[Edward Brock]

I'm a bit frustrated trying to find a physical location that sells Pentax cameras.
I googled places that sell Pentax cameras in my town. Great! Several places
popped up. But they don't actually "Have" Pentax cameras "IN" the store.
They said they can order one for me but I would like to actually hold one in my
furry liittle hands so I can feel, smell, taste or whatever. I can't be the only one
who finds this a bit frustrating. I know I can pick up the phone and order one but
what if it isn't "The One" and I have to send it back ? I don't want to put the On-Lne
store through the nonsense of having to keep shipping me cameras.
I guess I'm going to have to order on-line anyway. These people have Nikon and
Canon cameras In Stock but I don't want those. It's frustrating because I Know
Pentax are good cameras. There should be some place that has them in stock.
OK, I'm off my soap box now. Just had to vent a little.

[FozzFoster]

Pentax does not move as much product as Canon or Nikon or others.
They've announced a shift to predominate online sales.
This saves them money, which in turn saves the customer money..

Ricoh/Pentax new strategy: Shift to e-Commerce and "studio-style" manufacturing - PentaxForums.com

[c.a.m]

It's frustrating because I KnowPentax are good cameras. There should be some place that has them in stock.OK, I'm off my soap box now. Just had to vent a little.

I know what you mean. It seems that few shops actually stock new Pentax gear. Same situation in Canada--e.g., in Ottawa, pop. 1 million, none of the several camera dealers stock Pentax. I think the nearest might be in Montreal, 2-hour drive, or Toronto, 5-hour drive. Makes it hard to try out a new camera.

- Craig

[DeadJohn]

... I don't want to put the On-Lnestore through the nonsense of having to keep shipping me cameras ...

Don't feel guilty about buying and returning. Ricoh Pentax and online sellers set their return polices and prices accordingly. Check for restocking fees before ordering. I haven't ordered in a while, but I had good experiences with both B&H and Adorama.


Interestingly, the list of authorized dealers has not been updated since 2019. Given the trend of general brick&mortar closings, plus covid, it's likely that a few dealers are no longer in business.

Note that "Amazon" is not on the authorized dealer list. Ricoh might not allow warranty repairs nor even permit out of warranty work if you pay on your own.

[pschlute]

OK, I'm off my soap box now. Just had to vent a little

I understand your frustration. I am lucky , living 45 minutes drive to one of the major Pentax stockist in the UK (SRS). They always have tons of stock of cameras and lenses.

I actually think the issue is a wider one. We have seen over the years plenty of folk who have preferred to buy online. Order from Asia for example direct. Yes it saves you a bit but you do not get the after-care that a local dealer can provide. If you won't go into their shop and order from them, you cannot expect them to stock what you want.

[MarkJerling]

I'm a bit frustrated trying to find a physical location that sells Pentax cameras.
I googled places that sell Pentax cameras in my town. Great! Several places
popped up. But they don't actually "Have" Pentax cameras "IN" the store.
They said they can order one for me but I would like to actually hold one in my
furry liittle hands so I can feel, smell, taste or whatever. I can't be the only one
who finds this a bit frustrating. I know I can pick up the phone and order one but
what if it isn't "The One" and I have to send it back ? I don't want to put the On-Lne
store through the nonsense of having to keep shipping me cameras.
I guess I'm going to have to order on-line anyway. These people have Nikon and
Canon cameras In Stock but I don't want those. It's frustrating because I Know
Pentax are good cameras. There should be some place that has them in stock.
OK, I'm off my soap box now. Just had to vent a little.

The frustration is real!
I've not seen a Pentax camera in a shop in about 15 years. I think it has to do with the fact that Ricoh don't loan goods to shops, so if you want to sell it in your shop, you have to buy it. Most (smaller) shops are reluctant to hold stock of goods for which there is not much demand.

But, it's not unique to cameras. I have the same problem with my local hardware shops. "We can order it in for you" seems to be the words I hear whenever I ask for a thing.

