Cotty wrote:
What of a possibility that there will be some tandem products. I can see
a Samsung ZLR with a Pentax lens....
Possible, but not top priority. Samsung already uses Schneider lenses, which
are close to Zeiss reputation.
I can see a Pentax ZLR sooner.
Samsung image quality is not limited by their lenses. Having seen some
sample image from the Samsung 815, I think Samsung image technology to be
well behind (excessive noise, etc.), so I'm not so excited about sharing it
with Pentax.
From this agreement I can see the following pros/cons for Pentax:
Pros:
Selling pentaprisms to Samsung (good, but not essential)
Expanding K-bayonet digital platform and (who knows?) improving it (USM,
IS?). This is the most strategic gain.
Access to cheap manufacturing capabilities (tactical)
(Hopefully) Dynamic marketing approach (tactical/strategic)
Cons:
Pentax being forced to use Samsung low-end electronics (hw) and processing
(sw).
Pentax could be perceived more and more as a manufacturer of cheap products
only (Pentax=Samsung). However, maybe this is not worse than having current
(almost negligible) brand awareness on the market
Balancing pros and cons, I think this is a good move for Pentax, especially
when considering that there's probably nothing better left (since Sony
already teamed with Minolta and Panasonic with Olympus). The alternative
(with a different vision) could only be a stronger alliance with Nikon...
Dario
