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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
09-04-2018, 07:16 AM
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I think the K1 upgrade was quite good. Low cost for Ricoh, put money into the pockets of their partners, which doesn't happen in business very often and will be remembered, and is a way of building a service base. We shall see how that is used in the future. The medium format market requires a high level of service, as well as the professional market in other formats.
I think you can safely say that they aren't particularly interested in the US market.
They are selling their production, they don't have massive amounts of money tied up in stocking shelves and inventory, their market is photographers who are looking for value and performance. There are market segments they are not serving, which means they aren't spending money on, but others they are doing quite well, like the Theta, and medium format. And full frame.
The market has been massively changing, shrinking dramatically with some small corners doing well. They exist in quite a few of those corners.
The photocopier market peaked a few years ago, and has become more specialized and less volume driven. High quality color machines, which they produce and sell will never replace the volume or sales numbers that the paper producing machines in every department that existed a decade ago. In that kind of market it is survival that counts, and they have survived.
Same in the camera market. They are generating a return on investment in a remarkably fluid and changing market, and doing ok to keep up.
By the way, when they get their Image Sync stuff working, where you can change drive modes, it will force all the rest of the big guys to replicate what they are doing. Image sync v 1.x was pretty useless except to show off. Their experience in Theta, in attempting to build a community driven type of development is revolutionary for Japanese businesses, and I suspect what they are learning is going to be the future for all their products.
---------- Post added 09-04-18 at 07:21 AM ----------
>Japanese companies seem to be able to sustain in their market what Wall Street would never tolerate.
Interestingly, almost all the products I use in my business are produced by privately owned companies. The ones who are on Wall Street are on everyone's list of companies to avoid, and people are actively working to build alternatives. That town has nothing to do with building value, building markets or anything except lining their pockets, and when they screw up so badly, fleece the taxpayers pockets to bail them out.
So if some business analyst with Wall Street thinking doesn't like the way Ricoh is doing business, then that in my mind is a positive.
By the way, almost all the classic american brand names that I use in my business are being bought up by Japanese firms. Their products keep the world working. Wall Street isn't in that business anymore.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
08-22-2018, 09:47 PM
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The mirrorless wars are probably best sat out. The big three are going to go at each other with hammers and tongs, expecting their user base to throw away their lenses for a new platform. Pentax can sell their production, make money and pick out niche opportunities that are to small for the big guys. And take advantage of the electronics developed.
The 645z created a market segment. It is a limited market and they could serve it. The K1 is a segment that they can serve well. We shall see what they come up with next. They seem to get my money regularly.
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