On 18/9/05, J. C. O'Connell, discombobulated, unleashed: >If someone is going to start >from scratch, WHY IN THE WORLD would they choose pentax?
Most wouldn't, but not because of: >Pentax is inferior mount to both canon and minolta because >those companies made the leap to a newer more modern lens mount >when they went to AF but pentax hasn't. The vast majority of punters would not know this, and would care less. The reason they don't buy Pentax is down to marketing and availability. If punters see a big red sign saying 'Pentax' everywhere they go, then it eventually sits in the conscience. There are quite a few big red signs, and it is there in the conscience. But: if punters see professionals (either in person or on TV at sporting events etc) with neck straps that say 'Nikon' and 'Canon', then that is what they will aspire to, regardless of the product that they will potentially buy. They don't see straps and cameras with Pentax written on, so they don't aspire, despite the big red signs we see. Simple. If the professionals aren't using the gear, then there must be something wrong with it, or more likely, if the pros are using the gear, then there must be something dood about it. Which brings me neatly to 'availability'. Why aren't the professionals using Pentax? They used to. They don't now, and it's because they can't get the gear. It's not made. The lesson from all this? Simple: to sell bucketloads of cameras at entry level through to mid level, you *have* to have some top level stuff - even if it's priced so high that only professional high-flyers can afford it. Then you have to make sure it appears on TV. A lot. Pentax should have made a thousand MZ-D cameras, introduced IS somehow, and just *given* the gear away to accredited photographers. The gear gets seen, it gets related to, and the entry-level gear gets purchased. I know nothing about marketing, but I do know why people make the decision not to buy Pentax when they're going to spend close to a grand on a camera. They've told me. See above. Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ||=====| http://www.cottysnaps.com _____________________________
