Originally posted by mythguy9 Good for you kadajawi. Pentax second-hand items are really friendly to new comers because they are cheap and allow us to explore different equipment, but sadly the money does not go into Pentax's pocket and will not help the company to develop. Unless the second hand buyer eventually expands his collection by buying new items.
No offence, I'm also a second hand user and always hope to have more money to buy new stuff while helping the company to grow...
It helps the seller buy new gear... which hopefully be also by Pentax. Besides, I did end up buying new gear from Pentax... I bought a new K-5 and a new DA 50 1.8 (also a new old Tokina lens, but that doesn't help Pentax).
I recently saw the FB profile of a photographer in Malaysia, his company was all Pentax. Seeing 3 guys shooting an event, and everyone of them carrying a Pentax...
And other photos of a couple of Pentaxes, with the odd Canon or Nikon added to the mix
That being said, the Pentax distributor in Malaysia is doing a pretty good job... still hard to find, but people are using it.
When I was in Singapore few days ago I was at a Fuji showroom (they don't sell cameras there, just all their mid to high end gear, and a sales rep who actually knew a lot about cameras, even though he wasn't a photographer). Very impressed by the place, well worth a visit (it's in Funan DigitaLife Mall, the one with the big Fujifilm logo and a man sized lens mount behind the sales reps desk). Anyway, he mentioned that there's a professional, published photog going on a trip soon, carrying a few Fujis and a Pentax or two, who held Pentax in high esteem. And then a man entered the place, looking at the X-Pro1 and their other similar models, as he wanted something digital for his Leica lenses. He too spoke in high regard of Pentax, I think he used to have a Spotmatic.
So I think for those in the know they still know and remember the brand. If Pentax were to create more brand awareness (hey, we're still around!) and are more easily available they could improve sales quite a bit. The problem I see is that Ricoh seems keen on rebranding it Ricoh... and who has fond memories of Ricoh? "I'm shooting a Ricoh..." - "Oh, that's hardcore. Aren't copying machines a bit heavy?". I understand that they want to copy Sony's success, but Sony is a popular consumer electronics brand, with a ton of brand recognition. THEY can pull it off. Ricoh is more known for office equipment, if at all.
It's probably more the beginners who don't know Pentax, or those who only started in recent years.