[derekkite]

The mirrorless wars are probably best sat out. The big three are going to go at each other with hammers and tongs, expecting their user base to throw away their lenses for a new platform. Pentax can sell their production, make money and pick out niche opportunities that are to small for the big guys. And take advantage of the electronics developed.

The 645z created a market segment. It is a limited market and they could serve it. The K1 is a segment that they can serve well. We shall see what they come up with next. They seem to get my money regularly.

[Rondec]

Pentax marketing is one of the worst as I said many times and sadly the brand will be out of business soon unless some other major brands buy Pentax out.

I agree their marketing isn't good, but I don't see any signs that they will soon be out of business.

[Oakland Rob]

Yeah, I doubt they even have somebody who does marketing in the US. Even stuff like getting cameras and lenses to reviewers seems a chore. Indeed, has anyone even found a customer rep for Pentax in the US that'll answer an email?

As to mirrorless wars, yeah, that would kinda be a waste for Pentax. Either buy a Sony or do what quite a few Pentax users do—buy the unofficial Pentax mirrorless, an M43. A great complement if you need mirrorless benefits. Pentax glass is really popular on M43 for good reason.

[texandrews]

Indeed, has anyone even found a customer rep for Pentax in the US that'll answer an email?

Well, one of my best friends is an independent Pentax rep, and has always answered emails. Sadly, this person gets little support from the sales manager and/or marketing people up the food chain. So, you might get an email back, but it would have little info.....

[tax]

With a recent announcement of new Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless weather sealed with 5-axis IBIS cameras, the major marketing advantage of Pentax for the new users remains, as I see it, in the following:
1. More affordable price. I chose Pentax K-1 in the first place because of its much lower than comparable CaNikon cameras' price. If Pentax can fulfill their promise to issue more K-mount lenses, then the company may retain its niche on the market as a last remaining producer of affordable professional DSLRs.
2. Possibility of universal lens mounts. Pentax engineers may try to reverse engineer lens mounts for Nikon, Canon, Sony and other mirrorless cameras and produce respective lens adapters for their own K-mount DSLR bodies. What is perceived to be a DSLR disadvantage, a longer focusing distance between its sensor and a lens, may be used for its advantage, the ability to mount any short flange mirrorless lens using a proper adapter. Then Pentax may position itself as truly universal mount DSLRs which are able to utilize any modern mirrorless lens on the market.
3. Longer battery life. DSLR has a much lower power consumption than any mirrorless EVF camera. Which means that Pentax can pack more circuitry and new features in their DSLRs, while maintaining acceptable numbers of shots per battery charge. In this respect, Pentax may position itself as the most feature packed DSLRs on the market with a longer battery Life (CIPA) than all comparable mirrorless EVF cameras.
4. DSLR upgradeablity options. Pentax may use their DSLR upgradeability as an additional marketing point, if Pentax would allow to upgrade their DSLRs, similarly to K-1 Mark II, for all their forthcoming DSLR cameras at a fraction of a cost for a new one. Imagine, you can upgrade your camera motherboard or even its sensor for the next two-three generations instead of buying new cameras. No one offered this in the CaNikon camp yet.
5. Comparative in store advertisement. Every time going to COSTCO (a US big box membership based wholesale store), I see a display with a bunch of prosumer CaNikon cameras. Some of them cost as much as K-1. I asked once a store manager, why don't they have any Pentax cameras on display? The manager told me that they will be glad to sell Pentax cameras, had Pentax contacted them and committed to maintain a stock of all their cameras offered through COSTCO to its members. Here is another, relatively low cost marketing opportunity for Pentax. No million dollar advertisement campaigns, jut put your cameras on a store display and let the public compare them with similarly priced but less advanced CaNikon brethren.

I believe, these may be relatively low cost solutions for Pentax for maintaining its DSLR presence on the market and obtaining new users.

[BigMackCam]

Pentax marketing is one of the worst as I said many times and sadly the brand will be out of business soon unless some other major brands buy Pentax out.

With respect, do you have evidence of that, or is that just an opinion? You're perfectly entitled to the latter, of course...

Pentax marketing has been dreadful for years, yet there remains a very strong and - from what I can tell, post K-1 and K-1II - growing user base who seem to keep buying cameras and lenses. Plus, Ricoh Imaging seems to be running a lean operation and focusing development resources on a very limited range of products at any one time. In fact, I'd suggest there's more brand-risk in that than there is in the lack of marketing. Even so, the new products are gradually appearing.

