Agreed for the most part. However, there are two issues. 1) Pentax says that they will make a digital slr. 2) The digital slr market isn't here yet. Only 20 000 digital slr's hase been manufactured to date. Regardless of what some people think, the market is at present miniscule. This MIGHT change with the D100 and D60. Or it might not. I do agree that Pentax mainly missed the boat the last ten years or so. However, Minolta who didn't miss the AF bandwagon is in hardly any better position than Pentax. In spite of having the worlds fasterst AF system the pundits don't buy it because the pros don't use it. Unfortunately, in the last 15 years slr's has become fashion/status statements and if you don't have the right name it really doesn't matter what you offer. Branding have been the buzz word the last decade in marketing. I'm worried about Pentax due to Minoltas annoncement of Minolta SSM lenses. Minolta is probably a more dangerous competitor for Pentax than Nikon and Canon.
P�l ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Robb" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 4:16 PM Subject: Re: Pentax digital SLR - Not now! > ----- 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 . - 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 .
