----- Original Message ----- From: Paul F. Stregevsky Subject: RE: Pentax digital SLR - Not now!
> In fact, as films improve, our results get better and better. > > Meanwhile, everyone I know whose digicam is more than two years old feels > like a chump. Yes but, they are chumps who have had the benefit of the equipment for two years. Equipment gets better. Thats a fact of life. I am sure there are people who bought into Pentax M-42 cameras in 1973 who felt like chumps in 1975. The same with the Canon chumps who bought into FD cameras in 1985, or Minolta Chumps who bought in 1984. The point is, if Pentax stays out of this market niche long enough, they won't have a market to sell to when/ if they decide to get into it. Look what has happened to them over the past couple of decades for playing this game with the high end market. They turned Ostrich when the modern AF cameras came out, and they started to lose market share in a big way. Pentax used to be the camera of choice for SLR's for the serious photographer. Now they are a has been company that sells point and shoots. They are no longer recognized as being an industry leader by the people who they need to recognize them, which is the buying public. When J. Sixpack goes looking for a film camera now, he is looking at Nikons and Canons. When he goes out to buy a digital, he will be doing the same thing. Soon, it won't matter what Pentax puts on the shelf, it won't sell because no one will care. The worst case scenario is that they won't be able to put anything on dealers shelves because the dealers themselves don't have enough confidence in the brand's recognition to sell to give them shelf space. To an extent, it is already happening. Pentax no longer commands respect from the camera stores in many places. I read that here all the time. As this situation evolves, the company will find itself in deeper doo-doo. Not putting a digital SLR onto the market very soon will be suicide for Pentax. The digital SLR market is here, now, and needs to be responded to. William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