I really don't think we have anything to worry about regarding Ricoh Imaging and Pentax

[Oakland Rob]

With respect, do you have evidence of that, or is that just an opinion? You're perfectly entitled to the latter, of course...

Pentax marketing has been dreadful for years, yet there remains a very strong and - from what I can tell, post K-1 and K-1II - growing user base who seem to keep buying cameras and lenses. Plus, Ricoh Imaging seems to be running a lean operation and focusing development resources on a very limited range of products at any one time. In fact, I'd suggest there's more brand-risk in that than there is in the lack of marketing. Even so, the new products are gradually appearing.

I really don't think we have anything to worry about regarding Ricoh Imaging and Pentax

Yeah, a decision not to invest in marketing and thus keeping costs low might be a Good Thing for Pentax's future. I'm no MBA, but in a world where ILCs are a niche product maybe Pentax is acting more sensibly than those companies who do biz as usual.

[Tam]

In my opinion (admittedly just informed enough to be wrong), Ricoh, to their detriment, doesn't push much in the UK market.

Given how stiff prices for all UK consumer electronics are vis-a-vis the US and other major markets, the K1 would probably garner greater market share than it currently possesses if people were reliably aware of its features and specs. I am a relative newcomer to hobbyist photography. I decided to switch from the poor resolution of micro-four thirds to a full-frame camera simply on the grounds the K-Mount legacy lens collection offered so many affordable options for stills photography. While Panasonic/Olympus camera bodies offer great features for the money, the lenses cost a fortune that's prohibitive to any hobbyist.

Contrary to the wisdom of the beancounters, access to legacy lenses benefits sales of current production, as well. My next modern lens purchases were decided purely on consideration of the satisfaction I had with their ancestral counterparts. If I was forced to "buy it before you try it" at full retail price, they wouldn't be on my radar.

It didn't take much soul searching on my part to make the jump. There must surely be a vast untapped market of potential suckers like myself they leave on the table.

Ricoh's copy machines/printers compete successfully here. So it's not as if the market isn't on their radar, as a whole. In fact, I was actually quite excited to find out Pentax was a subsidiary of Ricoh, as I'd seen the quality of their print output versus Canon, Konika Minolta, Xerox, etc for "off the glass" copying. Simply put, they know good optical sensor technology. I imagine a lot people working in offices with Ricoh equipment would gravitate towards Pentax on name recognition alone, if they connected the two.

It's troubling to read about foreboding surrounding the future of Pentax. From what I can see, it wouldn't take much vision and investment on Ricoh's part to turn things around. But such is the age we live in when everything is in the domain of multinational conglomerates ruled by beancounters.

[Seb]

Just my 2 Cents: Let's assume someone makes the step from his or her say bridge cam to a interchangeable lens cam. Some of this people simply don't put Pentax on their list, because they don't know much about it. Two attempts of explanation:

1. When you enter a consumer oriented electronic store with washing machines, TVs, and a few cams, you most likely won't see Pentax

2. As far as I see it, Pentax is doing almost nothing to make Pentax some kind of a lifestyle product. Other brands do it! To me marketing means that you have a certain kind of feeling when you buy a product - besides the specs!

A few years ago Olympus created a place they called "Photographic Playground", where they gave you an Olympus OM-D and sent you in an old industrial hall with some fancy light installations oder other cool things. Every cam would have made good pictures there , but you came home with a good feeling. I was already a loyal Pentax shooter at that time, but I must confess that this impressed me. I was definitely checking specs and prices of Oly cams.

Bottom line: Pentax needs a certain "Coolness" of "Feeling" - but wait, being the underdog is a feeling too, isn't it?

[texandrews]

Just my 2 Cents: Let's assume someone makes the step from his or her say bridge cam to a interchangeable lens cam. Some of this people simply don't put Pentax on their list, because they don't know much about it. Two attempts of explanation:

1. When you enter a consumer oriented electronic store with washing machines, TVs, and a few cams, you most likely won't see Pentax

2. As far as I see it, Pentax is doing almost nothing to make Pentax some kind of a lifestyle product. Other brands do it! To me marketing means that you have a certain kind of feeling when you buy a product - besides the specs!

