R�diger wrote:

With the K-mount incompabilty Pentax is loosing their strongest marketing
argument.



REPLY:

This is a complete misunderstanding. The number of Pentax customers (as opposed to 
users) who buy an slr with compatibility of more than 20 year old lenses are so few 
that percentage is not a useful way to measure it. Just ask any Pentax rep. 90% of all 
slr sales, and this include Nikon and Canon, are in the Rebel/*ist class and they are 
sold with kit lenses. For Pentax the number is probably closer to 98%. Calling an 
"advantage" that only benefit less than 1% of the buyers as strongest marketing 
argument is simply misguided. Only a tiny fraction of the tiny percentage use older 
than 20 year old lenses. Only a tiny fraction of those again are in the market for a 
DSLR. 
Still, 20 year backwards compatibility with lenses is the best of any DSLR. 
The 90% slr market segment is what all manufacturer now will chase for DSLR. This is 
where the volume is. Another volume segment are those upgrading from digital P&S. More 
than 20 years backward compatibilty doesn't mean anything to these customers. Nor does 
it mean much to anyone else. I can't recollect any manufacturer of modern camerras who 
cater for customers with more than 20 year old equipment. If such a move had any 
advantages in business term I'm sure it would have been common. 

P�l




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