[hut234]

I'm not denying that this happened...or is still happening. I just wonder why would Pentax do this intentionally ?

How well do you think Ricoh is doing at marketing Pentax in North America ? Do you think things are getting any better ?

That's the million dollar question : ) It is puzzling that if their presence in the wild is so minuscule here in the USA why they keep releasing products here and not marketing them, although as noted in the post quoted that the dismantling of the distribution and dealer network has been happening gradually for many years.

The K-S1 is looking like a great camera for its niche to own. I think the way it goes with this camera here will tell us what to expect from Ricoh in the future. In other words, if it doesn't make a concerted and obvious attempt at gaining a few share points here this season it never will.

[whk1992]

First time ever seeing someone using a Pentax. She got a K-30. We chatted and laughed at how rare Pentaxians are.

[karro]

I can only voice a personal opinion (are there any other types of opinions? ) - what I'd like to have: rental equipment. I'd like to try out this or that piece of equipment before buying it - online. I really don't miss that "personal interaction" with the salesperson.The problem is - most salespersons are not that knowledgeable; I usually spend some time on doing online research, reading "pro" reviews, customer reviews, looking for bits and pieces of info even for small things; so far there have been literally a couple of salespersons who were able to shed some extra light on a particular question or item. And this "oh, yeah, that's good stuff, I use it myself" pitch, especially if you happen to overhear the same sentence about another item - for another customer - gets a bit old and cuts the credibility significantly .
There are things, that require my physical presence in the store - food, clothing, wearable items, transportation; consumer electronics rarely are ones.

[monochrome]

I'm not denying that this happened...or is still happening. I just wonder why would Pentax do this intentionally ?

How well do you think Ricoh is doing at marketing Pentax in North America ? Do you think things are getting any better ?

I don't think Ricoh is marketing at all in the fashion we think of as marketing (advertising, calling on stores with Reps, doing workshops, doing promotions, buying shelf space in retail establishments large and small, paying website opinion-makers, promoting the brand, attending trade shows). When they closed Golden, CO in 2012 they only brought 50 people to Denver. I have 116 people in my location.

They outsource many of their functions to contract companies and seem not to maintain a US inventory of parts and accessories. They don't have many Reps (at one time there were two), I don't think their Customer Service is actually Ricoh Imaging employees, their Webstore is outsourced and makes its own decisions about inventory, their Parts Department is one person and doesn't sell to the public any more (but there isn't a parts dealer, so you effectively can't get them), their website was outsourced - but it might be in-house now - they're really a shell, not a company.

James Malcolm said in his Photokina interview they have actually dropped a B&M Dealer recently who wouldn't agree to the new terms. Coincidentally, the 8-store dealer in my area apparently has dropped Pentax recently. I believe they are the largest independent B&M dealer in North America by locations.

I have no idea about the why part but I've spoken off and on over the last 15 years to Canon and Nikon reps (one who was a Pentax Rep) and other dealers who tell the story. At this point (post Hoya) there isn't much they can do to rebuild the infrastructure other than lose money in North America for years.

OTOH, given limited resources, the people who do work for Ricoh are dedicated, hard-working and optimistic. They seem to know where they are going, but they didn't thihk it would be this hard (dealers just aren't interested after the way they've been treated for twenty years).

Perhaps in the long-term, if Ricoh truly develops a robust, multi-platform catalog (Q, large sensor MILC, APSc DSLR, FF DSLR, 645) they can rebuild - but I don't see it until they have enough product volume and market share to justify the expense.

I think Asia is the chicken.

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Last edited by monochrome; 10-05-2014 at 11:04 AM.

[clackers]

Another K-30 user at a workshop yesterday. We hugged, cut our thumbs and joined blood. (Probably not wise in this day and age).

I lent him my DA*50-135 for the shoot and he gave me his DA*55.

Neither wanted to give the puppies back at the end. :-)

[mamethot]

At a dinner tonight and to my surprise one of the gests takes a k-100d super out and starts to shoot. I look at him and say:wow a rare species, a pentaxian, and I show him the Q I had in my pocket.

Not a second went by when another guest said I am a pentaxian too! Wow 3 pentaxian in the same room! I think there are ore of us but we're just not showing off too much ��

[drugal]

what I'd like to have: rental equipment.

Will this work? LensRentals.com - Rent Pentax > Lenses

[Pepe Le Pew]

First time ever seeing someone using a Pentax. She got a K-30. We chatted and laughed at how rare Pentaxians are.

Reminds me of a friend (k-3) who goes to Blues Fest, wonders why we are so rare

[karro]

Will this work? LensRentals.com - Rent Pentax > Lenses

Thanks!!

[NanciGreen]

Well it is insulting but I chose to go for Pentax when the K-X was introduced with the colors. I love it and it's more about what you do with what you have. Pictures taken with the right lens, right light and right moment will look good. I'm learning to do that. nevermind our choice of brand

[normhead]

I often wish they'd make their high end cameras in colours... I'b buy a blue K-3... like what's the deal with that?

[grhazelton]

I often wish they'd make their high end cameras in colours... I'b buy a blue K-3... like what's the deal with that?

Colored cameras can be fun! I have a KX, the film version, recovered in bright blue, and a navy blue example of the Mighty LX, the best manual focus film SLR Pentax or maybe anyone, ever made.

[Venom3300]

A nikon guy today asked about my camera..... first words out of his mouth were "Ive never seen a digital Pentax"

[Mr Spocko]

Colored cameras can be fun! I have a KX, the film version, recovered in bright blue, and a navy blue example of the Mighty LX, the best manual focus film SLR Pentax or maybe anyone, ever made.

I liked the K-X at the time I think a good camera as it was a well featured model in most ways v rivals. I like it until I saw my images at some shutter speeds with shutter induced blur with SR on.


Pentax have had a patchy run with QC on some bodies I don't think that has helped them much
K-r and K5 also had problems with AF, the only reason I stayed with Pentax is I have a fondness for some of their lenses if it were on QC I'd have gone long ago

[normhead]

A nikon guy today asked about my camera..... first words out of his mouth were "Ive never seen a digital Pentax"

I told these guys I shot Pentax....


One of them said "Oh, like the old days."
Then everyone started talking about their film cameras.