RiceHigh's Pentax Blog

Uncle Vova · 593 weeks ago

Dear RiceHigh, don't be so upset - just understand the labels at the first 2 photos correctly:
Ricoh - the packer of Pentax. ;-)

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daedbird · 593 weeks ago

It's unfortunate that Ricoh changed their corporate mind, which initially had Pentax take over all camera operations, and now is merely repurposing Pentax as a line of Ricoh products.

Not sure for the rest of the globe, but it seems like both Pentax and even the Optio nameplates have more cache than Ricoh. Then again, would never imagine Casio is still a top seller of cameras either. To me, Branding every camera under Pentax, than under Ricoh makes sense. Pentax has much more name recognition. I really think a lineup under the Pentax name would be great:
K line - dSLRs, with a FF in 2014
Optio - consumer all-in-ones (maybe with WG line, or separate that out for branding)
GR - mirrorless, different. Contains switchable modules for mounts, as well as high-end optics that compete with Sony's Rx series. Absorbs MX1
645 - Medium format, adds 4K cinema line
Q - Needs to shoehorn largest possible sensor into that thing….

When Sony took over Minolta, it made sense to slap Sony's name on everything. 1. Sony has much more name recognition in consumer electronics. 2. The Minolta name was living on with different Konica-Minolta products for commercial use.

I really think the Sony-Minolta scenario should be a warning sign for Ricoh in another way - when you you try to merge brands (Konica-Minolta feels very similar to the new Ricoh Pentax mashup) two names on a product can devalue the brand. Another thought - Sony had a real history with digital cameras before Minolta - how many people used a Mavica sometime in their life? While beloved by their users, a lot fewer people ever touched a Ricoh K-mount camera or a GR than have used a K1000, let alone any M, K, SF, etc camera. In consumer photography, Pentax is the bigger name, and diluting that causes more harm than good.

"Oh, I used a Ricoh copier once, I really want to see what they can do with a camera"

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twil · 593 weeks ago

I feel Ricoh has earned the right to put their name on the box:

1. Ricoh bought Pentax - probably when no one else was interested

2. Ricoh has good intentions for the future of Pentax -in a corporate environment, that is saying something

3. Ricoh invested to bring out the K3 - what looks to be the best aspc camera so far - something most Pentaxians are proud of.

4. Ricoh's name on the box means that Ricoh believes in the future of Pentax - I would be more concerned if Ricoh did not associate itself with Pentax at all. That would suggest Pentax has a limited future.

5. Ricoh is a profitable company - very important for longevity and brand respect.

So - forgive me if I put a marketing spin on it. Putting Ricoh on the camera and box means the important PENTAX brand now has balls and the intentions to back it up. Personally, I would still prefer that the PENTAX name be the more prominent on the box and products - but that is not worth getting upset over. I do not recall Ricoh being made prominent on the products themselves - so for now, PENTAX is still on the lenses and cameras.

Also, after going to a local camera show, I got to play with those silver limited lenses with the red rings. And you know what, they look really cool - the metal silver construction with the red ring is really fun to handle and use. Nobody has silver metal lenses with red rings - image is so very important. Especially as I noticed that this local show had 40% females - more than any other previous years shows.

Johnny · 593 weeks ago

Rice isn't the only one who finds the Ricoh rebranding extremely disappointing. There are many Pentax loyalists who are just as angry as Rice. What I find even more disgusting is fanboy insensitivity to this! Rice is entitled to his opinion. Some of the old guard are leaving Pentax now and you nimrods are helping them out the door. Pentax fanboys eat their own. Why am I surprised?

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Dan Johnson · 593 weeks ago

It's Ricehigh's web-site and evan if he keeps the K-mount on his Canon many Pentaxian's will switch now that they are comparing Ricoh to other brands as you Ricoh Fan-Boys have been pointing out. I'm not going to switch because you say it's Ricoh's company not Pentax's company, I'll see if the silver K-3 is worth keeping and if I don't cancel my pre-order I'll have a better chance of getting more than my money back from one of you Ricoh fan boys. If I like it enough I can switch the mounts on it and my 2 K-5 models and continue to capture in Adobe.DNG (as I always have) knowing my files are safe, evan if you Ricoh Fan-Boys cause the Pentax file system to die off. Times are uncertain for Ricoh and your not staying competitive by refusing to go Full Frame, EVFs will replace the Pentaprizm on cameras and I wish it was a Pentax EVF on all, organic and back-light Image Sensors will be at Photokina 2014, but in the U. S. we are not loyal to Kodak's competatores. I will buy the best Full Frame camera I can afford, as you Ricoh Fan-Boys wish.

