[LensBeginner]

So, if we knew exactly what Japanese look for in a camera, we would have a much better chance of understanding design and implementation decisions made by Pentax??

Kawaiiiii!!!

[reh321]

Kawaiiiii!!!

So the "Q" family shouldn't be on life support - it is definitely cute.

[monochrome]

And this is how the term "Boris Cleto'd" came into being.

And that's the rest of the story! Apologies to the late, great Andy Rooney I mean Paul Harvey.

I can give some background on that

.:

[LensBeginner]

So the "Q" family shouldn't be on life support - it is definitely cute.

To me, it's a mistery it existed at all... saw a deluge of those when I visited a BIC Camera some years ago...
I know you have one so I won't be too harsh

[monochrome]

In the end, more total bodies and more Pentax users in total will lead to more future demand. That part is pretty simple.
The only thing in question is will there actually be more Pentax users in total.
There are still a lot of people so caught up in the Nikon, Sony and Canon marketing that there are a lot of people looking to full frame who honestly believe a 6D or D600 would be better for them than a k-1. We've all heard the market speak ad nauseam.

Pentax did say half of K-1 users were new to Pentax, discussed in a thread that brought howls of indignation from the haters. So there is some actual evidence that the K-1 has already led to an increase in the number of Pentax users in total.

Pentax is essentially the K-mount. Everything else is derivative. The only thing that matters is the number of K-mounts in use in the market. Nothing behind the K-mount matters. K-mounts in use sell things that go in front of the K-mount. What’s in front of the K-mount matters.

Especially in Japan, a robust market of second-hand K-1’s is good for the Brand. Just let Pentax be Pentax. They know what’s what.

[reh321]

To me, it's a mistery it existed at all... saw a deluge of those when I visited a BIC Camera some years ago...
I know you have one so I won't be too harsh

I got mine because it meets my needs. I've never been able to afford a $$$$ birding lens, but I got a Q-7, Pentax adapter, Sigma 55-300mm lens, and Hoodman clone for well under $1K {I no longer remember exact amounts}; the quality is not what I would get with a $$$$ lens, but neither was the price. When I'm not going birding, I move it to a second {much smaller} bag, and it gives me much better pictures than the pocket camera it replaces, and it is essentially totally quiet when I'm asked to photograph something like a church ceremony.

As a bonus, it is my backup camera now. In the age of film, I kept my previous camera as my backup camera. When I went digital, I still had my last two film cameras, but I wasn't happy using them as "backup" - then my Canon Rebel died. I hadn't thought of that possibility - I didn't want to go back to film, and my Canon Elph wasn't up to the task. I felt naked without any primary camera, so I quickly purchased another Rebel and started researching. It was during that time that I discovered this place. I eventually purchased the Q-7 when I was ready to "replace" the Elph. The Rebel lasted just eighteen months, but by that time the Q-7 had proven itself (*), so I used the Q-7 when our younger daughter received her master degree {most likely the last degree to be received by our family}. Eventually, I ended up with a K-30, and the Q-7 resumed its normal role.

A couple of years ago, our older daughter moved from the West Coast back to the Midwest - a trip of perhaps 2500 miles. I took the train out there, and then served as her co-driver back here {she now lives slightly over 100 miles from us}. I needed to not take up too much room, so I brought the Q-7 with me, and it was a fine camera for that traveling.


(*) For example, my wife and I flew out west to San Diego to see our older daughter. I found myself using the Rebel outdoors, but the Q-7 indoors, because the Canon lenses I had were not stabilized.


https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/136-pentax-q/295959-best-bang-buck-long-...ml#post4261925

[rodaballo]

Japanese people must be very strange and/or may be a bit confused. It seems the are not aware of the serious issues regarding the K-1II that a famous internet website has reported about the camera and, as a result, suggests to look for other brands.

[reh321]

Japanese people must be very strange and/or may be a bit confused. It seems the are not aware of the serious issues regarding the K-1II that a famous internet website has reported about the camera and, as a result, suggests to look for other brands.

Actually, all that turmoil is what prompted my question. I believe the best scenario for the 'accelerator' involves users who want to take pictures with inferior lighting but don't want to PP - I am willing to believe that modern PP can do a good job on noise, but only if you use it. I was wondering if Japanese users are more like me .... able to do PP, but have other uses for their time.

[LensBeginner]

I got mine because it meets my needs. I've never been able to afford a $$$$ birding lens, but I got a Q-7, Pentax adapter, Sigma 55-300mm lens, and Hoodman clone for well under $1K {I no longer remember exact amounts}; the quality is not what I would get with a $$$$ lens, but neither was the price. When I'm not going birding, I move it to a second {much smaller} bag, and it gives me much better pictures than the pocket camera it replaces, and it is essentially totally quiet when I'm asked to photograph something like a church ceremony.

As a bonus, it is my backup camera now. In the age of film, I kept my previous camera as my backup camera. When I went digital, I still had my last two film cameras, but I wasn't happy using them as "backup" - then my Canon Rebel died. I hadn't thought of that possibility - I didn't want to go back to film, and my Canon Elph wasn't up to the task. I felt naked without any primary camera, so I quickly purchased another Rebel and started researching. It was during that time that I discovered this place. I eventually purchased the Q-7 when I was ready to "replace" the Elph. The Rebel lasted just eighteen months, but by that time the Q-7 had proven itself (*), so I used the Q-7 when our younger daughter received her master degree {most likely the last degree to be received by our family}. Eventually, I ended up with a K-30, and the Q-7 resumed its normal role.

