[DuyNguyen]

Yes, yes, yes...we get it Ricoh. You bought out Pentax, rolled out the incredible K3. Big deal, but please look what you have done. I know i might be not the most Pentax supporter, but i must be one of the proudest Pentaxian out there.. As a Pentaxian we proud to hold a Pentax DSLR,SLR,lenses,ect... why did you have to take the name Pentax down ? Does it for the "...more consumer market share..." that you aiming. Well i telling you that you're not doing it right, Then the HD DA Limiteds ? Was it because you running low on inks and materials to put your big@ss Ricoh name on the box ? These few word i wrote after a trip to my local camera store, please bring the name Pentax back it got its own soul and pride.

[Adam]

IMO the current corporate structure seems to be very beneficial to the Pentax product line. Without the help of a company with a good amount of capital and resources to invest, development of the Pentax camera lineup may have been significantly slowed if not cut altogether.

The fact that Pentax was able to launch the 645Z at a $8499 price point shows their ability to optimize production. This is an extremely competitive price. Recall that the 645D, with inferior hardware, cost 20% more at launch.

[wullemaha]

I for one like Pentax because of the quality of the products. The fact that Ricoh owns it does not matter to me, neither does the naming on the front. I happen to love my RICOH GR as well, it's one hell of a piece of equipment.

edit: the only way that the Ricoh ownership DOES matter to me is as described by Adam: the positive fact that there is budget at disposal now!

The whole nagging about Pentax vs. Ricoh in the naming always makes me think of hipster youths ... "look at me, I have that cool underdog brand..."

No offense to you personally though, I exaggerate sometimes...

[elliott]

Pentax started out as "just a brand" under Asahi.

[filoxophy]

IMHO, it's hard to see how Ricoh's ownership is a negative thing, overall. Individual moves may be questionable, but in the big picture things look good.

[DuyNguyen]

@wullemaha :Yes Ricoh also what i love back in the 2004 when i was first introduced to photography by my granddad i believed i was a Kr 5ii Supper- wonderful camera to me but my point is if Ricoh trying to do something in other to attract more customer they should change the WHOLE marketing office cuz they don't get what really happens, after the rumor about the film scanner i was SO happy that i could shoot film along with digital, but look at the price when it launch $1200 more that a K 3...anyway my thread may be criticized about "name brand" a little bit but as i said Ricoh please do not sink the Pentax name down as Sony did to Minolta . Happy Easter everyone

[sinjin]

Pentax started out as "just a brand" under Asahi.

Yep. As often happens, it was a brand that eventually became more famous than the company and the name took on a life of its own. Similar to the Leitz camera which they called a 'Leica'. Now my microscopes have 'Leica' written on them instead of 'Leitz'!

So Pentax has now gone full circle. As long as Ricoh recognizes the value in the Pentax brand there is no problem. It's all good.

[VoiceOfReason]

I'm quite sure that Pentax 645z and that K3 that has a nice Pentax across the front are sinking it pretty hard....

[DuyNguyen]

well i think i just posted a very senseless thread may be ? but as i said Pentax is Pentax i can't be Ricoh no matter how hard Ricoh try to merge them together. Happy shooting

[wtlwdwgn]

Since the Asahi Optical Co logo was on the original PENTAX (PENTAprism refleX) it was already just a camera brand under a large corporation. So to me it doesn't matter if Ricoh's name is also on PENTAX cameras. The question is how much the brand and its products are valued by the corporation. It would appear to be a much valued brand by the amount of financial resources invested in new product development. I just hope that the logo on the new 645z isn't a new trend. I would hate to have to cover that up with electrical tape on a brand new DSLR.

[jimr-pdx]

...t as i said Pentax is Pentax i can't be Ricoh no matter how hard Ricoh try to merge them together. Happy shooting

You're welcome to visit the 'Why I won't buy a K-3' thread and chip in there; once upon a time, long long ago, it was a similar thread. At least I think it was
And happy PK-mount shooting to you also! Although some old lens mounts are marked KR for (Pentax)K-R(icoh)...

[Steve.Ledger]

just hope that the logo on the new 645z isn't a new trend. I would hate to have to cover that up with electrical tape on a brand new DSLR.

You don't like seeing PENTAX on the front now?

[DuyNguyen]

ohhh heck yeah i love them M, A lenses and about the K 3 , not buying it maybe too harsh, i like a little "talk" to Ricoh representative to make them understand :3

[maltfalc]

as long as they keep making affordable k mount cameras with great features, i don't care what name they slap on them.

[fgaudet]

I for one, couldn't care less... Put a "Hyundai" or a "Wal*Mart" or a "CameraTron 2000 Laser Extra" logo on the front, I don't care. I am loyal to Pentax... maybe, I am loyal to the K mount and loyal to good quality at a decent price and great ergonomics. What the name says on the front or in the back doesn't matter. As long as it is K mount and it works good.

A logo or a name doesn't mean S*&^... Pentax has been pretty decent at making cameras for a few decades now. I use them because I like them not because of what is written on it. But if they start making bad products or stagnate for too much, I'll be the first one to jump ship to whatever brand has what I want. The same thing so many people did when Canikon started to edge (even more) Pentax many years ago.

Brand loyalty is overrated in Pentax's case. Those who have a film Pentax with lenses, will buy a camera with the proper mount, not a camera with a proper name. Back in the days, they probably chose Pentax for the same reasons they would choose Ricoh now: A good product at a good price. New buyers will more than likely have no clue who or what Pentax is, Ricoh will be a name they might have encountered at the office on their printer or copier... I live in a small town and I see a Ricoh (copier service) truck drive by a few times a week... I cannot say I ever saw a Pentax logo anywhere else than on my camera.

This reminds me of the beginning of the "why I won't buy a K3" thread... If you pass on a great camera because of a 1/8"x1.5" label ON THE BACK of it, it's kind of stupid. If you boycott them because of it, this is not loyalty, this is quite the opposite IMO.

Times have changed, Ricoh pretty much saved Pentax. Granted that most of the current line up was probably already in the works before they bought the company but who knows if we'd have a K-3 today if it wasn't for Ricoh. Or the new 645, or the new HD coating (might seems useless to you, the same was said of SMC back in the days)... or the new TC, and the future lenses in the line up.

I'd rather have a great camera with a Ricoh logo than a bad camera with a Pentax logo on it...