Originally posted by ComputerControlled It seems the smaller companies make the more interesting items.
Smaller companies have a choice, either do a "me too" product at a lower price or make a more interesting product, niche marketing. If this is what Pentax is trying to do, then they are being successful with it. However, they can also throw in some Gorilla Marketing (getting the camera in the hands of some famous people or at big events to create a buzz) and get even more of a bump in product awareness.
That said, however, maybe they are afraid of success. Maybe they do not want to increase capacity because they are already at capacity for their current offerings and increasing capacity would incur more of a cost than they are willing to take on right now. With Ricoh now in the picture, maybe they can branch out more by adding their capacity (unless Ricoh was trying to shift THEIR production to Pentax's lines).
Ah, to be a fly on the wall of the Pentax executive board meetings!
Regards,