----- Original Message -----
From: "Patrice LACOUTURE (GMail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 12:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Fwd: Re: Samsung GX-1L?]
Joseph Tainter a écrit :
But now should we worry that
Pentax will become a Schneider-Kreuznach? A maker of things branded
under other names, eventually maybe just a name put on things other
companies make?
In the photo industry, such companies are mostly European (mostly German)
companies with names that "sound like good big european cars quality",
initially with a rather high-end market (definitely not consumer). This
stands for Schneider-Kreuznach, Carl-Zeiss, in some extent Hasselblad and
even Leica.
Of course, Pentax also has a good reputation, but I'm not sure its name
would have such impact to consumer markets. Besides, it has a sound
historical record of consumer-oriented manufacturing (P&S, and of course
SLR).
That's why I would not bet on such outcome for Pentax.
I agree. Schneider-Kreuznach market value must be limited indeed as 99% have
never heard about it. The same goes to some extent for Leica whose image is
known in a very limited circle (who ends up buy buying Nikon or Canon
anyway!). Carl Zeiss is probably more generally known and its market value
is probably still high. The Canon brand is probably far more known among
consumers although being a volume (and crap) manufacturer; somewhat similar
to GM for cars. Nikon is in fact the most valued of all camera brands
according to "brand experts". Pentax is well known and the name will be
recognized by the general consumer.
Pål