[Bob 256]

At least you have camera stores. We used to have a thriving chain within driving distance, but even they gave up the ghost about 5 years ago. I think I would have to travel over 400 miles to get to an area which has camera stores selling equipment (choices are Salt Lake City, UT, Denver, CO, Portland, OR, or Seattle, WA - guess you could almost tell where I am from these).

[mikeSF]

Stores are so overrated, lol.
I've never found a Pentax store either. Just feel good ordering online and returning if necessary.
Good luck!

[Wheatfield]

We have one very good B&M store where I am (population 225k). The stock a very little bit of Ricoh, but Pentax is all special order now. I get very good service from them, but no, I can't just decide on a whim to go out and buy an FA 21mm LTD.
That's probably not a bad thing.
I suspect Ricoh is working on the theory that anyone interested in dropping fairly heavy coin on a camera is going to be doing a bunch of internet research anyway, and it's only one more small step to order online.

[mikesbike]

Brick & mortar camera stores for any brand are now rare. Some camera models might appear in general merchandise stores like Costco or Best Buy, but around here in an area of around 4 million people, the many, many actual camera stores are practically all gone. There used to be several carrying Pentax cameras and lenses, but those stores are long gone.

Really too bad. The old stores had staff that knew quite a lot of detailed info and were themselves photographers. The staff in those big lot general stores don't know much.

This is just the reality of today's market. The bigger retail businesses have taken over, while the smaller businesses have lost out.

[AlwaysAl]

A humble shout out, we have a Pentax stocking dealer in Camera Canada at London Ontario. Beyond having a good selection of inventoried product, they have people that can answer your enquiries intelligently and and, above all elsel, with honesty. Dealing with these peole is like a throw back to twenty years ago, quite refreshing!

[K(s)evin]

At least you have camera stores. We used to have a thriving chain within driving distance, but even they gave up the ghost about 5 years ago. I think I would have to travel over 400 miles to get to an area which has camera stores selling equipment (choices are Salt Lake City, UT, Denver, CO, Portland, OR, or Seattle, WA - guess you could almost tell where I am from these).

You can scratch the Denver Metro area from your list.

[Edward Brock]

A humble shout out, we have a Pentax stocking dealer in Camera Canada at London Ontario. Beyond having a good selection of inventoried product, they have people that can answer your enquiries intelligently and and, above all elsel, with honesty. Dealing with these peole is like a throw back to twenty years ago, quite refreshing!

That sounds wonderful. Of course, driving from central Texas is a bit of a problem for me. hahahahaha

[Lord Lucan]

Stores are so overrated, lol.I've never found a Pentax store either. Just feel good ordering online and returning if necessary.

I guess you have better luck with deliveries than I do. The UK Royal Mail is imploding with strikes, so more people are sending things by independent couriers, mostly EVRI. At least the Royal Mail postman was a regular and could find my house, and did put the stuff inside the mailbox, but the couriers either cannot find my house (and leave it somewhere else at random), or if they do find it they are incapable of putting it inside the mailbox, or are so rushed by the schedule their manager sets that they don't have time to. I suppose that is why they can be a few pence cheaper than Royal Mail. I received something today that EVRI left on the garden wall, a cardboard box in the wet.

I don't want to buy anything valuable online for these reasons. I still have two camera stores in my nearest city (Bristol) and although they don't stock Pentax they will get it in for me to collect in person.

[btnapa]

There should be some place that has them in stock.

I ordered all my Pentax gear from B&H or Adorama in New York. I think they have Pentax gear in their stores but you have to go to NY for that!!! I did try a lot of Pentax gear in person in trade shows, namely WWPI and CES in Las Vegas. However, Pentax has not shown up to those shows for years. Heck, these days non of the camera manufactures are showing up to these show. I guess they see no value in it anymore. With Pentax, online is the only way right now. You have to go with faith and hope you like what you get!!