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Subject: Re: Pentax body but not glass? (was Re: Samsung GX-1L?)
What I mean is that you the the 18-55 package but someone else's glass label. That's not Pentax, except perhaps for the package. And that's not a significant photo product by any streach. And why buy Pentax glass given the popularity of the Schneider name? Old-timers know Schneider from the Kodak days (whether Retina or even the first 126 bodies, let alone the digitals) and it's known in LF (it's definitely the best in that arena, though a bit pricey). Pentax has become a relatively- unknown entity in these circles. Comparatively, that is.
What popularity of the Schneider name? Pentax has had continuous product in the consumer marketplace. Schneider is, by comparison, relatively unknown, a brand name that is now being put onto cameras made by consumer electronic companies in an attempt to have a little cachet value, since they have no brand recognition in the camera business. I think you'll find that the old timers either know the Pentax brand as very high quality lenses, or they have already died of old age. It would be unfortunate if Pentax ended up being a third party consumer lens supplier, with their lenses being rebadged with another name, but if it gave them the capital required to continue producing high quality lenses with their own name on the nameplate, then I can live with that.
William Robb
