Sorry, Brad, But, I think you've got the whole marketing thing backwards (I'm saying this from the viewpoint of someone who knows ~nothing~ about marketing, btw).
I shouldn't have to buy the "latest and greatest" equipment, to support my favourite company, so they can bring out something that I don't really care about right now (ie: a dslr), so the company can stay solvent. I'm the consumer, dammit! They (Pentax or anyone else) should cater to ~me~! If they don't, I don't buy new stuff from them. Simple as that. Pentax doesn't make the type of camera that I prefer, being an affordable, nicely featured mechanical metal-bodied camera. But, who does? No one, at least not a 35mm slr - and I don't count the N**** FM3, since it ain't exactly affordable. Mind you, I'm not saying that Pentax ~should~ make what I want. They stuck with the K1000 for almost 25 years, and made it as cheaply as they could, eventually making it in 3rd world countries, and substituting much plastic for what was once metal, both inside and out. They obviously weren't making money off it, so they stopped making it - and that's fine. The only camera I can think of offhand that fits the bill right now is the Voigtlander Bessa R (the top plate isn't metal, but the chassis is, so I'll forgive them for that). I might have bought one, but Dave Chang-Sang sold me his Leica CL for about 1/2 the price of a new Bessa and lens. So, I'll keep buying used, until Pentax comes up with something new that I want, and I ain't holding my breath. Of course, I'm now invested in k mount and m42 gear, so I can't afford to change systems - not that I want to, 'cause I like what I have. But I certainly will make no apologies for sticking with the used market, nor should I have to. cheers, frank Brad Dobo wrote: > Just a thought. Many here (but not all) like and use the older gear, to get > additional items, or replacements, they buy used equipment (not all the > time, but most I assume). What do I think? To each his own. More power to > you if you can really 'work' the older equipment. Now, I'm not a perfect > example, since I've now bought 2 items used, including a manual focus lens. > However, we all talk about Pentax and their position, rank and financial, > and what they will be in the future, and really......what about that darned > DSLR? What I'm thinking is, we as a whole group are the serious amateurs, > or professionals using Pentax. We are somewhat representative. If we don't > buy all the latest and greatest from Pentax, how can we expect them to > develop for us, a DSLR. We'd be the ones with the want and money to buy > one. But Pentax needs money and a reason to develop and manufacture and > sell worldwide a DSLR. Are we, in general terms, helping them do that? If > they know their real fans like the old over the new, and buy used, why put > the effort into a DSLR? Or a better new 35mm flagship for that matter? > Just something to toss about. > > [The opinions represented in this email are by no means that of the > originator of the email. <g>] > > Happy Holidays! > -- "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
