[Michail_P]

Good morning. Saw the relative video just yesterday, Pentax seems to work with a great deal of unmeasurable characteristics in mind. Especially when it comes to Limited lenses, ovf and pentaprisms , color rendering and picturing quality is measured after the assembly ...(?) I thought this phenomenally unpredictable qualities coming-of course- with a great deal of technical knowledge and standards, might be related to the “artistic “ element of the Pentaxian philosophy. So, I suppose imho it’s not a comparison but more of a unique photographic result matter.
Some people might say that it’s every brand’s thing, that unique color etc. But stepping on that as a parameter of technical development and design is of course another thing.

[normhead]

You would think all the folks claiming Pentax doesn't do marketing would be here crying with happiness. Instead, same old stuff. Let's talk about some other camera (that I have zero interest in) Let's talk about EVF (that I have no interest in). Let's do everything but try and understand the video....

It turns out Pentax marketing is as about as exciting as anyone else's.

The guy who wrote the article is an ignorant troll writing clickbait. Someone said to him "diss Pentax and you'll get a lot of clicks."

My lord it pains a lot of people to see people saying nice things about Pentax or to hear Pentax's philosophy expressed.

But the take away is, if you don't buy into the Pentax philosophy, jump ship, it is what it is, it's not changing. The vision for the future is to carry on with what they did in the past. Comparisons of images by people during development, not test charts. Those amazing Pentaprism viewfinders. Still incredible tech after all these year, and that still surprises me every time I put the camera up to my eye. A well thought out user experience. My Nikon and Panasonic gear are so unintuitive as to kill any thought I had of changing brands.

Those guys were a breath of fresh air.

It's really good to know that Pentax are still guided by the same philosophy that I signed up for when I bought my first Pentax 50 years ago. I could have walked right into their promotion scenes. Their models were doing what I do, and their visions supports what I do.

I walk out on docks and look for lake scapes. I stand in the middle of snow covered forest floors, looking for images. It's so nice to see people being me.That's good marketing, to the point where I'd say," you didn't like the video? You don't belong with Pentax." They've made crystal clear who their market is.

[Theov39]

Thanks for posting the link.

The article draws several quotations from Ricoh Imaging, which I think is useful and positive. However, it seems that the author's underlying premise is that the Pentax Vision is risky, and the article presents an unbalanced analysis that disfavors 'DSLR photography'. The author seems to believe that because Ricoh Imaging is not doing what the other brands are doing, their vision can't be good. Like other similar articles, this one tends to disguise the negativity behind rhetorical questions.

On a positive note, the article gives some exposure to the Pentax Vision and Ricoh Imaging's outreach. Readers can draw their own conclusions after watching or reading the RI material, like in the original post above.

The article includes several strange comments, such as:

- "DSLRs feel different than shooting with a mirrorless, yes, but saying that they are more artistic is like saying owning a certain type of paintbrush makes you more of a painter than the next guy. And trying to build a profitable company off that philosophy is, at best, risky."

The paintbrush analogy has been used before, but it's a poor metaphor. I don't think that Ricoh Imaging has stated or implied that DSLR photography offers a more artistic experience than 'mirrorless' photography. I think the author is stretching here.


- "Granted, if there’s any company that can make inferior technology with a great experience work, it’s Pentax."

I'll be pedantic and suggest that it's been almost a decade since Ricoh Imaging acquired the Pentax photography brand. Referring to 'Pentax' as a company is simply incorrect and such a basic misunderstanding brings the author's credibility to question. The statement is also a backhanded compliment.


- "The question is, will it be possible to sustain a business with the number of photographers who prefer the Pentaxian experience to the competitors that regularly sprout new features and advancements at a similar price point?"

I think Pentax cameras and lenses have always included new features and advancements. It's unfortunate that the author wasn't more specific, but instead implies that the 'Pentaxian experience" and such advancements are mutually exclusive.

- Craig

That's true. He is not very positive but i liked the article as it gives a good summary of Pentax's approach.

[normhead]

That's true. He is not very positive but i liked the article as it gives a good summary of Pentax's approach.

The Pentax youtube video exactly demonstrated Pentax's approach. What did that guy add apart from from some ignorant cheap shots?

