Pentax obviously must support the sale of the probably large amount of film related products - lenses etc. - that are already in production, in stock or at the retailers. I guess the *ist is an example of such policies. Other than that I too believe Pentax will/should conduct tremendous efforts into developing the digital segment. I doubt this means offering a new DSLR. I believe Pentax has a very long tradition of keeping the same model in the market for a very long time. So, what we might see is probably a *ist Dn, featuring rather small, but conspicuous improvements (an example of the past is the panorama function of the Z-series, the manual ability of the ME-Super etc.). Or perhaps a cheeper *ist D version (no stainless steel frame). Furthermore I expect Pentax to develop a high end all-in-one EVF-camera (no exchangable lenses) - like many other manufactureres do - probably in the 8-10 MP range to compete in resolution, reach deeper into the market for non DSLR cameras and to support internal product developments. It could be a very small and light one - or a model featuring movie functions (made already ??) - or a "limited" model with very high standards for design, details, lens etc (niche). Or even a digital "limited" rangefinder for limited lenses (like the Epson-Leica-M bastard).
Lots of posibilities, just not a new DSLR. Jens Bladt mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://hjem.get2net.dk/bladt -----Oprindelig meddelelse----- Fra: Dario Bonazza [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sendt: 24. maj 2004 23:08 Til: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Emne: Re: New Pentax DSLR's? alexanderkrohe wrote: > Serving only a niche market would certainly be not > profitable enough. Niche markets usually allow higher gain per item, hence can be profitable, but not for a company the size of Pentax. A smaller company (Cosina, Leica, and so on) could fit a niche market. > OTOH by tradition Pentax has always > offered some niche market products such as the soft > lenses for 6x7 cameras, limited lenses, stereo > attachments and so on. As special items within a wider market, not as a business in its own. > Certainly they need mass-produced articles. But as any > other better camera producer they don't just sell > stand-alone products, they do sell camera systems > (including a range of cameras from high-end to basic > level). Will they support a full-range system in the > future ? A full-range system includes niche-products. OK, this is what you will do, if you were Pentax. This is also what I would have done in the past, if I was Pentax (a high end film SLR is not the niche product I'd market today). If Pentax was Pentax, as it is, they often did hard to explain moves, half-moves, contradicting moves. I'm trying to understand what Pentax will do (and could reasonably do), not what anybody within PDML think Pentax should do. > I don't have any background information about the > Pentax business, Me neither, currently. > but in my understanding a low-volume > niche- market would probably be more profitable for a > mid-sized company (such as Pentax) than for a large > company. A smaller company than Pentax will fit better. For Pentax, a niche market can only complement their main business. Now they are trying to re-build their main business, and all of their resources have to pursue that goal. At least, this is what I understand. Of course, I can be wrong. Dario Bonazza
