[RiceHigh]

Well RH, there are only 10 of these available in the US, so it WILL be a collectors item, regardless of how "usable" it is in the future, anything that rare will only go UP in value !

If I buy into such special edition things, I shall collect it forever (at least with such an intention), please myself now, and will never think about its resale value.

I think the true Pentax collectors' items belong to the SE versions of the LX, but not any subsequent SE cameras or lenses, e.g., Z-1p SE (silver), MZ-3 kit (black body + black 43 Ltd).

[stewart_photo]

I bet very probably NOT. Digital gadgets will become garbage just in a few years. So unlike film gear collection, it will worth nothing and no-one will offer good price to buy into such historical thing which are light years ago but has no value in actual usage, under normal circumstances, most of the time.

Are you kidding me? The K10D is a fine camera with a history as well - the company's first real effort to penetrate the advanced/semi-pro DSLR market, first new advanced/semi-pro Pentax released in years, there during the Hoya/Pentax merger, won two huge & numerous lessor awards, and so on. A limited edition version of such a camera is almost certain to eventually be a desirable collectors item.

stewart

[aaalegre]

How did you find out that there is only 10 in the U.S?

[RiceHigh]

Are you kidding me? The K10D is a fine camera with a history as well - the company's first real effort to penetrate the advanced/semi-pro DSLR market, first new advanced/semi-pro Pentax released in years, there during the Hoya/Pentax merger, won two huge & numerous lessor awards, and so on. A limited edition version of such a camera is almost certain to eventually be a desirable collectors item.

stewart

I agree that the K10D is a milestone product for Pentax - at least they can stay in the market otherwise they have been quited.

However, I don't agree the K10D can be something regarded as flagship or true classical model of Pentax, unlike the LX, Z-1/p and MZ-S, which are the best products that Pentax tried the best to make (and put the best possible stuff into them). Nor it is sold at a higher price for up-market, e.g., the MZ-S still have better metal alloy construction, faster and more responsive AF, more accurate AF and metering and so on, than the K10D.

The upcoming K-1D would be, if there is really one to come. Pentax knows well how to name their product, doesn't she? Afterall, Pentax still has reservation in the K10D and they just didn't call it as a "1", otherwise, it would be very sad (regarding the performance level of the 10D, which deserves only at a lower level than the true flagship)

As for whether the K10D GP Edition will become a hot collector item after a few years, no one knows exactly. But my bet is that it will probably NOT.

My two cents.

[stewart_photo]

(snip) The upcoming K-1D would be, if there is really one to come. Pentax knows well how to name their product, doesn't she? Afterall, Pentax still has reservation in the K10D and they just didn't call it as a "1", otherwise, it would be very sad (regarding the performance level of the 10D, which deserves only at a lower level than the true flagship) (snip)

I imagine every camera manufacturer knows well how to place their individual products in relation to the competition. The K10D fits nicely in the mainstream of the advanced/semi-pro DSLR product range (Canon EOS 30D & Nikon D80). The upcoming more advanced model, most likely a K5D, will in all likelihood target the upper-end of this same product range (Canon EOS 5D & Nikon D200). However, I suspect Pentax will ignore the very high-end (Canon EOS-1D Mk III & Nikon D2Xs) with a supposed K1D due to the relatively small market for these expensive products.

In other words, real profit is the name of the game for Pentax now. In this game, they will strongly target the largest markets while largely ignoring the less profitable ones. This is why I believe Pentax will eventually drop all pretenses of a pending medium format digital. Of course, there are some advantages for Pentax in this game. By not having their own very high-end products to coddle, Pentax has an opportunity to move some technology from the higher-end products of other manufacturers down to products aimed at slightly lower-end markets. One can see this with the K10D, with bits of technology borrowed from the slightly higher-end cameras of other manufactures, and this trend will likely continue with the pending more advanced model. Of course, Pentax customers benefit from this game (business strategy) by getting more camera for less money.

stewart

[Stratman]

How did you find out that there is only 10 in the U.S?

