Excellent question, although the same question can be asked concerning any other super brands - like Ferrari, Gucci, Porsche, Harley Davidson etc. Perhaps Pentax is not really a super brand (a brand for which people are prepared to pay an over price, because of the prestige etc.). But Pentax IS a widely well known and respected brand. When a company like Pentax merges with another company or buys it (like Imacon/Hasselblad, Konica/Minolta, Volvo/Ford etc.) it just means they are trying to make a reasonable sound business decision. Naturally, Pentax had to consider if this would damage the company reputation or not. And of course weather it wouild be profitable or not. The answer to the latter is obvious - Pentax must have considered this carefully, I'm sure. I don't know about the first question, but I guess HOYA is largely regarded as a company marketing excellent photographic filters for consumers as well as pro's.
In the sixties-seventies Pentax WAS a super brand. The Spotmatics were a huge success. At that time Pentax sold more cameras than Nikon and Canon put together. Those days ar long gone. At first Nikon took a leading role. Roomers say that Nikon gave away cameras to journalist all over the world - in the sixties - making marketing a major issue. And they did of course develop nice cameras and excellent lenses as well. Canon took a leading role at the time the Canon EOS 1v was introduced. It was faster (AF) than any other camera. Almost every sports journalist in the world bought one. Since the sixties Pentax has: 1) Lived on utilizing the Spotmatic aera fame. 2) Marketed userfreindly, affordable cameras, without really competing with the major players; Nikon and Canon, in the pro market section. 3) Sold LOADS of high end P&S and consumer cameras. 4) From time to time released (almost) pro-speced/enthusiast SLR cameras like the LX, PZ1, *ist D 5) From time to time released excellent (pro-speced) glass (like the F 1.4/50mm, A* 1.4 85mm, FA 2.8 80-200mm, FA 2.8 300mm, FA 31mm, FA f77mm and others) 6) Kept on releasing less excellent, but still useable lenses for the consumer market (F 4-5.6 35-80mm for 4x6" prints for the family album). 7) Released pro-speced, excellent Medium Format cameras (6x7 and 645). Pentax is targeting the consumer and enthusiasts markets as the number one priority (that's where the money is, they seem to think). And Pentax is from time to time competing successfully in the segment of consumer/enthusiast cameras (DS/K100D/K10D), but without trying to compete in the pro market segment (Full Frame, 8 FPS, Huge amount of F.2.8 zooms, fast AF, latest technology for computerized control of cameras and images. color profiles etc). Pentax is "high end, userfriendly consumer and enthusiast cameras" - and (from time to time) "excellent or superior glass and camera features". I don't see any signs of changes in this policy. And hey, doesn't Hoya fit this policy like a glove? Regards Jens Jens Bladt http://www.jensbladt.dk +45 56 63 77 11 +45 23 43 85 77 Skype: jensbladt248 -----Oprindelig meddelelse----- Fra: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] vegne af Mark Cassino Sendt: 22. december 2006 02:07 Til: Pentax-Discuss Mail List Emne: What Makes a Pentax a Pentax? With the Hoya acquisition of Pentax, I'm pondering a fundamental question - what could Hoya do to make me feel that my future Pentax (or Ho-Tax) is a true Pentax camera, and what could they do to make me feel the opposite? Obviously, there's the lens compatibility issue. Pentax has really distinguished itself by retaining backwards compatibility with virtually all K mount lens, even if you lose a few features when using them. (And even if they produce really bad chromatic aberrations on a digital body.) Otherwise - what makes Pentax - Pentax? Is it SMC? The devotion to ~40mm pancake lenses? 'Unusual' sharpening of JPG's in the DSLR? The strange ergonomics of the Mz-S? I like Pentax. I've been about as loyal to them as I've ever been to any brand, simply because I could count on them to do what was right in their eyes and damn the pressure for conformity. For that, I respected them. They were the Gary Cooper of the camera world - low key, conservative, but doing what they chose to do, thank you. It's a question I ask myself - what makes Pentax unique? And can Hoya capture that? - MCC -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mark Cassino Photography Kalamazoo www.markcassino.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.26/594 - Release Date: 12/20/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.26/598 - Release Date: 12/22/2006 -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
