[onlineflyer]

I've been with Pentax for decades and I will take my Pentax to my grave. I love the fact that I can use great older lenses like the K 50/1.2 and 30/2.8 on Pentax digital cameras. I don't think I can replicate the quality of my camera / lenses at a reasonable price.

And while a small number of users have abandoned the brand, the real question should be 'How many new users has Pentax gained over the last decade?' due to the quality, performance and capabilities of the brand.

[monochrome]

I work with Pentax commercially and for my own personal portfolio development - Though it should be noted I also work with Hasselblad, Nikon, Phase one, Leica, and on film: Sinar, Alpa, Horseman, and Ebony cameras. I Like to work with Pentax because of the lenses: the FA limited lenses FA77 and FA31 and the newer D-FA line and I like that Pentax continues to have native support for the DNG format.

I’d sell all my legacy Pentax cameras and lenses without much thought or emotion and keep only the FA Limiteds* and modern D FA lenses. I wouldn’t buy any different brand. Rather, I would make a metaphorical pile of money on my living room floor against the next global crisis.


Come to think of it, I should start on that plan now. It will take a year.

* The Princesses may be legacy designs, but they’re currently in the active catalog.

[Fenwoodian]

Stop any modern lens down a couple of stops and the images will be pretty much the same.

.
This is an old myth that gets rehashed over and over again. I do not agree.

Just go to the Leica thread on this forum to see images stopped down a couple of stops that have outstanding and unique colors and bokeh that other lenses just can't offer, even stopped down a bit.

Want further proof - do a side by side comparison of the new Pentax D FA 50/1.4 lens against an inexpensive 50mm lens. Even stopped down a couple of stops you will see a big difference (if you know what to look for).

This old saying might be true for inexpensive/average lenses, but in the world of high quality, expensive, premium lenses it simply is NOT true.

Want further proof - do a side by side comparison of the new Pentax D FA 50/1.4 lens against an inexpensive 50mm lens. Even stopped down a couple of stops you will see a big difference (if you know what to look for).

I don't know.


Show me.

[Trickortreat]

And while a small number of users have abandoned the brand, the real question should be 'How many new users has Pentax gained over the last decade?' due to the quality, performance and capabilities of the brand.

More people left the brand. Market share numbers are all you need to know

[Digitalis]

Stop any modern lens down a couple of stops and the images will be pretty much the same.

This is an old myth that gets rehashed over and over again. I do not agree.

Unfortunately, there is an undeniable element of truth behind this. Within the double Gauss lens design family of which there are many, many, derivatives*: Optical performance will indeed be effectively identical, providing the variables of shooting aperture, optical coatings, exact optical geometry of the lens elements, and number of aperture blades in the optical design remain the same.


Compare a Zeiss Tessar** to a Planar, Summitar, or a triplet variant and even if the variables of optical coatings, optical geometry and number of aperture blades are preserved - you will get distinctly different results. Various optical designs have inherent advantages and pitfalls - some have superb control over distortion, but have limited options for the designer to reduce chromatic aberration, some designs have excellent control of distortion and colour aberrations, at the expense of horrendous amounts of field curvature and astigmatism.


When you stick within the lens design family the statement holds true. However, in this age of innovative and Über-corrected lenses using novel Aspheric elements and exotic glass types, the lines that used to distinguish lenses are becoming...a little blurry.


*A shining example of which is the classic 7 element SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4
** the M and the DA 40mm f/2.8 lenses are in the Tessar family... Pretty much all f/2.8 compact primes in the 40-49mm FL range are Tessars, It's a cheap and efficient design.

[iudex]

More people left the brand. Market share numbers are all you need to know

Exactly; and that is the problem. What I read here is that many Pentax users are older people (that have been using Pentax gear for decades). This is all fine a shows some loyalty and connection to the brand, but it is young people that Pentax needs to attract. A retired user is not likely to buy a lot of new gear (if any) and has a tendency of being satisfied with what he has. But Pentax is not a closed British 19th century club, it needs to sell and make money; Ricoh needs to sell cameras to new customers. However it seems Ricoh is not only attracting new customers, it is not even able to keep the existing ones. Market share says it all, Pentax keeps falling down year after year. And who knows what is the bottom border acceptable for Ricoh.
Btw. Sigma showed what they think of Pentax brand when they decided not to make new lenses for Pentax mount.

[kevinWE]

I see a lot of talk of people leaving the brand or young people not being interested in Pentax. This may all be true, but on a brighter note I introduced my 25 year old niece to the Pentax K70 and she loves it. She is interested in shooting portraits and landscapes and the camera works well for her. I would assume that her friends will get a look at the camera and it may also pique their interest. Grass Roots is better than no roots.

Pentax may have lost .06 (Japan) in sales but Nikon fell behind Sigma and Tamron in lens sales. It's a roller coaster ride.

Ricoh is not tossing in the towel.

Too much "Doom and Gloom". Smile people.