Mo said so in the first message in this thread

[barondla]

Enjoy the camera Mo. It will be a collector item in the future. Glad to see Pentax doing stuff like this. Pentax how about a "gold" 200 macro?
thanks
barondla

[Confused]

Oh dear, I really tried hard to resist chiming-in on this one, but I'm afraid that the 'demons' got the better of me on this occasion, so here's my two-cents-worth ! I don't think many in the 'know' would deny that the K10D is in certain respects a 'milestone' camera in Pentax's gameplan to resurrect the company from near extinction, courtesy of Hoya's millions. Having watched incredulously as Minolta disappeared from the horizon not so long ago, I have to say that there were times when it wouldn't have entirely surprised me if Pentax had closely followed suit. Even a company the size of N****n is a relative minnow when compared to the corporate behemoth that C****n has become, but this somewhat 'tacky' practice of plastering 'gold insignia' all over so-called 'limited edition' models rather reeks with 'naff' connotations and does Pentax's reputation no favours in my book ! It's rather like nouveau-riche buyers who walk into an upmarket art-gallery and find themselves more attracted to the gold-leaf adorning the picture-frame than the priceless work of art that it surrounds ! What next I ask, heavy-duty medallions and matching 18-carat bracelets sporting the Pentax logo ?? If any photographer seriously believes that they are going to end up taking better pictures as a result of having gold lettering on their pentaprism, who am I to discourage them? Quite where people get the idea that purchasing such a camera as an 'investment' will magically guarantee that it becomes a collector's item in year's to come I don't entirely understand ? I sincerely hope it does for all concerned, but the shelf-life of such consumer products is so short nowadays and they are not crafted with the same precision engineering that say a vintage Leica or Patek Philippe watch ever was.

Best regards
Richard

[hooppjs]

After seeing this, I tried to colour the white lettering with a gold paint pen and it leaked everywhere. Mo, can I please have your GP K10D? It will match well with my Bigma that already has gold embossed lettering. Thanks in advance,

Peter

[stewart_photo]

(snip) but this somewhat 'tacky' practice of plastering 'gold insignia' all over so-called 'limited edition' models rather reeks with 'naff' connotations and does Pentax's reputation no favours in my book ! (snip)

While you're ranting, don't forget the other camera manufacturers. Limited edition cameras are a tradition going back decades, with nearly every manufacture releasing one at some point. An online search for "Nikon limited edition" or "Canon limited edition," for examples, will reveal hundreds of matches describing a dozen or more cameras. Pentax is doing nothing more than continuing that very long tradition.

(snip) If any photographer seriously believes that they are going to end up taking better pictures as a result of having gold lettering on their pentaprism, who am I to discourage them? (snip)

Since obviously none believe that, Richard, you're overdramatizing things just a bit here. I suspect most people purchase limited edition products for their unique aesthetics, not notions of improving their personal lives or abilities.

stewart

[pixelpruner]

waste of money IMO, but then I'm not into collecting nice things - i'd rather use them.

or maybe I'm just jealous

[crttr]

Ohhhhh.... PRETTY!!!!!

[Confused]

In reply to "stewart"

I wholeheartedly agree with "pixelpruner's" comment when he states:

waste of money IMO

I'm always faintly amused by this type of cynical 'marketing excercise', but there appears to be no shortage of willing buyers for such 'fripperies' !....and beautifully summed-up yet again by "pixelpruner's" comment:

