RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: I Miss the PENTAX Green Rings and LOGO on Lenses! >:-(

Saturday, August 31, 2013

I Miss the PENTAX Green Rings and LOGO on Lenses! >:-(

We all have learnt what Ricoh has done to Pentax recently, SMC was replaced further and the Pentax logo was removed from the name plates of the repackaged DA Limited lenses! And, a Ricoh GXR coloured red ring replaces the symbolic green rings of our Pentax DA lenses..!

Pretending Zeiss lenses? Marked "Aperture / Focal" something, instead of marking "Focal / Aperture" (which is the common convention of the industry) and particularly not "Pentax / Focal" which has been done for over twenty years for all PENTAX AF lenses since early 90s! Again, Ricoh's intention is clear, Pentax will be extinguished step-by-step and some days later this name will be removed completely and they (Ricoh) will get their final "success"! >:-o

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Sébastien · 601 weeks ago

I'm always amazed by the poor quality of your sample/test picture...
For such pictures a wide-angle is not recommended.
Are you one of those who blame his material for the quality of a picture?

6 replies · active 601 weeks ago

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James W · 601 weeks ago

Rice, mate, have you considered that you're maybe over-reacting to this a bit?

Firstly - they all do seem to have Pentax written on them somewhere, and secondly there have been lots of promises that the name will stay.

But consider this also -

1. It's only a brand name. "Marathon" bars got renamed "Snickers" in the UK to much protest, but when people realised it was the same yummy milk chocolate and peanut treat... Life carried on and no-one was seriously injured. It's only a brand name. They come and go. Pentax doesn't even seem to be a very powerful brand name in the camera market, and a joke in the pro market... so frankly... What's worth fighting for?!

2. If Pentax was strong enough to survive solo they wouldn't have ended up owned by other people. But they are, and Hoya decided they wanted shot of Pentax, so sold to Ricoh. An alternative may have been packing up completely. It's thanks to Ricoh that there is any future in the k-mount system at all. Ricoh bought it fair and square, arguably rescued it from Hoya. It's their possession now and they can do what they want with it. They want to sell cameras and lenses in a long-term sustainable way. We want to buy them. Our interests are aligned.

3. My first k-mount SLR was a Ricoh KR5 Super II. My second the excellent Ricoh XRX (much better value than anything Pentax had at the time, albeit not a great "looker"). So they have history. Not sure what's to be afraid of.

4. I - like you - have a large investment in k mount glass. The dslr business moves very fast and products date much more quickly than they did in the film era. I'm delighted that ANYONE is keeping the ecosystem alive. The nightmare alternative is *no-one* makes k mount bodies or lenses any more... Leaving us with a pile of unsaleable glass and nothing to stick it on.

5. On the new lenses... Who on earth cares what they look like on the outside?! Black, silver, red stripe, green stripe... I honestly couldn't give a monkeys. Are you a gear collector or a photographer?!

6. There have been some (modest) product releases this week. Why not be grateful and celebrate them? We're hoping for good news on the 5th sept too. There'll no doubt be pleasant surprises and annoying missteps in that release... But imagine a world where the k500 is the last ever k mount dslr... And be grateful stuff is happening!

Chill out! It's only a camera, and pentax is only a sticky label.

1 reply · active 601 weeks ago

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James W · 601 weeks ago

Now more importantly - any good leaks on the Sept 5th announcement? Usually, a few days before, SOME idiot in an online shop accidentally posts specs and a picture...where is it?! Am waiting with bated breath!

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foton · 601 weeks ago

So, if the put green rings, you will become happy about Pentax? Yes, children like colors.

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Machael · 601 weeks ago

Rice is right. The classic green ring is much, much nicer! The green ring is clearly a Pentax archetype. The red ring not only says Ricoh but it lamely imitates Canon. Ricoh is already imitating Canon with the new camera bodies. Changing the ring and removing the logo is a clear F**k
you to longtime Pentax fans and a clear signal as to the direction that Ricoh is headed with it's obviously demoted Pentax "product line." Fanboys can make all the excuses for Ricoh they want but this clearly shows disrespect for Pentax history and culture and that is not good news!

2 replies · active 601 weeks ago

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Simon · 601 weeks ago

Nice set of lenses.

1 reply · active 601 weeks ago

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James W · 601 weeks ago

Collectors should be grateful, then... Filling your life with stuff you don't need seems odd to me, especially when it's just metal tubes with lumps of glass in them. But I suppose: If you've already got the green stripe versions of the Limiteds in silver and black... Now you can go out and buy the red stripe versions in silver and black, too. What's not to like? Perhaps it'll keep the collectors warm over the cold winter months.

And for those who are completist about green stripes - there's always eBay.

2 replies · active 601 weeks ago

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badsykes · 601 weeks ago

kodak is dead after many years, nokia more or less is dead,volvo was bought by the chinesse, Saab is dead...until was bought by the chinnese...and pentax will "die" absorbed...Firefox browser is no more king of browsers...At something transformation needs to happen...Maybe Nikon will buy Cannon at some point in history ...and so on ..

4 replies · active 601 weeks ago

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zosX · 601 weeks ago

This is all approaching silliness. Its a freaking color people! Pentax uses red all the time! Their logo is RED. Get a grip! I like the green rings and I like the red rings. The red looks better if you ask me. I like the zeiss style markings too. In case none of you have noticed zeiss has changed the look of their lenses over time and nobody has screamed OMG Zeiss is dead! Lets not forget that IMO some of the FA/FAJ lenses are the ugliest plastic lenses I have ever laid eyes upon. The A series was the last that had mostly the classic pentax lens look, but at the cost of cheap plastic aperture rings and lesser build quality overall. The FA lenses just continued the cost shaving trend, trading build quality for cost of production. Don't even get me started on the fragile DA zooms. But sure, lets bitch about the color of a small ring and blame ricoh for destroying the pentax brand. If it wasn't for Ricoh, Pentax would likely have been truly DOOOMED.

