> From: Alexandru-Cristian Sarbu <[email protected]> > > Hello, > > Comments interlined below. > > On Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 6:36 PM, Tom C <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> They're really only competing in the APS-C arena and that's about it. >> The 645D is just about out of everyone's price range including mine. >> Was it ever relevant? > The 645D is definitely relevant, just not to people like you or me. > Same for the Q, which sells quite well in Japan. >>
The question is are those cameras and others, in toto, making money for Pentax or Pentax Ricoh? >> The K5 and derivatives may be solid cameras in their own right. Having >> used Pentax for 20 years I'd be lying and stupid to say they didn't >> make a product that delivered good results. > True, but unfortunately the lack of higher end solution could be felt > sometimes. >> We agree there. :) >> Fact's are they have only about 2% of market share and predictions are >> it will decline. > Which facts? Whose predictions? > The only 2%-like figure I saw some time ago (it was even less, about > 1.5%) included compacts, and since units were counted it was mostly > about compacts. I couldn't care less if Pentax were to abandon > compacts altogether (but, Pentax, please: if you'll do it send me an > Optio WG-2, first). The low end of the P&S compact market is dying due to camera phones. How can you sell a camera if they're essentially being given away with cell phones to people who largely find that quality 'good enough'? > About declining, nope, Pentax is actually heading in the opposite > direction; because they're now Pentax Ricoh, and not some fund starved > Hoya division. The next year, if we'll survive the imaginary > apocalypse, should be very interesting IMO. >> I'm not as sure about that. I remember the same high hopes expressed both when they partnered with Samsung and when Hoya acquired them. >> If Pentax was working on a FF body they should certainly say so, >> rather than hide it. As some have pointed out, the lack of a FF lens >> line is problematic in that regard. > Remember Nikon? They said nothing about working on the D3, until > they've made it, am I right? I wasn't paying attention to Nikon back then, but I'll grant that you are. Now however a FF body is more of an expectation as opposed to a surprise. > For whatever it's worth, Pentax declared they are working on "full > frame technologies" (while insisting a market ready product is nowhere > near, and not making any promise). They agree with the FF lens line > issue, but I'm sure that's something that could be fixed... in a > decade or so. > > Best regards, > Alex Sarbu > The fact that they realize that's an issue yet are unable to deliver when major competitors have been for quite some time may be the symptom of a problem, not a reason for confidence, IMO. Really though, the point of my original post was not to denigrate Pentax it was to say one doesn't need to be necessarily constrained by brand. Obviously constraints differ from person to person. (I feel like I should say "I am woman, hear me roar" at this point, but I'll refrain from saying anything that ridiculous) Cheers. :) Tom C. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
