We still have two "brick & mortar" camera stores here in Raleigh.
Neither one is a Pentax dealer, although one of them tried to make a go
of it in the last decade - I bought both my K-3 and K-1 locally from
that store.
It seems like the demand wasn't there to sustain them.
They sell plenty of Canon, Nikon & Sony (and 4/3 brands), but I only
know one other Pentax shooter in my area and he doesn't shop the local
"brick & mortar" stores (lives in a nearby town about 20 miles away).
On 1/21/2022 1:37 PM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:
Rick,
It's been close to 20 years since I've looked at a Pentax camera or lens
at a brick-and-mortar store in the US.
(That was at Adorama in 2001).
So, all 4 Pentax DSLRs I've owned (and a bunch of Pentax lenses) were
purchased by mail, - mostly from B&H and Adorama.
With the proposed change (if I understand it correctly), Pentax products
might no longer be available through B&H, Adorama (and Amazon).
The decrease in the number of channels lowers the competition, and that
drives the prices up. If Ricoh own outlets will be the only source,
there will be no big Black Friday/Cyber-Monday sales from B&H/Adorama,
as those in several pre-pandemic years.
But, as Bill wrote, - Ricoh needs to change something to revive the brand.
The time will tell if they bet on the right horse.
Igor
Rick Womer Fri, Jan 21, 2022 5:25 PM wrote:
From my home in Philadelphia (metro population ~1.6 million), the
nearest Pentax dealers are B&H and Adorama in New York, a 2 1/2 hour
drive away.
So, this isn’t going to make shopping I might do any less convenient.
Rick
On Fri, 21 Jan 2022, Igor PDML-StR wrote:
That's a sad news.
But, I am afraid, you missed even a worth one:
"the Pentax and GR camera brands will undergo a dramatic restructuring
that will see mass production end".
At least, that's the interpretation of PetaPixel.
Curious about what exactly they plan, I've read the translation of the
original Ricoh announcement.
https://news-ricoh--imaging-co-jp.translate.goog/rim_info/2022/20220120_031454.html?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Just two interesting excerpts from there:
"PENTAX ... We will expand the range of various customization to
further reflect the needs of our customers and provide workshop value.
In addition, we will build a system that enables manufacturing
together with customers from the product planning stage through
communication through online fan meetings."
"We will shift from a sales method centered on the distribution
network via retail stores to sales via the Internet to improve the
efficiency of business operations. In addition to our own EC direct
sales site, we will develop directly managed malls in major
marketplaces to expand opportunities and places where Ricoh Imaging
and customers can directly connect."
I am not sure what type of model they envision, but either it will be
weird and rejected (like K-01), or it will lay down some new path that
*might* have a chance to make Pentax great again. (no pun intended)
I hope these innovations will not affect availability and relative
affordability of the great lenses Pentax still offers. Although, it is
hard for me to imagine what they are going to do.
Cheers,
Igor
Larry Colen wrote on Fri, Jan 21, 2022 1:43 AM:
https://petapixel.com/2022/01/20/ricoh-to-stop-mass-producing-cameras-sell-direct-to-consumer-only/
As of April 1, 2022 (no fooling) Ricoh will stop selling Pentax and GR
branded cameras through the distribution network and will only sell
through their own website and branded stores.
--
%(real_name)s Pentax-Discuss Mail List
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and
follow the directions.
--
Vivere in aeternum aut mori conatur
--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com
--
%(real_name)s Pentax-Discuss Mail List
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