A couple of years ago, our older daughter moved from the West Coast back to the Midwest - a trip of perhaps 2500 miles. I took the train out there, and then served as her co-driver back here {she now lives slightly over 100 miles from us}. I needed to not take up too much room, so I brought the Q-7 with me, and it was a fine camera for that traveling.


(*) For example, my wife and I flew out west to San Diego to see our older daughter. I found myself using the Rebel outdoors, but the Q-7 indoors, because the Canon lenses I had were not stabilized.


Best bang for the buck long 300mm tele for Q? - Page 5 - PentaxForums.com

Very interesting.
Yeah we all have different priorities... I'm happy talking the K-01 and sucking up the size difference.
With the 18-55 I get more than enough DoF anyway, so a Q would probably be too much for me.
No "wrong" and no "right" way to do it off course

[neokind]

There are two things I have observed that indicate that the K-1 II has has a successful launch in Japan - not stellar like the D850 or recent A7 cameras, but solid nonetheless.

Firstly, the position of all K-1 series cameras on kakaku.com has improved. (This is a price comparison site for online sellers)
- For several months the K-1 has been between 60th and 80th in ILC cameras.
- After the release, the K-1 price dropped and it went up to around 30th, even going above the KP, which has been the top Pentax almost constantly since it's release.
- Today, the K-1 II is at 45th, the K-1 at 55th, the K-1 silver at 118th, and the K-1 II lens kit at 121st. Given that K-1 sales are split across four kits now, that performance is not bad at all. The KP is back at 25th now, so still the top seller.
- You can see where the K-1 sits against other full frame DSLR kits at this link http://kakaku.com/camera/digital-slr-camera/itemlist.aspx?pdf_ma=14,58,251&pdf_Spec113=1 Hope the link works.

Secondly, Ricoh announced that the upgrade service would be delayed for some customers on May 31. The reason they gave was "we have received applications that far exceeded our initial expectation". So it looks like the upgrade service is popular too.

I think that Japanese customers are much more likely see the benefit of the accelerator because they tend to judge based on printed output. There are a number of influential print magazines that run reviews of cameras. What overseas websites think about pixel level detail won't bother them much.

I've seen links to this site posted several times here and I'll admit my ignorance. Is it a Japanese retail site with strong sales that is used as an indication of how well specific models are doing in the general market or is it an actual collection of data from the broader market? In either case, I suppose stability in their positions is okay. I'd like to see their sales be more growth minded, especially with some of the competitive features offered by the original K1.

While I've never owned a K1, I was lucky enough to have another local Pentaxian agree to meet me to show off his. It's a really great camera, as most of you already know. This past spring I took a photography course at a local college and was unsurprisingly the only Pentax owner in the class. Neither of the instructors had seen one in years. But when it came to showing off images or talking about camera features, they were very impressed with what my K3ii was capable of producing.

[JPT]

've seen links to this site posted several times here and I'll admit my ignorance. Is it a Japanese retail site with strong sales that is used as an indication of how well specific models are doing in the general market or is it an actual collection of data from the broader market? In either case, I suppose stability in their positions is okay. I'd like to see their sales be more growth minded, especially with some of the competitive features offered by the original K1.

I should probably clarify, since it's me that mentions it half the time. It's a price comparison site that indicates a sales ranking from the numerous online stores it covers. So it's more than just one store, but doesn't give an overall picture. If you look at it over time, it's an indication of how one model is doing relative to others in the past.

It's fair to say that most of the camera makers are very low key in their promotion in Japan at the moment. Only Canon is advertising on TV, and certain others have been very quiet with product introductions just like Ricoh (I'm thinking Olympus and Nikon). I'd like to see any of them more aggressive in promotion.

[neokind]

I should probably clarify, since it's me that mentions it half the time. It's a price comparison site that indicates a sales ranking from the numerous online stores it covers. So it's more than just one store, but doesn't give an overall picture. If you look at it over time, it's an indication of how one model is doing relative to others in the past.

It's fair to say that most of the camera makers are very low key in their promotion in Japan at the moment. Only Canon is advertising on TV, and certain others have been very quiet with product introductions just like Ricoh (I'm thinking Olympus and Nikon). I'd like to see any of them more aggressive in promotion.

Thanks for the response. I think the context is important for interpreting listings like this one. Do they scrape data from or is it offered by the online stores? I'm just curious.

[JPT]

Thanks for the response. I think the context is important for interpreting listings like this one. Do they scrape data from or is it offered by the online stores? I'm just curious.

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. I only present this as an indication, not comprehensive data. I think the only source that could give really full data would be CIPA, but in the data they show publicly, they don't break it down by model or manufacturer as far as I know.

The other thing that you can see from Kakaku.com is how many of the 50-60 retailers that typically stock Pentax still have stock. So it can indicate if a camera is close to discontinuation.

[neokind]

It's a good question and I don't know the answer. I only present this as an indication, not comprehensive data. I think the only source that could give really full data would be CIPA, but in the data they show publicly, they don't break it down by model or manufacturer as far as I know.

The other thing that you can see from Kakaku.com is how many of the 50-60 retailers that typically stock Pentax still have stock. So it can indicate if a camera is close to discontinuation.

That really is helpful info, especially for those who may be making a decision to buy now or wait for a new model. Similar in that respect to the product cycle info on macrumors.com. In the past, I was much more attuned to this kind of data in my decision making for electronics purchases. Anymore, I don’t care much. I just buy what I need when I need it. 😁