Pentax: Is it going up or down...

[don_e]

"Pentax will almost certainly get screwed by Sony when its current contract expires, as it doesn't make sense for Sony to offer sensor chips to competitors if its trying to get 30% of the market in 24 months."

 

Since Nikon uses their sensors, they can take out Nikon, too, thereby becoming #2 effortlessly.

 

But what a great opportunity for Matsushita's sensors.

 

--

 

Don E

[40mm]

I've no expertise on the business management of Japanese camera makers, but I do suspect some folks underestimate Pentax. I agree that it's unlikely they'll ever be 1st or 2nd in DSLR market share but, from using and evaluating their products, I suspect they know that as well. If they can't be the biggest fish in the pond, to remain profitable they need to distinguish themselves in other ways that more precisely targets a smaller, but still lucrative share of the market. It seems to me that's just what they're doing.

 

There's some excellent products from Pentax that are never going to make them top dog, but nevertheless seem to attract sufficient, and growing, following. Their new DA primes, for example. Small, high quality, "pancake" lenses. The, frankly exquisite, Limited lenses. All very good products that attract not all, but a significant minority of a more particular consumer. Affordable quality. To some extent, this is true of their camera bodies, as well. I bought a DS because it had enough of the features I wanted, but more importantly, I felt it was the best handling and most comfortable to use camera in its class. Pentax has a tradition of designing well-engineered products that don't compete purely on a simple comparison reading of the spec sheet and the headline feature-set. For a company that's not at the top of the market, this seems to me to be a smart strategy. They're after a bigger share of a smaller market.

 

Good grief, I don't intend to sound like a Pentax fanboy here, honestly, but I do find these subtleties of the market quite interesting. As a non-professional consumer of quality camera kit, if there's enough folks who like the less mainstream approach Pentax are taking, I can see a future for them.

[p_l_jensen]

To answer the question in this therad:

 

Pentax is on its way up. Their factories goes 24 hours a day on a three shift basis and they are still unable to meet demand for their DSLR's. The K10D to be announced next month is even more competitive than the very sucessful K100D.

[._._z]

How different is Pentax's manufacturing compared to a year ago? And where precisely do you get your facts? How do you know they're "going up" (whatever that means)?

[fast_primes]

It's worth pointing out that Pentax is utterly unique in offering APS-C specific, non-macro primes:<br><ul>

<li>14F2.8

<li>21F3.2 Limited

<li>40F2.8 Limited (which also reportedly works full frame as well)

<li>70F2.4 (due later this year)

</ul>

The 21, 40 and 70 are extremely compact.

 

However, the recently revised (much more compact and lighter in weight) Pentax 50F2.8 and 100F2.8 macros (designated D-FA), still offer full-frame coverage. This suggest that Pentax also intends similar revision for it's other FF lenses in due course and is aware that FF digital is coming sooner--or later.

[p_l_jensen]

"This suggest that Pentax also intends similar revision for it's other FF lenses in due course and is aware that FF digital is coming sooner--or later."

 

 

THere are more full frame lenses coming early next year: 60-250/4 ED IF, 200/2.8 ED IF and a 300/4 ED IF, all with USM.

[p_l_jensen]

According to the latest figures from Japan Pentax have 14% market share in DSLR's with only one camera model. The other sucess story is the Sony Alpha. The rise of these models seems to have hit Canon who suffers a significant decline in market share and is approaching Nikon in volume. This is, however, only a snapshot of current situation in one market and things may change fast.

It will be inetersting to see who things develops; the Nikon D80 is announced and the new Canon Rebel is also certain to be a strong seller. But again, the Pentax K10D is better specified than both the Canon and the D80 according to the information I have. It is also very competitively priced. Sony have probably more up their sleeve as well so the competition is increasing. What is certain is that Nikon and Canon will no longer have the market for themselves.

[._._z]

Those numbers are confusing and therefore meaningless -- sales for what period, and where? Citations? (I have to ask AGAIN.)

[._._z]

A year ago Pentax profits slid 42%. And a few months ago Pentax revised downward its profit and profit forecast amounts

<u><A href =

http://www.pentax.co.jp/english/news/announce/20060502-01.html>(link)</a></u>. Can you provide links to information about these allegedly tremendous sales?

[bill_thorlin]

Apparently there has been a report from Bloombergs giving relative changes in the market percentages between June & July this year for sales of dSLRs - this being the part of the market which still shows significant profits being made.

 

Basically Canon down, Nikon down, Sony up from 2.3% to 21.6%, Pentax up from 7.6% to 14.0% and Olympus down to only 2.8%.

 

Not wise to read too much into such a narrow base of information and there must always be caveats about such reports. It does seem that the launch of the Sony Alpha has gone well and Pentax have reason for some satisfaction.

 

There are of course new models appearing all over the place so the competition is really hotting up and it will be very interesting to see what happens in the next few months ( especially to Olympus ).

 

One thing is for sure - the consumer is going to benefit !

[._._z]

That report was for a single month, in Japan only, and -- contrary to Pal's claims -- was not about "a single Pentax camera" being responsible for sales. Moreover, it does not support Pal's other contentions, like his claims about Pentax's factory production.

[p_l_jensen]

http://www.bisha-kasha.jp/001/43.html

[._._z]

More and more absurd. Thanks for nothing, Pal.

[peterblaise]

.

 

[My 2 cents] department (with enough varying viewpoints, we may draw a more fully accurate picture?):

 

- I recall Pentax exec/rep saying they "had" to release their first digital camera even though they didn't believe it competed with the capture qualities of film yet, but without a digital camera, Pentax would not be taken seriously.

 

- Herb Keppler -- the most widely published photographer in the world, editor and chief curmudgeon of PopPhoto magazine -- then bought a Pentax digital for himself even though he was an avowed Minolta user, since Minolta waited even longer than Pentax to release a modern DSLR!

 

- PopPhoto reviewed the Pentax/Vietnam-made Schneider kit lens that comes on the Samsung DSLR version and called it the highest quality and most accurate kit lens they have ever tested.

 

- Now Pentax will have Minolta's (equivalent) anti shake in-body.

 

... I'll leave my above collection of otherwise trivial tidbits as random pieces for you all to place in the Pentax picture puzzle you're all working on.

 

PS - I learned photography on 3 Pentaxes with 3 lenses and 3 films, on outings with my parent and sibling, we all three swapping lenses between bodies as needed, developing and printing that night at home darkroom. Though I'm a Minolta-shooter now, I'm jealous of the Pentax reverence for legacy lenses, Pentax having adapters for 42M-screw and medium format as part of their SLR/DSLR plan -- good for Pentax. And now with anti shake, there's not much excuse left for buying any other DSLR especially if you have lenses that fit Pentax.

 

That's my 2 cents -- a penny for YOUR thoughts? ;-)

 

Click!

 

Love and hugs,

 

Peter Blaise peterblaise@yahoo.com Minolta Rokkor Alpha DiMage Photographer http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/