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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-09-2018, 08:49 PM
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I spoke about this a little bit yesterday How Canon lineup compares to Pentax? - PentaxForums.com
But back in the late 80s and 90s, in the US at least, Canon had an aggressive marketing campaign in magazine, newspaper, and tv commercials touting the performance of their new AF Rebels. They used Agassi as their spokesman in the commercials and were clearly marketing to the non-photographer and novice. It was very successful and, in part, why they are so big still today in North America. They got that snowball running down the hill until now it rolls off its own momentum.
Here is one as example:
You Tube
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src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WpuFEpbE0d0?controls=1" allowfullscreen>
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"Image is everything" -- in marketing they aren't kidding!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-31-2016, 07:32 PM
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Jabba, is that you? :eek:
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-26-2016, 06:34 AM
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Or are the Stormtroopers shooting with white Pentax DSLRs? Perhaps that is why their aim is so erratic.. they have the camera tracking in AF-C. :eek:
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-18-2015, 12:00 PM
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I suspect they are going by charts and graphs made by people who have many abbreviations before and after their names... but even so, the charts and graphs can mislead.
I have yet to hand another photographer a Pentax body and have them tell me it doesn't feel right in their hands. The product is there, it just needs to be 'sold.' A lot of the beginner Canon and Nikon folks buy today based on name, brand, and recommendation from people who, when they were beginners, bought based on name, brand, and recommendation who bought based on years and years of strong advertising back in the 80s and 90s. Both Nikon and (more so) Canon heavily marketed SLR cameras back then in the US and to great success... they 'own' the marketshare here. I still remember the commercials!
But that doesn't mean things can't change.. It is a softer grasp on the market I suspect than many consider... I dare say perhaps even Ricoh/Pentax.
That said, the short answer is probably because it costs (a lot of) money and is still a risk. Perhaps they feel USA wants the FF body and APS-C wasn't going to cut it so why bother with this market... so maybe when the FF is out they will advertise more?
Adam, could you ask Ricoh reps sometime about this? Why don't they advertise more in the USA?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-18-2015, 07:23 AM
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Decades of not seriously marketing in this country is the reason for this.. I had a somewhat similar experience when talking cameras with my ophthalmologist who just bought a Canon setup.. I said I shoot with Pentax and his response was (paraphrasing) I remember them back in the 70s, I didn't know they were still around. hahaha
I think if Ricoh put the money up to start advertising Pentax cameras on TV and on fixed spots at major sporting events, we'd see a leap of interest in the brand. Hopefully they do something soon after the FF body is available.. Who is going to buy the product if most of the people in the market don't know it exists? It seems many who do know it exists have already bought a digital system... Pentax needs better US marketing!!!!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-12-2015, 07:25 PM
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-14-2015, 09:43 PM
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They almost always do, in time.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2014, 07:45 AM
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Went to another Airshow yesterday... saw lots and lots of large, Canon L glass, lots of Nikon systems.... no Pentax... beyond my own. Still have yet to see a single other Pentax camera out in the 'wild.'
That said, it was the first time to use the K-5 II and DA 55-300 WR together at an airshow.. results were rather nice after I figured out how to address the crazy focusing issues with the 55-300. Enough light that even in shutter priority at 1/400 to 1/500th of a second, it would stick around f/8 aperture so sharp images. The K-5 II munched through two 16GB SD cards like nothing in Hi burst mode.. Glad I brought the 2nd card haha.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
04-23-2014, 04:21 PM
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I still have yet to see another Pentax camera locally.. slr or p+s..
I tried to sell my K-30 kit locally and got 0 bites.. well I got one after lowering the price a few times to bargain basement, a text asking what is my lowest I'd go.. I shaved off another 20 bucks.. and no response back. Even after showing the ebay sold pricing which was a solid 80-100 dollars over my asking. Meanwhile, a friend of mine locally sold his T1i in a manner of a few days and got the same price for which I asked on the K-30 kit..
Pentax/Ricoh harms itself by not advertising and marketing heavily. Not many (any??) not into photography know what is a Pentax camera. "Is that like a cheap Bell and Howell?" "Did you buy it at the Dollar General or Big lots??" They play it safe for their reasons I'm sure they have..
And they can keep releasing awesome products. But they won't catch on in the form of significant marketshare unless they really start making an intelligent promotional push to make them catch on... at least in the USA.
I remember the Canon TV commercials in the early 90s for the Canon Rebel SLRs with Andre Agassi. I think it was the only time I can remember an SLR style camera being advertised on television. And look at Canon today. Obviously not that the commercial was the only reason for this.. but it sure made a large impact on the would-be buyer ( at least this one -- proof is that I still remember it).
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-29-2013, 09:32 PM
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I never said I agreed with CR's findings.. just that the common view of Pentax to the average consumer is probably low (given such dismal ratings in common mags such as CR).
Consumer Reports actually has a testbed of professional testers (as they claim) that go through a product and rate it.. I don't think it is just a survey mailed in from people who happen to own a given product. They, however, don't seem to precisely explain HOW they come to a certain rating... which makes it all the more useless for such a technical device as an SLR style camera (outside of maybe a toaster or vacuum cleaner).
I suspect the average consumer (soccer mom as example) probably DOES pickup a CR, read Canon T3 > Pentax K5 and then shops for a Canon T3 not realizing the Pentax is superior in almost every way.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-29-2013, 05:11 PM
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The latest Consumer Reports magazine had a small listing of DSLR camera ratings... Pentax K-30 and K-5 were at the bottom. A Canon T3 (the plain old T3 not T3i) was even above the Pentax cameras in the lineup.
Not sure how they tested those, but it does seem to show the common view of Pentax SLR cameras.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-01-2012, 07:53 PM
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I've yet to see another Pentaxian... ever. :c (
Got a couple looks at different air shows I went to with my Kx from people with Canon rigs... but that is cool.. I still got the shots I was after.. and then some. :cD
If I ever left Pentax land, I'd probably go to Sony land... In body Shake reduction is too useful to me. I wonder why Nikon and Canon don't offer bodies with shake reduction.. ??
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