A few years ago Olympus created a place they called "Photographic Playground", where they gave you an Olympus OM-D and sent you in an old industrial hall with some fancy light installations oder other cool things. Every cam would have made good pictures there , but you came home with a good feeling. I was already a loyal Pentax shooter at that time, but I must confess that this impressed me. I was definitely checking specs and prices of Oly cams.

Bottom line: Pentax needs a certain "Coolness" of "Feeling" - but wait, being the underdog is a feeling too, isn't it?

I think increasingly most manufacturers are looking at the enthusiast and the small pro market as the place to sell most of their stuff. You can see it in the kind of devices they are rolling out. They aren't the things you used to see in consumer electronics stores about 6-12 years ago---the glory days of the digital camera boom. The whole market has changed. In an odd way, this may benefit Pentax. I think they are managing as a niche player, and can continue to do so. They won't be very exciting, but that's OK. My problem is not that they don't have splashy marketing, but that they seem to have none at all of any kind. They should be quietly marketing to knowledgeable photographers, reaching out to them, providing support, and giving a clearer sense of the future. It's not like they need to keep it a secret---who's going to copy them, Sony, Nikon or Canon? Highly unlikely!

[Seb]

I think increasingly most manufacturers are looking at the enthusiast and the small pro market as the place to sell most of their stuff. You can see it in the kind of devices they are rolling out. They aren't the things you used to see in consumer electronics stores about 6-12 years ago---the glory days of the digital camera boom. The whole market has changed. In an odd way, this may benefit Pentax. I think they are managing as a niche player, and can continue to do so. They won't be very exciting, but that's OK. My problem is not that they don't have splashy marketing, but that they seem to have none at all of any kind. They should be quietly marketing to knowledgeable photographers, reaching out to them, providing support, and giving a clearer sense of the future. It's not like they need to keep it a secret---who's going to copy them, Sony, Nikon or Canon? Highly unlikely!

I absolutely agree with the splashy marketing and the targeted marketing thing. Since digital photography days they had always a kind of insider tip image (just my impression). This summer I've been to British Columbia, pacific northwest of the US and Hawaii. I saw 4 Pentax Cams in 5 1/2 weeks. I guess it is not about weight and size, cause there was tons of Canon 5d MK something and Nikon D8X0. This is by far no valid statistic!! I think it is about giving people the opportunity to test a K1 II at a nice place. You say it's okay that they aren't very exiting. I tend to agree. BUT they still say the Beatles used Pentax decades ago. You could interpret that as an attempt to be exciting. Nowadays (and that would be marketing, too) it would be interesting if famous bands would use Pentax BECAUSE they are a niche player.

Back to the actual topic: If they really refused to give Tony Northrup a K1 as I read somewhere here it would have been a mistake in terms of marketing.

Are they making such events as Nikon did with the Z6 and Z7? It is a smart move to invite the influencers, give them a cam, enough Champagne and time to test the cams. There was even a nice dinner I heard.

[biz-engineer]

My problem is not that they don't have splashy marketing, but that they seem to have none at all of any kind. They should be quietly marketing to knowledgeable photographers, reaching out to them, providing support, and giving a clearer sense of the future. It's not like they need to keep it a secret---who's going to copy them, Sony, Nikon or Canon? Highly unlikely!

Fuji are doing it well. They have a few people responsible to collect images of Fuji users and publish a magazine to show case camera products, I think the magazine is not free, Fuji users can subscribe to receive it. Fuji also contact professional photographers who are already offering workshops and offer them to supply a set of Fuji cameras and lenses for the workshops, students can play with Fuji cameras. It's not splashy marketing, it's marketing via the backdoor, and it works.

[mohb]

As far as I see it, Pentax is doing almost nothing to make Pentax some kind of a lifestyle product.

I thought owning a Pentax labelled you as " a photographer" whereas Canikon Just labels you as "a camera owner"

[Seb]

I thought owning a Pentax labelled you as " a photographer" whereas Canikon Just labels you as "a camera owner"

True!! As long as the camera sales are stable to keep Pentax running there is nothing to say against this classification.

[Pentax_WA]

We can all argue and justify Pentax's action all the day long. As someone with a strong business background, Ricoh isn't doing anything major to benefit the brand. Pentax barely attracts new customers if any and the current supporters, including myself, don't buy every new item the company releases. Continuing like this, the only source of revenue to continue its development would be directly through Ricoh itself which isn't financially doing well either. If you understand business operation, finance and market strategy concept, then you understand what I'm talking about. If not, you will continue to justify your non-business oriented mindset.