PS: I never liked the silver name plates on the DA lenses. The 18-135 is a much nicer design. I think it even looks nicer than the zeiss lens you have pictured there. Though the zeiss is all metal and glass. Wish I could say that about pentax primes these days....

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Dominique · 601 weeks ago

Yep, green rings and "Pentax XY" was nicer.
1 more vote to support the "Pentax" name and what it stands for.

2 replies · active 601 weeks ago

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X.9. · 601 weeks ago

Absolutely not true Rice.

All new HD limiteds sport "HD Pentax - DA" letters on the front their hoods (DA40) or around them (DA 15, DA21, DA35, DA70) depending how much space there is. Then lenses like DA40, DA70 and DA21, because of their design that allows it, also have same writing around the plastic of the front element.

I also like "Zeiss type" nomenclature, which is concise, takes less space, and is more modern than the old Pentax way was (and which was borrowed form Canon, and was also written in very Canon's fashion — very old-fashioned).

For those who cry about green ring missing, check your facts: Canon *also uses green rings*. Canon also uses bright red rings for L lenses (but they look plastic, unlike metallic HD Pentax rings), then golden rings, silver rings and no rings at all. Also, Canon places rings at the front of their lenses mostly, Pentax now mostly towards the rear elements. DA* are an exception.

I'm also surprised you and others never cried about Pentax sporting golden rings for the DA* lenses, which was obviously stolen fashion from Nikkor lenses, even their placement. Sometimes you can't tell the difference between the two when mounted on a camera.

All this tells us that there are limited number of options available to identify so many lenses produced today. Some overlapping is inevitable and is pointless to argue about it.

Anyway, all this is long overdue rebranding of an iconic optics brand like Pentax. Apple went through the same: I still remember old Apple fanboys crying whenApple abandoned their rainbow, and then rebranded itself using the G3 iMac plasticky/aqua blob as the theme. It was going on like that for many years, before they switched to metallic / grey look, when iMac became flat, with an advent of iPhone, etc. So is short period of 12 years Apple rebranded itself constantly.

I'm glad Pentax got a chance too, finally.

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Dan Johnson · 601 weeks ago

I own more Zeiss lenses than Pentax lenses but Ricoh is foolish to think changing the color or labeling on their lenses will make anyone happy. FanBoys will cling to the misnomer that Ricoh can do no wrong (many companies have screwed the pooch, Ricoh is not exempt). When Apple computers first came out they cost far more money than IBM computers and you had to give Apple $5 or $10 juice for the few third party software available for them. Not long ago Apple surprised everyone by changing from writing their new O.S. in carbon to coco and third party developers (Adobe, onOne, Corel, Tiffens, etc.) had to cut their losses instead of giving us a 64bit program. Now their in a big hurry to change their iPhone and iPad, (I hear their tit cause you can buy more apps. every month than you can for a CrackBerry) in order to get as much money from as many Apple GENIUSES as possible. If you put blind faith in any brand your in for a rude awakening, you already have your six warning signs, Rice High will give you a half dozen more before you relize Ricoh is in it for the money not your misplaced admiration. If you don't ask for quality products at a good price then you'll pay through the nose for whatever they sell young matter who's ass you screw your face to?

1 reply · active 601 weeks ago

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Alexia · 601 weeks ago

why do you miss the green rings on your lenses? did you repaint them? or do you miss the green ring on lenses that others will own?

btw. I am sure that you can get the SMC variants less expensive than the HD variants. NOW ist the best time to buy all the green rings.

1 reply · active 601 weeks ago

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VoiceOfReason · 601 weeks ago

Are you forgetting Rice? Pentax name is originally from VEB Zeiss Ikon anyway. Zeiss heritage is in the lens genes!

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Simon T · 601 weeks ago

Whilst I don't always agree with Rice, and in this case well it's really just "looks", though there is a strong suspicion from many the paint job and rounded blades are merely an attempt to "jack up the prices" (and I think this is a very obvious ploy well spotted)

I do feel as do some others that Ricoh are trying to "Ricoh invade" the Pentax brand and put more of their name on it. Reality is most folks think Ricoh make copiers and not cameras, whilst they've been around a while, they have fairly limited experience in the photographic market.

And let's be blunt, paint job on limited lenses, and "updated" flashes, are just another word for RICOH PRICE INCREASES

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Joseph S. · 601 weeks ago

On September 5, we will see a Pentax K-5 II-HD with a red button, instead of green.

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Andrés · 601 weeks ago

There are always a reason to complain , ah?

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bossa · 601 weeks ago

The word PENTAX on the DA Limited lenses is NOT a Logo it's a embossed "decal" for want of a better word. A Logo is a graphic symbol which is not a word. But I always hated that font anyway so I'm glad it's gone. Anyway, I like the new HD DA lenses and look forward to seeing just how much improved they are.

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sebas · 601 weeks ago

hmm the green rings is not like the uniform of a football club. Pentax hasn't been using the green ring for ever! It's just a modern thing and as such, not really distinctive. Said so, I would have liked more a blue ring :)

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Saturday, August 31, 2013

I Miss the PENTAX Green Rings and LOGO on Lenses! >:-(

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