[Nicopatch]

I stay with pentax because
1/I have a few pentax lenses and know the product
2/ Values of pentax cameras on second hand market drop faster than other makers so you can change or add bodies every few year without breaking the bank
3/ Back compatibilities with older lenses
4/ Cameras are usually very ergonomic with clear menues and are well build I bought my first pentax camera in a shop ,tried similar priced canon and nikon camera.Handling felt right straight away with the pentax with logical controls even though viefinder was not as luminous of the two others and autofocus hunting much more than the two others.The Canon and Nikon felt really cheap and fragiles in hand
5/Because the Pentax K10D came out
6/Because the Pentax K5iis came out

[jgnfld]

... but I doubt any of it will make me a better photographer. More likely just a broke one.

Off topic a bit...

Reminds me of a very old joke among those who do polls/social psych research: "The population was broken down by age and sex."

On 2nd thought it may be on topic as that statement may describe many of us Pentax users!

[iudex]

Ricoh is not tossing in the towel.

There are wild rumours about agreement between Samsung and Ricoh; Samsung should allegedly supply sensors to Ricoh in future. I know, no trusted sources, only a rumour, but it could be good for Pentax, buying much cheaper Samsung sensors compared to Sony ones. And before somebody starts bashing Samsung, their last effort: 4 years old 26 MPx sensor in NX-1 was really a great one, so given the current state of technology I believe Samsung could produce great sensors for Pentax APSC DSLRs.

[Kim Coxon]

Exactly; and that is the problem. What I read here is that many Pentax users are older people (that have been using Pentax gear for decades). This is all fine a shows some loyalty and connection to the brand, but it is young people that Pentax needs to attract. A retired user is not likely to buy a lot of new gear (if any) and has a tendency of being satisfied with what he has. But Pentax is not a closed British 19th century club, it needs to sell and make money; Ricoh needs to sell cameras to new customers. However it seems Ricoh is not only attracting new customers, it is not even able to keep the existing ones. Market share says it all, Pentax keeps falling down year after year. And who knows what is the bottom border acceptable for Ricoh.
Btw. Sigma showed what they think of Pentax brand when they decided not to make new lenses for Pentax mount.

Zeiss dropped the PK mount before Sigma. Their reason -volume of sales. Unfortunately, it is likely to get worse. Nearly all the manufacturers insist any retail outlet orders a minimum value of items per month in order to maintain a trade account. Very few high street retailers now have Pentax accounts because they cannot meet the minimum. Even some of the larger online outlets are dropping the brand for the same reason.

Add to that, there are quite a few "new" players in the market now and Olympus has returned after an absence. I stayed with Pentax because I like the way they handle. It "suits me". Other cameras suit other people. My advice to people has always been "to go to a shop and try them. But the one that suits you the best". That makes it even harder for Ricoh. Then there are all the cashback offers, in house demonstration days etc and it will be even harder for Ricoh to attract new users unless they do something about their marketing model.

[BigMackCam]

Very few high street retailers now have Pentax accounts because they cannot meet the minimum. Even some of the larger online outlets are dropping the brand for the same reason.

There is, however, a positive element to this; to wit, the larger remaining suppliers - SRS, Wex etc. - have even more of the overall demand to share between them, which is no doubt welcome in the current market...

[victormeldrew]

Now that I know my shooting style, subjects and other needs, I might be tempted away from my K-3II system. I think that I would definitely buy the GRIII when it comes out, then I might spend the change on something else. I purchased my various lenses for shooting that I rarely do, and I really wish I had a high IQ pocketable camera for taking with me everywhere.


However, I would miss my Lensbaby a lot...so I might be tempted to pick up a much older body just to keep that running.

[Kim Coxon]

There is, however, a positive element to this; to wit, the larger remaining suppliers - SRS, Wex etc. - have even more of the overall demand to share between them, which is no doubt welcome in the current market...

Yes, they have the small share left. But others such as ffordes have more or less dropped Pentax. But the big problem remains, most people will visit their "local" outlet to look and or try before buying. They are not likely to travel to the last 2 or 3 stockists that keep Pentax in stock. Having said that, there is a small retailer in Cumbria that still stocks Pentax.

---------- Post added 09-19-18 at 07:58 AM ----------

I see a lot of talk of people leaving the brand or young people not being interested in Pentax. This may all be true, but on a brighter note I introduced my 25 year old niece to the Pentax K70 and she loves it. She is interested in shooting portraits and landscapes and the camera works well for her. I would assume that her friends will get a look at the camera and it may also pique their interest. Grass Roots is better than no roots.

Pentax may have lost .06 (Japan) in sales but Nikon fell behind Sigma and Tamron in lens sales. It's a roller coaster ride.

Ricoh is not tossing in the towel.

Too much "Doom and Gloom". Smile people.

My son had one of my old Pentax DSLR's and a film body before that. He liked it, very much. He kept it rather quiet from his dad but when he decided it was time to upgrade, he chose Canon. I don't blame him. If starting now, I would probably make a different choice.
His reason for Canon? As he said go into any retail outlet and there are shelves of good used Canon gear and lenses. Maybe a shelf of Nikon and if you are really lucky the odd kit lens or very old lens from Pentax. So he can expand his selection of glass for about half the cost and if he doesn't like a lens, he can get back nearly the same as he paid for it. And now, there is often about the same quantity of glass for mirrorless.