[monochrome]

One thing I noticed the second time through the slideshow and video is 4x6 prints. That could be a subtle distinguishing mark - our customers take care with their images, develop them and print them. Our customers complete the entire photographic process They go beyond social media They use the photographic tools to their full capacities, which are significantly beyond those of a phone.

I also think use of historic film cameras (Spottie?) has a dual purpose - show the legacy and show that Pentax is for Pentaxians but also for young enthusiasts who embrace the legacy. A pentaprism is kind of a throwback, but that makes it different now. You don’t have to accept the imperative move to mirrorless.

Be a little different. Enjoy the process. Slow down. Practice. Complete the process. Creat art.

[normhead]

One thing I noticed the second time through the slideshow and video is 4x6 prints. That could be a subtle distinguishing mark - our customers take care with their images, develop them and print them. Our customers complete the entire photographic process They go beyond social media They use the photographic tools to their full capacities, which are significantly beyond those of a phone.

I also think use of historic film cameras (Spottie?) has a dual purpose - show the legacy and show that Pentax is for Pentaxians but also for young enthusiasts who embrace the legacy. A pentaprism is kind of a throwback, but that makes it different now. You don’t have to accept the imperative move to mirrorless.

Be a little different. Enjoy the process. Slow down. Practice. Complete the process. Creat art.

As opposed the Canon philosophy, "let take 1300 pictures of Maria Sharapova or Andre Agassi at a tennis practice." No need to pay any attention to framing, composition or your camera's rendering.

[MikeMcE]

As opposed the Canon philosophy, "let take 1300 pictures of Maria Sharapova or Andre Agassi at a tennis practice." No need to pay any attention to framing, composition or your camera's rendering.

Weegie comes to mind.... “One shot”

[Larrymc]

Yeah great, but give me a camera that can capture a flying swallow.

Better yet a flying bat at dusk!!

[normhead]

Better yet a flying bat at dusk!!

I was going to say "ask and you shall receive" in reference to the swallow images. Then you went and raised the bar.

[monochrome]

Weegie comes to mind.... “One shot”

There is always an exception. Pentax is trying to build brand affinity here. Sure, its marketing talk, but we’ve been asking for marketing talk for a decade at least.

[normhead]

There is always an exception. Pentax is trying to build brand affinity here. Sure, its marketing talk, but we’ve been asking for marketing talk for a decade at least.

There is good information even in marketing talk. You just have to be able to translate. Many of us have marketing speak and political speak as second and third languages.

I'll say, I have rarely seen a company CEO in marketing material, although Steve Jobs comes to mind. Pentax, as in everything else, has a unique approach.

[pres589]

About EVF vs OVF and which is more fun or artistic or whatever non-measureable characteristic we're thinking about, from my point of view, an OVF is nicer to look through in a general sense. And an EVF has the capability to tell me more information but the implementation has more places to do a poor job from a layout and general "does this look nice?" standpoint. I know that my Pentax DSLR has an AF system that displays enough information that I can get in-focus shots manually focusing but there's times I really wish I had some of the best focus peaking implementations that are available on other systems (I'm thinking Fuji here).

The Pentax video did seem to say that EVF's help folks shoot photos with more artistic intent, or some such thing. I generally liked the video but felt like it wasn't worth looking too deeply into to find new answers to old questions. And as usual the mainstream review/product placement sites are going to paint the video with whatever brush they want, positive or negative, and there's really nothing new to be gathered there either.

p.s. where's my HD F 28mm f2.8 at already? Let me get artsy with that lens once we can intermingle on city sidewalks again. 12 months from now should be enough time for Pentax to get that lens worked out.

[bertwert]

I'm late to the party here, but it seems we're sharing swallows in flight...

[normhead]

And an EVF has the capability to tell me more information

Those of us who don't need more information are unimpressed. Photography isn't like space travel or something.

[Sykil]

Fujifilm X-T4 is the camera that everyone wants now!!!

I mean, if money is no object, there are plenty of cameras I'd sooner buy. Panasonic S1H being one if we want to stick to the same genre of camera.

And yet, all camera manufacturers have realized that they need to get rid of their dependence on Sony and start producing sensors themselves.

None of them have the money required to do that. Hell, Sony's camera division in and of itself doesn't have the money to do that. Sony's semiconductor division makes Exmor sensors.