Pentax sold to Ricoh!

[ukcatfan]

I think this will be a good thing for us Pentaxians.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1107/11070105ricohbuyspentax.asp

 

[Experiment_626]

Interesting analysis by Thom Hogan at his site -- it's currently the article at the top of his blog.

http://www.bythom.com/

Speaking as a Nikon shooter, I hope this allows Pentax to survive and thrive. Aside from the fact that I have friends here who like the brand, they make good cameras. And more competition -- thriving, viable competition -- is a good thing for all of us.

Scott

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I'm hoping it will be a good thing! If you read the forum at dpreview, there are many naysayers predicting the end of the world. Until Ricoh further elaborates what the future will be, I'm holding off on the purchase of any new equipment. I was just about to pull the trigger on the Sigma 30, but now I'm going to hold off for a couple of weeks. I also want to upgrade one of my bodies, but again I will hold off until we know more. Whatever happens my cameras will continue to work, so I'm not overly concerned. We have been shooting Pentax for many, many years, and this news has shaken my confidence for the future. Again, I'm very hopeful, but until Ricoh lays out the future, I'm not investing any more money into the system.

 

[ukcatfan]

I don't pay too much attention to DPReview regulars. They always seem to have an extremist view of everything. I personally don't think that this will be any worse than under Hoya. They were very clear that they wanted the medical device part of the company and simply let the camera division survive as long as they didn't lose money. Ricoh wants them for the cameras specifically. I don't think that they will ever try to or need to compete with Canon, Nikon, or Sony. The market is big enough to handle many different brands. As long as they don't over produce inventory that they get stuck with, then they can do just fine.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I agree about dpreview! I just want to hear more from Ricoh about their plan. There was just the announcement that they were going to keep the Pentax name and they bought it develop an interchangeable lens camera system. I just don't know what that means. If they further develop bodies like the K5 then I'm a happy camper. They don't need to try to compete with Canon and Nikon in the pro market. I don't care if they ever develop a FF camera. Stay a niche camera company, building rugged, compact good cameras with good lenses and I will be there as I have been for the last thirty years. Cheapen the product line for mass sales at Walmart and I'm afraid I would have to consider moving. Its not something I even want to do, but time will tell.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Teflon suit on?......................................












Kevlar suit on?.....................................
























Pacific Ocean still between the US and Oz?......................................














Perhaps....this might be the incentive for you Pentaxians to move to a different manufacturer.......








....she says as she

on out of here...and back to a Canon thread.....

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I'm not ready to jump ship yet. I have two camera bodies and about $4,000 invested in Pentax compatible lenses. While that may not be much for some folks, it is for me! Besides, just because the company was sold, doesn't mean my cameras quit working. I love my cameras, but I was looking to upgrade a body for one with higher ISO capabilities than my K10's. I may just wait and see if everyone panics and they drop the price on the K5! That would last me for a few years until the future is fully determined.

 

[ukcatfan]

Perhaps....this might be the incentive for you Pentaxians to move to a different manufacturer..

....she says as she

on out of here...and back to a Canon thread.....

I am far from ready to jump ship. I honestly think this could end up being an improvement at the consumer level. Maybe a full frame is less likely, but that does not interest me anyway. FWIW, if forced to change today it would be to Sony. I see them eventually taking over the number two spot.

 

[Bstanley]

Many years and 2 Careers ago I worked for several years with the Laser Printer/Copier group at Ricoh. The company that I worked for used Ricoh electrophotographic printing mechanicals in the PostScript Laser Printers we produced.

It's been long enough ago that maybe Ricoh has changed it's spots. But back in those days it was ALL about the cost. It didn't matter that the printer was 4 times less reliable than the Canon equivalent - it was half the price! Unfortunately customers didn't like that trade-off, which is why you don't see any Ricoh Laser Printers these days, but you see boxcar loads of Canon printers.

Pentaxians - you should cross your fingers and pray that the Ricoh folks from the camera/imaging side of the company are significantly more interested in quality and reliability than the characters in the electrophotographic side of the house that I dealt with...

 

[PrincessInOz]

I was only stirring.....hope I didn't offend anyone.

I almost got a Pentax camera when we first looked at dSLRs. The Pentax suited my hands must more than the Canon. Sadly, it was a complete no go on the Pentax for DH...it completely didn't suit his hands and we went with the Canon instead.

Now that the camera is completely mine.....

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

I was only stirring.....hope I didn't offend anyone.

I almost got a Pentax camera when we first looked at dSLRs. The Pentax suited my hands must more than the Canon. Sadly, it was a complete no go on the Pentax for DH...it completely didn't suit his hands and we went with the Canon instead.

Now that the camera is completely mine.....

No worries, I got the joke!! It actually helped me explain my point of view further!