1 reply · active 592 weeks ago

Bukaj · 593 weeks ago

PENTAX WAS FROM THE VERY BEGGINING JUST A PRODUCT LINE NAME! Asahi or Hoya or Ricoh, it does not matter. Every maker has right to make it's own name on the box as big as he wants. I am allright with it as long as the Pentax branding is on front of a camera. My LX has Asahi written on the back as well as the new K-3 has Ricoh. And i am not going to go apeshit about it:-D

John · 593 weeks ago

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

foton · 593 weeks ago

Poor Rice. Sorry for you. Take care not to get a heart attack!

1 reply · active 593 weeks ago

Toet-SFX · 593 weeks ago

Relax, we will see whatever the future brings, in my opinion, we still HAVE PENTAX King. For we know Asahi bought the name from ZEISS-EAST, CONTAx was no longer an (legal) option for the EAST company, new options: PENTAx or PENTAcon. Asahi should have never ended the collaboration with ZEISS-West. SONY is the winner now ......

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Russ G. · 593 weeks ago

HoTax? Is that camera at the bottom of picture from the Hoya Pentax company from a few years ago?

I care more about the label on the camera body, than what is written on the box. Pentax is still prominent on the front of the Camera for all to see, as I carry it around.

In some ways, it is reassuring to see that Ricoh put their reputation on the line by adding their name to the box. It shows a commitment to make Pentax DSLRs something they will be proud to be associated with in the future.

1 reply · active 593 weeks ago

PentaxianNumeroUno · 593 weeks ago

May I suggest the moniker "Pentoh" for the new branding? :)

Anonimity is Great · 592 weeks ago

It's better than killing the brand such as happened with minolta

Sony camera do mundo · 592 weeks ago

It's not the brand but rather the K-mount. Have you ever asked this question, why are there third party lens manufacturers but no third party camera body manufacturers? Maybe with the exception of Samsung for a very short period of time and which Samsung paid a lot of money for that privilege. Now getting back to the point/brand, most Pentaxians are balled and chained to the K-mount and there is no way out with the exception of losing a lot of money on fleabay. Imaging this, if Canikon or Sony comes out with a K-mount FF body, I bet every Pentaxian would not mind moving to a CANIKON or Sony brand camera. In the DSLR world, the market is pretty much a Japanese monopoly and they tend not to compete with each other under most circumstances. The only wild card at the moment are the Chinese lens adapters; their Chinese tech is moving fast. I would say in a year or two, K-mount AF lenses for Sony FF NEX will be a common sight.

Asahi · 592 weeks ago

Shame on Ricoh.

Just a reader · 592 weeks ago

I do have mix feeling on this one. On one hand, I am thinking: As long as Ricoh-Pentax or Pentax-Ricoh keeps churning out good and quality products that address my needs, I am OK for them to dilute or reinforce the brand in anyway they see fit. On the other hand, I don't really want to see them kill "Pentax" in the future. It could just be me.... But I much prefer shooting a DSLR with "Minolta" on it than "Sony". Of course, the Sony-Minolta saga is not the same as that of Ricoh-Pentax. The similarity is there, though.

zosX · 592 weeks ago

Well ok rice. Lets be pissed at the one company that was interested in investing in pentax cameras and didn't want to buy them for their patent portfolio and to squash a competitor at the same time. Ricoh was Pentax's only real shot at becoming competitive and healthy again. The K-3 is a wholly new camera from top to bottom except for the battery of course. Nearly every aspect of the K-5 has been improved in down to a new screw drive motor. They also destroyed the D7100 in frame rate and buffer, which was a major complaint for those desperately waiting for a D300 replacement and having only the D7000/D7100 to upgrade to. On paper, the K-3 is possibly the best APS-C camera out there. Would hoya have invested in the R&D to develop a wholly new camera or would they have kept milking the ancient 11 point AF and 77 segment meter?

Furthermore, complaining about the design of a fucking box? Are you kidding me? Are you like running out of things to bitch about or what? What's next? The font in their manuals?

Oh no! Ricoh put their name on the box! Pentax is doooooooomed!

ps I too hated much of this change initially but I like what Ricoh is doing now that I see the K-3. I think they have done very good for pentax even if you don't like the red ring. I like the pentax red color personally and I think it fits the pentax brand more to use red since that is their traditional logo color, but I guess for some green is somehow better because it reminds them less of canon.

2 replies · active 592 weeks ago

Dan Johnson · 592 weeks ago

Now I see where us Americans went wrong, brand loyalty (giving a conglomerate control of our wallets), if not Kodak why a foreign entity. I'm not sure about the settlement, maybe Kodak got the rights to the K-Mount (camera as well as lens) and can have Samsung use it on a NX with Full Frame Back-Light Image Sensor and Electronic View Finder, then by selling it as a Kodak to the share of photographers who live in the U. S. maybe it will put them in a place they would have been in had they received their royalty fees in a timely fashion, I'll have to ask associates I worked with on demutualizations and class action law suites, they are more familiar with international trade agreements.

3 replies · active 592 weeks ago

Arn · 592 weeks ago

My god, what a drama queen...