Does Anyone Know This With Any Facts??

[ErikJonas]

A odd subject line...What I mean is there are rumors and talk as there always is but if this could be answered with facts to some degree....

The question is if anyone knows the future of Pentax???...I think not having a full frame sensor puts them behind in the game.However a full frame sensor is limited as far as when you really need it.

I have had some people tell me anyone who wants to be pro has to go Nikon or Canon and thats pretty much crap...I'll take on the top Nikon or Canon with my Pentax film camera for that matter. Which is a ZX-7....This came up when talking to my friend Steve MacAulay and he told me one of his images published in National Geographic Adventure,full page was shot with a simple Nikon D70....I'm sure no one on this board is of the mind set that a really nice camera makes them a much better photographer but some people think that way....

Anyway....Getting back to the future of Pentax...Seeing one when i've been out shooting is kind of like seeing a white buffalo...I just wonder how the company can survive with seemingly small sales.Unless maybe they do really well in like the UK or Japan. And the last new model that i saw the only improvement other then maybe FPS was it did video...Woo hooo video...I'm not doing video,i want to take pictures....I dont want a camera that edits,talks to me or does video i want one that TAKES PICTURES....
I love my K20D and right now would just buy another one if i had to replace it.The other extreme Nikon is coming out with a new camera practically every 6 months.

So...Does anyone have any sound information on the state of Pentax???Even rarer then Pentax is Sigma and Fuji....Both sound cameras but i almost never see them.So i'm thinking maybe Pentax does better sales wise in Japan or the UK....I have never seen a Pentax ad on tv here but have seen ones for Canon and Nikon.

A Canon shooter once told me Pentax makes some of the best glass in Japan. Nice to know but it's only going to fit a Pentax body that does'nt go to far if theres not that much for sales of them. So does anyone know much on where other camera companies are at like Pentax? Is Pentax more of a Japanese camera?

 

[Ken Tanaka]

Who could answer such a pseudo-rhetorical question with anything other than more unfounded rhetorical speculation?

 

[ErikJonas]

..................

It is possible someone might know perhaps maybe having been in Japan while on vacation or just knowing of the makets in various other countries.Theres a number of ways this could be answered based on substantial facts.And i dont know how you see a direct question as a rhetorical one.Unless to do nothing more then under mine my question in a attempt to discredit me....

 

[Asher Kelman]

A odd subject line...What I mean is there are rumors and talk as there always is but if this could be answered with facts to some degree....

The question is if anyone knows the future of Pentax???...I think not having a full frame sensor puts them behind in the game.However a full frame sensor is limited as far as when you really need it.

Ben Kanarek might now! I'll ask!

A Canon shooter once told me Pentax makes some of the best glass in Japan. Nice to know but it's only going to fit a Pentax body that does'nt go to far if theres not that much for sales of them.

Pentax lenses can be used on a Canon camera with an adapter. It depends what Canon camera you are using. Here are Cameraquest.com's offerings to use various lenses on Canon Eos cameras:



Pentax K Lens to EOS EF-S Digital Format NEW !! Not for EOS film or larger format EOS Digital cameras, ONLY EF-S mounts, check your instruction booklet

Pentax Screw Mount 42 mm Lens, NEW IMPROVED Adapter, ALL Black to cut down reflections in camera, with ridge to automatically stop down the lens to shooting aperture, even if the lens does not have a manual / auto switch ! The ridge also helps prevent flare, much like the Nikon to EOS adapter above
Source

Asher

 

[ErikJonas]

.................

Thanks Asher on both counts....The Canon EOS series is the lower line for Canon correct?...Didnt some of the Minoltas have the same mount?

I know that Nikon lenses are the same mount on Fuji.

But the main thought of the thread is not lenses and lens mounts but the future of Pentax and if the there are markets where they are stronger then here like Japan,France or other parts of the UK....They make a good solid camera...I wonder why they dont have more ads on tv like Canon and Nikon do.

 

[Cem_Usakligil]

If you are looking for facts and you are wondering about the various aspects of their business and their advertising strategy, I would suggest that you start by reading the Hoya (owner of Pentax) annual report here. The personal opinions we might put forward in the forum will be pure speculation and not facts, but there is nothing wrong in discussing them as long as we are aware that they won't be conclusive nor authoritative.

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Who could answer such a pseudo-rhetorical question with anything other than more unfounded rhetorical speculation?

If someone really knows, they would probably have to kill you after disclosure ... ;-)

Cheers,
Bart

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

But the main thought of the thread is not lenses and lens mounts but the future of Pentax and if the there are markets where they are stronger then here like Japan,France or other parts of the UK....They make a good solid camera...I wonder why they dont have more ads on tv like Canon and Nikon do.

Hi Eric,

Nobody knows what the economy has in store for us. Even big companies can fall over if their financing is shaky, despite an otherwise sound longer term plan.

So to predict anything, one would have to dig into financial statements, and look at e.g. patents that a company holds. A company like Canon seems a safe bet for survival (one of the world's largest number of annual patent registrations), unless they have an iffy financial situation. They operate in many different fields, so they are not exclusively dependent on consumer p/s camera spending.

I'm not familiar enough with the Pentax portfolio, but as Cem said, an annual report is one way of getting a better feeling about the financial situation, and about the vulnerability in different market sectors.

Investing in the future is always risky. When I started in photography many moons ago, Nikon was the brand to beat (and Pentax was a big player as well), but I chose for Canon as I saw a bright future ahead. After making some money with a number of cheaper cameras (I couldn't afford more), I bought a Canon F-1 (which I still have) and it has served me well. So in hindsight, it was a good investment.

But from time to time one is represented with a dilemma.

Canon made a bold move and abandoned they FD lens mount, and switched to they current EF mount on the EOS line of cameras. While the older lenses still functioned fine, I had to reinvest in a new line of lenses for future expansion of my needs (fortunately many of them were better than their predecessors, so it proved to be a blessing in disguise).

Nikon proclaimed they would never go to full 24x36mm sensors, and it almost cost them they head. Now, with a new management, they are back with some great cameras, and super lenses.

Sony is trying to get a bigger piece of the market, but seem to have difficulties in image quality (too many compromises in the fundamental technology?).

Pentax (owned by Hoya) make fine lenses, but are presumably very dependent on what other manufacturers (e.g. Sony, or Kodak) are willing to sell them as far as sensors go. Their optics are also used in non-consumer markets, but they are not alone there either. So they are in a tough spot. Whether they will survive, only the future knows ...

Good luck in planning for the future.
Bart

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Erik,

Thanks Asher on both counts....The Canon EOS series is the lower line for Canon correct?

"EOS" embraces the entire Canon digital SLR line.