Is it not the case in the US that manufacturers/distributors get taxed on their inventory? If this is the case then it would explain why Pentax USA does not want to hold many more stocks than shops are ordering. This is not the case in Europe where from what I can tell there is no problem getting hold of any of these items.
I do think that there are still some supply issues involved too though. Perhaps because Pentax has been gearing up for future production of new items, perhaps because they have been moving production, and perhaps because they have focussed on producing other items such as P&S etc and sacrificed production of some other items as a result. I can well believe that Pentax is only manufacturing older (pre FAJ/DA/D-FA) lenses to order as they could look to be on the cusp of launching D-FA across the range over the next few years and if that is the case they understandably expect demand for FA lenses to be low. Who knows - we can but speculate for now!! > -----Original Message----- > From: Joseph Tainter [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: 17 August 2004 16:42 > To: pdml > Subject: Re: Pentax DA lens shortage? (WAS: Re: Pentax 1Q news FY-05) > > > P�l, I think it is best to let the facts speak for themselves. > > The DA 16-45 has been in chronically short supply in the U.S. > at major > online/telephone retailers (specifically B&H and Adorama). Every few > weeks they get in a few, then sell out within a day or so. Then it is > several weeks again until a few more arrive. I cannot imagine > that these > retailers are ordering too few lenses when they know the > demand, and are > thereby foregoing sales that are a certainty. The fact that a few are > available in some local shops does not mean that it is widely > available. > It only means that a few local shops overestimated local > demand for it > at a premium price. > > The DA 14 has been available in Europe since late June. It has yet to > make it to this hemisphere, or to Australia. Adorama listed > the lens on > their web site on 3 June. I ordered it within a couple of > hours of its > listing. I am still awaiting it 2-1/2 months later. No one > knows when it > will be available. Adorama and other retailers have ordered the lens. > Pentax is simply not filling their orders. Why? One can only conclude > that Pentax is, for some reason, not producing very many of the lens. > > Retailers may be hesitant now to stock some of the higher-cost FA > lenses. Many of these are now available only on special order. Others > are backordered. I suspect that retailers know something > about Pentax's > plans that has not been disclosed to us. This "something" may > be related > to the D-FA line. They don't want to get stuck with FA lenses > that may > soon be considered obsolete. > > The only reasons I can see why Pentax is not producing enough > DA lenses > is either that their production capacity is focused on P&S > digital, or > they are having problems at the plant in Vietnam. It is also possible > also that this problem is temporary: Pentax has closed lens > assembly in > Japan, and we are witnessing merely a start-up lag in > Vietnam. Time will > tell. > > P�l, why not ask your Pentax source to tell us what is happening? > > Joe > >
