Ricoh to buy Pentax from Hoya.

[coelacanth]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/01/ricoh-hoya-idUST9E7HL01320110701

What would you expect from this? Are you excited or worried about this buyout and/or the future of their product lines?

I'd love to see large sensor GR-D and more prime lens units for GXR.

 

[LKeithR]

No one knows what will actually happen till we get there but there are definitely some interesting possibilities to this deal. I've been thinking seriously about a GXR with the M-mount module but a K-mount module would tickle me pink since I already have 25+ Pentax lenses...

 

[Ronald M]

Pentax can not seem to generate market share as most pick Nikon or Canon. Ricoh was a small manufacturer that made very good but underappreciated products.

Let us see what happens.

 

[FrozenInTime]

Ricoh needs the extra manufacturing capacity to meet the predicted demand for GXR M-mount modules 😉

 

[gavinlg]

I think this will be a great thing! Under Hoya Pentax seems to have done sweet little. Ricohs been making good and interesting stuff for years. Hopefully this revitalizes Pentax!

 

[Bill58]

Ricoh needs more service centers too.

 

[semilog]

I think this will be a great thing! Under Hoya Pentax seems to have done sweet little.

How anyone can call the K5 "sweet little" is absolutely beyond me. Have you held one? Seen its low light performance? Heard how quiet its shutter is? Looked through its viewfinder? For still photography it's probably the nicest APS-C DSLR on the market right now (meaning the nicest ever produced by anyone, anywhere), and that includes the utterly formidable D7000 and 7D.

(And no, I don't currently own any Pentax digital gear at all.)

 

[dreilly]

Yeah, I'm with Semilog on that. The K5 builds on the K7's already-brilliant ergonomics and interface with the best APS-C chip on the market today. Pentax has done a lot, but has yielded "Sweet little" in terms of market share, and that's a shame. Ricoh and Pentax are both quirky companies that have a lot of innovations up their sleeve. I think the new small sensor interchangeable lens thing Pentax is releasing is silly, but maybe it will be "big in Japan" to quote Tom Waits. Ricoh, while quirky, appears more confident in its inherent nerdiness. I hope this is good news. Maybe they'll pick up Olympus and get that brilliant JPEG engine...though how they'll sort out the m4/3-APS-C thing who knows. WIth the GXR, it's all a matter of another module.

doug

 

[mugent]

The K7 and the K5 are apparently quite outstanding, Pentax also released the 645D, which to people wanting an "affordable" digital medium forma camera was a pretty big deal. Pentax have probably achieved more in the last few years than Canon (maybe Nikon too), companies many times the size.

MT

 

[gavinlg]

How anyone can call the K5 "sweet little" is absolutely beyond me. Have you held one? Seen its low light performance? Heard how quiet its shutter is? Looked through its viewfinder? For still photography it's probably the nicest APS-C DSLR on the market right now (meaning the nicest ever produced by anyone, anywhere), and that includes the utterly formidable D7000 and 7D.

(And no, I don't currently own any Pentax digital gear at all.)

Yah, I've held and used one numerous times. Nice, but basically no full frame dslr, no care. Also no fast 24mm, 35mm and 50mm equivalent lenses, no care.

If Pentax were to bring out a full frame DSLR, then I'd change my tone.

 

[gavinlg]

I have to add something - the one thing I will give them serious credit for is the 645d. I would love to have one of these.

 

[jsrockit]

I think this is good news... two companies which can use each other. Pentax can use Ricoh's "innovation" and Ricoh could use Pentax's marketing and distribution. Well, that is my ignorant take on the issue. 😉

 

[shadowfox]

Pentax has gone too predictable.
I am not taken by surprise with any of their cameras, even the 645d.
Sure K5 is a good camera, but it's a me-too design.

I'm so glad that an innovative and quirky company like Ricoh sees the value in Pentax.
Hopefully this marriage will kick up a storm of innovation and a breath of fresh air into the camera and imaging industry.

(secretly hopes they merge with Olympus eventually)

 

[shadowfox]

I think this is good news... two companies which can use each other. Pentax can use Ricoh's "innovation" and Ricoh could use Pentax's marketing and distribution. Well, that is my ignorant take on the issue. 😉

Exact same thought here, so that makes two similar ignorant takes 🙂

 

[NLewis]

I've thought that the sensible thing was for Olympus, Pentax, Fuji and Ricoh to team up. Olympus for its m4/3, Pentax for its SLR and 645D, Ricoh for its weird cameras, and Fuji for the X100. Combine the best of all the point-and-shoot lines into one line.

 

[semilog]

Pentax has gone too predictable.
I am not taken by surprise with any of their cameras, even the 645d.
Sure K5 is a good camera, but it's a me-too design.

Look, that's just nonsense.

It's based on the K7. When the K7 was released, was there another compact, weather-sealed, prosumer APS-C on the market? (No.) And do *any* of the competing Canon or Olympus cameras give you IS with legacy glass? (Again, No.) And did both Canon and Nikon subsequently come out with prosumer cameras that have an awful lot in common with the K7 form factor, and were called the something-7? (YES.)

So I suppose you could say that the K5 is derivative, but it's derivative of the K7, and N anc C both followed. Sheesh. And again, I'm not a Pentax fanboy. In fact the only Pentax DSLR I ever bought (K20D), I returned.

 

[coelacanth]

I remember K-7 was pretty darn good camera, and the build quality was superb. In its price range and surprisingly small size, it had all sorts of goodies like interchangeable focusing screens, very quiet shutter sound (for SLR), great lens compatibility, etc.

I loved the GR-D1, but it developed some major sensor dust issue. CS I received in Japan at Ginza CS to correct bad control dial was great and quick, but I felt they could do better job on the QC end. Ricoh customer service / distribution channels in the US are very thin, and that, coupled with the past experience, stopped me from buying another Ricoh cam though I really loved the GR-D when it worked.

I really hope this buyout combines the strengths of the companies and overcome the weaknesses.

 

[Keith]

The Brisbane camera shop that supplied my X100 gave an interesting reaction when I asked how sales of the K5 were going when I was in there getting one of my many X100's. 😀

The young guy behind the counter sort of rolled is eyes and said "who really cares ... it's expensive and the lenses are crap!" Everyone in this shop was so biased towards Canon that it surprised me and until Pentax can overcome this sort of brainwashed attitude where even the people selling their product don't seem to actually like it there's little hope of them playing with the big boys IMO.

So yes I agree with Gavin ... they need a full frame DSLR because that's what seems to be in lot of people's sights.

 

[dreilly]

I just don't see the full-frame thing for DSLRs. I had two. I loved them. Great viewfinders! Great high iso! Great shallow DOF! But honestly, my photos taken with full-frame cameras and APS-C cameras were, in the end, very similar. It wasn't worth the extra expense and...this was important, the extra weight. Most So-Ni-Can owners don't own a full-frame camera, I'm ready to bet, but I guess they feel better because their brand sells one?

Anyway, Pentax lenses are great. They need to get the 11-16 Tokina to really cap off their APS-C collection. Either brand it Pentax like they did the 16-50 or just let Tokina release it. That's the real weak link I think in the Pentax line in terms of usability (not perception of "seriousness").

Well, this will be interesting for sure. I just hope Ricoh stays on track with that M module. I'm excited about that.

 

[benlees]

I don't think Pentax will ever do a camera with a 35mm sized sensor. They have the 645D and they make APS dslrs that have offer very good value. They know they are track filler so there is no need to hang out with the FF show dogs. A partnership with Ricoh MAY result interesting cameras that you can buy everywhere. Hopefully!