I'm not into collecting nice things - I'd rather use them

I've never attended the type of annual motoring event such as those that occur at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance at Laguna Seca in California or the Louis Vuitton Concours d'Elegance at Hurlingham, but imagine that you'd find yourself surrounded by countless numbers of gorgeous vehicles that have been rebuilt to perfection or restored to within an inch-of-their-lives. However the owners are invariably too scared to venture out onto the public highway for fear of what might befall their 'treasured possession'. On the one hand at this very moment there are literally millions of starving human beings on the surface of this planet who have never experienced clean water supplies and who die unnecessarily as a direct result of consuming polluted substances. And then on the other hand there are those individuals who seem to derive enormous amounts of pleasure from hoarding away 'limited edition' cameras in the hope that somewhere down the road this equipment will increase exponentially in value. What the hell is the point of owning something only to keep it boxed-up for years on end. Sad, very sad indeed.
As for "unique aesthetics", I suppose these things are very much 'in the eye of the beholder'. I've never had the slightest desire to have 'gold-plated' taps in my bathroom for instance, but then again there are those who think this kind of thing is the 'bees-knees' ! It's all very much about perceived value and although I could quite easily afford to buy one of these 'limited edition' bodies, I simply chose not to because I don't think it offers what I regard as 'good value'. There, that's all I have to say on the subject.

Best regards
Richard

[jeffkrol]

In reply to "stewart"

I wholeheartedly agree with "pixelpruner's" comment when he states:



I'm always faintly amused by this type of cynical 'marketing excercise', but there appears to be no shortage of willing buyers for such 'fripperies' !....and beautifully summed-up yet again by "pixelpruner's" comment:



I've never attended the type of annual motoring event such as those that occur at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance at Laguna Seca in California or the Louis Vuitton Concours d'Elegance at Hurlingham, but imagine that you'd find yourself surrounded by countless numbers of gorgeous vehicles that have been rebuilt to perfection or restored to within an inch-of-their-lives. However the owners are invariably too scared to venture out onto the public highway for fear of what might befall their 'treasured possession'. On the one hand at this very moment there are literally millions of starving human beings on the surface of this planet who have never experienced clean water supplies and who die unnecessarily as a direct result of consuming polluted substances. And then on the other hand there are those individuals who seem to derive enormous amounts of pleasure from hoarding away 'limited edition' cameras in the hope that somewhere down the road this equipment will increase exponentially in value. What the hell is the point of owning something only to keep it boxed-up for years on end. Sad, very sad indeed.
As for "unique aesthetics", I suppose these things are very much 'in the eye of the beholder'. I've never had the slightest desire to have 'gold-plated' taps in my bathroom for instance, but then again there are those who think this kind of thing is the 'bees-knees' ! It's all very much about perceived value and although I could quite easily afford to buy one of these 'limited edition' bodies, I simply chose not to because I don't think it offers what I regard as 'good value'. There, that's all I have to say on the subject.

Best regards
Richard

No really, tell us how you really feel...

Anyways, I agree in principal w/ your "plight of humanity" speech, but a limited edition camera at a cost close to "normal retail" is not the same as a
gold toilet in Kuwait, or Paul Allen's fleet of yachts at (for one) $100,000 for a fill-up. Grass roots are fine but this is not Cannes or
Aspen or Washington where your speech may do some good.
If someone likes the way the camera looks and/or feels it may be an investment, the risk and outlay is small and pretty meaningless in the war on ending the "imbalance" on earth....
Oh, since I shouldn't exclude the mother country, how about the "public support" of your monarchy. Same type of thing here w/ fortunes going to ex-presidents and congresspeople...

[bdavis]

Tell me, Richard, how is your superiority complex doing? You've made quite a show of looking down your nose at a pretty cool guy in Arizona who collects Pentax equipment as a hobby. Sad, very sad indeed.

On the one hand at this very moment there are literally millions of starving human beings on the surface of this planet who have never experienced clean water supplies and who die unnecessarily as a direct result of consuming polluted substances. And then on the other hand there are those individuals who seem to derive enormous amounts of pleasure from hoarding away 'limited edition' cameras in the hope that somewhere down the road this equipment will increase exponentially in value. What the hell is the point of owning something only to keep it boxed-up for years on end. Sad, very sad indeed.

I'm a tree hugging, bicycle riding, sustainability minded, animal and civil rights advocate, who is actively trying to reduce her own ecological footprint. I suggest to you, if you are concerned enough with the forces affecting world hunger to bring it up, however illogically, that you start by looking at yourself and your own footprint (instead of preaching on an internet bulletin board). You are incredibly insulting when you compare Adam to "the polluting Evil", so stop being a prat. Your stylistic preferences are well noted.