- Location
- Jersey Shore
- Name
- Steve
It seems Pentax has put up a web page and some videos as a "statement of purpose" of sorts:
A few observations from a long-time Pentaxian:
1) First, this is not a bad strategy. Carve out a niche with DSLRs, as Leica has done with rangefinders. It may be the only way a small player can survive. But will the price of Pentax DSLRs eventually mirror that of cameras from the red-dot brand?
2) I'm willing to bet another reason Pentax is doing this is because it lacks the R&D budget to develop a competitive mirrorless system of its own. Frankly, I have always suspected that Leica was in a similar spot when it decided to pursue the luxury market. It simply couldn't compete against the mass-market camera companies from Asia. So it didn't. Harley-Davidson is another example, although I think time has run out for H-D.
3) I realize the line about feeling the optical-viewfinder image in your heart in the Pentax manifesto is pure marketing. But how many photographers that we know - both in person and online - have told you they have problems with EVFs? It's a real thing for many people. Personally, I can go back and forth between OVF and EVF with no problem.
4) Assuming this strategy works, who among us would have predicted a couple of years ago that Pentax would be around longer than Olympus?
Pentax's new 'Brand Vision' shows it's doubling down on SLR camera systems
Pentax has created two videos and a microsite to showcase its dedication to 'the future of SLR photography.'
www.dpreview.com
A few observations from a long-time Pentaxian:
1) First, this is not a bad strategy. Carve out a niche with DSLRs, as Leica has done with rangefinders. It may be the only way a small player can survive. But will the price of Pentax DSLRs eventually mirror that of cameras from the red-dot brand?
2) I'm willing to bet another reason Pentax is doing this is because it lacks the R&D budget to develop a competitive mirrorless system of its own. Frankly, I have always suspected that Leica was in a similar spot when it decided to pursue the luxury market. It simply couldn't compete against the mass-market camera companies from Asia. So it didn't. Harley-Davidson is another example, although I think time has run out for H-D.
3) I realize the line about feeling the optical-viewfinder image in your heart in the Pentax manifesto is pure marketing. But how many photographers that we know - both in person and online - have told you they have problems with EVFs? It's a real thing for many people. Personally, I can go back and forth between OVF and EVF with no problem.
4) Assuming this strategy works, who among us would have predicted a couple of years ago that Pentax would be around longer than Olympus?