Pentax was used or only Ricoh. Sales figures point otherwise I think or they must have put the question to older people and taken their span of life into account.

07-10-2021, 11:45 AM	#9
clickclick Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2016 Location: East Coast Posts: 2,904	Big smile. We know from the videos released as part of the K-3 III launch that a large emphasis is placed on the experience of the photographic process as well as the result. I'd have to say Pentax/Ricoh is on to something here.

07-10-2021, 01:37 PM	#10
Kevin B123 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Hampshire Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,189	Originally posted by AfterPentax Mark II I do not believe it. I think it is more about all the compact camera's under the Ricoh brand than Pentax camera's under the Ricoh brand. I doubt that the GRiii is overwhelming the entire market with all it's marques and models all on it's own. That would be something if it was, and there would have to be another version pronto to continue the dominance.

07-10-2021, 02:32 PM	#11
AfterPentax Mark II Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2021 Posts: 1,467	Originally posted by Kevin B123 I doubt that the GRiii is overwhelming the entire market with all it's marques and models all on it's own. That would be something if it was, and there would have to be another version pronto to continue the dominance. Do not forget the popular Theta!

07-10-2021, 07:27 PM	#12
DWS1 Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Arkansas, USA Posts: 1,169	This doesn't really surprise me. Pentax and Nikon were original Japanese optical companies that helped bring Japan back from WWII. They were the leaders in the Japanese camera market. Most of the others were consumer electronic companies that got into the camera business to capitalize off what Pentax, Nikon, and Canon to a lesser extent were building. The sentiment toward those who started this and are still around goes a long way in choosing a favorite. The poll didn't ask which was best, sold the most, or what you would buy. It asked which is your favorite.

07-10-2021, 09:47 PM	#13
mroeder75 Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Iowa Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,601	Originally posted by Michael Piziak Since the article is before the study ended - I wander if Pentax kept its lead. If anyone has a link to the final study/article, please share. Regards, Michael I don't understand Japanese language characters. I understand bar graphs and numbers. Here is the final survey result: ??????????????????????????????2021????????????????? \| ??????? Pentax on top, by a considerable margin: 25.7% v. Nikon at 19.5%

07-10-2021, 11:57 PM	#14
JPT Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Tokyo Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,821	Originally posted by DWS1 This doesn't really surprise me. Pentax and Nikon were original Japanese optical companies that helped bring Japan back from WWII. They were the leaders in the Japanese camera market. Most of the others were consumer electronic companies that got into the camera business to capitalize off what Pentax, Nikon, and Canon to a lesser extent were building. The sentiment toward those who started this and are still around goes a long way in choosing a favorite. The poll didn't ask which was best, sold the most, or what you would buy. It asked which is your favorite. I think this is true and the survey does not mean much in practical terms. But it seems there is a lot of goodwill for Ricoh/Pentax. If there was a Ricoh or Pentax product that looked good to them, the brand label would be a plus, not a reason to avoid it.

Pentax, Japan's favorite camera brand?

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