Wow, this is crazy... Sounds more than just throwing to see what sticks... I guess time will tell.
https://petapixel.com/2018/05/22/sony-investing-9b-in-image-sensors-aims-to-be-top-camera-brand-by-2021/ On Thu, May 17, 2018 at 2:50 PM, Bill <anotherdrunken...@gmail.com> wrote: > On 5/17/2018 12:26 PM, Gonz wrote: >> >> I see your point Bill, and you arguments make a certain amount of >> sense as far as Ricoh's direction. But where I diverge in my opinion >> is the survival part. Granted there will always be that cadre of >> Pentax die hards, but as you can see from the average age of pdml >> posters, its only going up, not down. > > > The PDML is one of the best kept secrets on the internet. I hardly think we > can use this mailing list as an example. > I just entered "Pentax camera forums" into Google and what came back was > forums neurotica, pentaxuser.com and DPReview. > We aren't exactly on anyone's radar here. > Spend some time on the neurotic forum and you will find plenty of thin > skinned millennials just looking to take offense at even the smallest > slight. > > > I.e. there is very little new >> >> Pentax "blood" coming in. So someone who is just coming into the high >> end/pro side of photography will in all likelihood migrate to one of >> the big three i.e. Canon, Nikon, Sony. Well at least as 35mm is >> concerned. I think medium format is a completely different beast and >> I wont even venture an opinion on that. Then there is Leica, but they >> are also on a different league altogether when it comes to high end. >> So where does that leave Pentax? > > > It leaves them with somewhat of an uphill battle to be sure, but I do think > that if Ricoh was planning on shuttering the brand any time soon we wouldn't > be seeing long term plans and short term new products coming out of their > factories. > > With a reputation of a lower >> >> cost/amateur manufacturer, they will have a real hard time competing >> in the space with those big boys and all their resources. The market >> is definitely shrinking, and it makes perfect sense to go after the >> only remaining market not eviscerated by phone cameras (though I've >> seen pros starting to move there too and even making full movies with >> them), but whether they will survive or not is a crap shoot. > > > Whether anyone survives is a crap shoot. Nikon is, from what I've read, > somewhat on the ropes, Canon is taking hits all over the place because of > very outdated sensor technology (the peril of making your own and then not > throwing R&D dollars at the division that invents them), Sony makes no bones > about throwing money at the wall and seeing what sticks. As soon as cameras > stop sticking, they are out of the game, the same way they got out of > consumer video recorders with Beta and became just another also ran VHS > maker. > I was, as it happens, one of the consumers they left high and dry with a > cabinet full of tapes and no machine available to play them on. > > Friends don't let friends buy Sony. > > Canon is something of a crap shoot. As the market shrinks, they will look > more and more at mirrorless, and I wouldn't be surprised if they jump in > with both feet and change their mount (again). If they do that, expect the > EF mount to go the way of the FD mount, with the same lame excuse given for > killing it. > > They got away with it once, they might well try to get away with it again. > > At least Ricoh bought the Pentax brand because they wanted it and thought > they could build something with it. Canon and Nikon are just doing what they > have always done, and really, so is Sony (toying with a market until it > dries up and then walking away). > > Fuji really is, to my mind, the safe bet regarding the camera industry, but > let's not pretend that they can't fail either. > > > bill > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. -- -- Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. Dorothea Lange -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
