First price drop on K5 in Europe. Stains effect?

[mggm59]

<p>I am regularly surveying European mail-order sites and I spotted one which has relatively good offers (4 year warranty to boot). Prices have been stable for a few weeks, but a couple of days ago they dropped by 50 euro, on top of Pentax 150€ rebate, bringing for the first time the price WITH 18-55WR below 1000€ (barely).<br>

http://www.reflexpro.fr/pentax-m-62.html<br>

Is this the effect of the stain issue? I might have cracked... it is an hour drive from here, but I am hesitating due to this issue...</p>

[sfcole]

<p>I would imagine (because none of us know for sure) that Pentax's price drop is more likely to reflect<br>

-the world recession and lack of discretionary spending for so many<br>

-competition from similar but cheaper products such as Nikon and Sony<br>

-Pentax's typical pricing strategy (ridiculous at first and then a slow descent to sanity)</p>

 

[rparmar]

<p>Prices drop with time. So what else is new? Conspiracy theories etc. not required.</p>

[mggm59]

 

<p>Pricing strategy and competition might be a cause, but a drop a few weeks after the camera is available, just before Christmas, does not seem so "normal" IMHO. If I remember well the K20 took longer.<br>

Conspiracy theories? Does not seems like one, looking at this page:<br>

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-k-5-forum/124799-some-k-5s-shipped-stains-sensor-aa-filter.html<br>

Pentax is recognizing the issue. And lowering price might be a countermeasure to reduced consumer confidence deriving from this problem. We'll see price evolution. If it drops fast it would support this interpretation.</p>

 

 

[mountainvisions]

<p>Everyone thought the camera was priced high, and everyone expected it to drop in price over the first few months. Even if there wasn't a single problem I'd have expected it to drop in price a bit.</p>

<p>It's really not poor business for Pentax to price it initially high and take some increased profits by those both willing and able to afford to pay the early adopter tax. Then after the early adopters get theirs, Pentax drops it to a more competitive mid priced level. At the end of the product cycle Pentax then drops the price again, followed by supply shrinking and price going up (the K-7 is now selling for more than I paid for it) so sales of the new camera aren't cannibalized. Remember the K10D was $500 before the K200D release, but as soon as it was released, K10D prices went up. The K-7 was plummeting to the sub $800 range which would make it very attractive to people over the K-5 as a stop gap while prices drop, or even cannibalize K-r sales since the prices were getting pretty close.</p>

<p>On the flip side, Nikon always releases it's cameras where it expects to sell them long term. And Canon prices a little higher but has endless rebates.</p>

<p>I'd guess Pentax has an average camera price in mind and through cost averaging it reaches that goal. I would think the K-7 ended up selling for around $1050 average, or about where the D7000 is priced to stay!</p>

[ukhov]

<p>What to say, some one prefer spot on those 77 points till develop and other people do not .Is no secret what it takes after development on sensor like pentax good 8 to12 month of good practice to do so, in matter no second sensor look alike by the side or center poins and no advise can be made on how to build self value. Price talk wise go to see America and buy K-5-very good way to kick your money back for tickets!</p>