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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
08-24-2018, 11:10 AM
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With a recent announcement of new Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless weather sealed with 5-axis IBIS cameras, the major marketing advantage of Pentax for the new users remains, as I see it, in the following:
1. More affordable price. I chose Pentax K-1 in the first place because of its much lower than comparable CaNikon cameras' price. If Pentax can fulfill their promise to issue more K-mount lenses, then the company may retain its niche on the market as a last remaining producer of affordable professional DSLRs.
2. Possibility of universal lens mounts. Pentax engineers may try to reverse engineer lens mounts for Nikon, Canon, Sony and other mirrorless cameras and produce respective lens adapters for their own K-mount DSLR bodies. What is perceived to be a DSLR disadvantage, a longer focusing distance between its sensor and a lens, may be used for its advantage, the ability to mount any short flange mirrorless lens using a proper adapter. Then Pentax may position itself as truly universal mount DSLRs which are able to utilize any modern mirrorless lens on the market.
3. Longer battery life. DSLR has a much lower power consumption than any mirrorless EVF camera. Which means that Pentax can pack more circuitry and new features in their DSLRs, while maintaining acceptable numbers of shots per battery charge. In this respect, Pentax may position itself as the most feature packed DSLRs on the market with a longer battery Life (CIPA) than all comparable mirrorless EVF cameras.
4. DSLR upgradeablity options. Pentax may use their DSLR upgradeability as an additional marketing point, if Pentax would allow to upgrade their DSLRs, similarly to K-1 Mark II, for all their forthcoming DSLR cameras at a fraction of a cost for a new one. Imagine, you can upgrade your camera motherboard or even its sensor for the next two-three generations instead of buying new cameras. No one offered this in the CaNikon camp yet.
5. Comparative in store advertisement. Every time going to COSTCO (a US big box membership based wholesale store), I see a display with a bunch of prosumer CaNikon cameras. Some of them cost as much as K-1. I asked once a store manager, why don't they have any Pentax cameras on display? The manager told me that they will be glad to sell Pentax cameras, had Pentax contacted them and committed to maintain a stock of all their cameras offered through COSTCO to its members. Here is another, relatively low cost marketing opportunity for Pentax. No million dollar advertisement campaigns, jut put your cameras on a store display and let the public compare them with similarly priced but less advanced CaNikon brethren.
I believe, these may be relatively low cost solutions for Pentax for maintaining its DSLR presence on the market and obtaining new users.
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