Ricoh to Abandon Sales Distribution and to Stop Mass Production for Pentax

See what PetaPixel reports. And, their quoted official Ricoh source is here (in Japanese, Google English translation here).

After all, it seems that Pentax the brand is diminishing.. :-(

BCN Japanese Camera Market Shares in 2020

https://www.bcnaward.jp/award/gallery/detail/contents_type=251

(Google translated English page here)

Note that the "Award" in early each year is all about the sales figures and results in the preceding whole year in the Japanese home market. A quick capture of what's reported is as below:

DSLR Shares: No. 1 Canon 51.9%, No. 2 Nikon 44.8%, No. 3 Ricoh Imaging 3.0%, Remaining 0.3%

Mirrorless Shares: No. 1 Sony 27.4%, No. 2 Canon 23.8%, No. 3 Olympus 23.4%, Remaining 25.4%

And, looking at the share figures of our persistent 2nd runner-up (since Year 2013) of the Ricoh Imaging in the past years, the up/down trend is summarised as follows:

2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013
3%	2.4%	3.1%	4.2%	4.8%	6.7%	4.5%	5.2%

Surprisingly, there is a slight increase of the market share by Ricoh in +0.6% when compared to the previous year. Congrats, Ricoh! ;-P

CIPA Reveals that Total Shipments of DCs and ILCs are Only 27.4% of Those in 2019

CIPA has published figures about the digital camera shipments, which are both only 27.4% of the quantities in 2019, as in May 2020, for both Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILCs) and Digital Still Cameras (DSCs).

After all, in view of the rather poor sales of cameras in this year, would it be really wise (or unwise) for Pentax (Ricoh) to launch their new flagship in September as rumoured? :-(

Olympus is Running Out of Camera Business

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/24/21301460/olympus-selling-camera-division-jip-vaio

Japanese DSLR Sale Results in 2018

Number of Pentax DSLR bodies sold in the Japanese home market in 2018 was in a 3.1% share. Compared to the previous years' results (4.2% in 2017, 4.8% in 2016, 6.7% in 2015 for Pentax), this down trend should continue. :-(

Japanese Camera Market Share in 2017 (BCN Data)

Source: Nikon Rumor

Ricoh May Close Down Consumer Camera Business

See what the Japanese Nikkei Business News says:-

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Ricoh-may-close-shutter-on-personal-camera-business

And, the vague response from Ricoh:-

http://www.ricoh.com/info/2017/0412_1.html

BCN Japanese Market Results in 2016

https://www.bcnaward.jp/award/gallery/2017/hard/p2.html

(in Japanese, or Google-translated English page here)

Congrats Ricoh! You've got a 2nd-runner up among 3 players in the DSLR battlefield! Well done! :-P

Btw, it is interesting to note that Nikon has been beaten by Sigma in lens sales. Sigma is really strong nowadays. They had really brilliant marketing, IMHO! Besides, Canon has taken over the 2nd place from Sony for the mirrorless market share, well..

Ricoh is Buying EyeFi Cloud

pdnpulse.pdnonline.com/2016/06/ricoh-buying-eyefi-cloud.html

Japanese Camera Market Share 2015 (Top 3 Results)

Via: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3959588

Ricoh's Camera Business is Losing Money Again

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3844574

Reference Source: Ricoh's Financial Report for 14/15 (pdf)

Flickr Camera Brand Share and Ranking

https://www.flickr.com/cameras/

Pentax is ranked #12, the model ranking is as follows:

https://www.flickr.com/cameras/pentax/

Where K-5 is ranked no. 1, K-3 follows. But the strange thing is that the number of items made with K-3 is zero, but it still ranks no. 2!? :-o

DRP Interviewed Ricoh Pentax

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6552079527/cp-2015-ricoh-imaging-interview-full-frame-dslr-may-have-something-extra-built-in

Top 50 Patent Holders in US

http://ificlaims.com/index.php?page=misc_top_50_2013

As for companies with camera business, the following are extracted and ranked (although they do have other businesses as well):

Company	Ranked for Camera Makers	Overall Ranking
Samsung	1	2
Canon	2	3
Sony	3	4
Panasonic	4	6
Ricoh	5	17
Fujifilm	6	42

Japanese Best DSLR/ILDC Sellers in 2013

http://bcnranking.jp/news/1312/131227_27056.html
(in Japanese, Google translation to English Here.)

So, Pentax K-30 is on the list, ranked no. 11 amongst the best DSLR sellers of the big 20. As for ILDC, the three Pentax Qs are all on the list, namely no. 7 for the Q10, no. 15 for the Q and no. 18 for the Q7. Not bad results indeed.

One More Official Interview: No 135 FF in Near Future, Not Before 645D is Replaced! :-o

In a very recent interview with the same Ricoh senior official in my last blog article by a local Hong Kong photo magazine (current issue, owing to the copyright, I do not upload any image copy of the interview page here), Mr. Murano told the following:

1. The K-3 is a very strong APS-C DSLR as a result of extensive and special R&D;

2. APS-C is the mainstream of DSLR cameras;

3. The market share of 135 FF is only from 10 to 20%, versus the 80 to 90% of the APS-C market;

4. For that 10 to 20% small market segment, there are already a number of choices in the market. While they are able to make such a similar 135 FF body, it will not be of anything special. As such, they opted not to make one! :-[

5. The new 645D replacement project is now undergoing. It must happen before any RP 135 FF comes! (But isn't it that he has just said a RP 135 FF is not viable marketing wise?!)

6. They will not get rid of the name "Pentax", as "Ricoh" is a far larger company with far more businesses than Pentax and that they have no interest to make Ricoh becoming a sole camera brand! >:-o

Ricoh to Pay Kodak $76M to Settle Patent Fight

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/money/business/2013/10/24/ricoh-to-pay-kodak-76m-to-settle-patent-fight/3180749/

"Japanese electronics giant Ricoh Co. Ltd. has agreed to pay Eastman Kodak Co. nearly $76 million to settle a legal dispute over patent licenses and royalties.

Rochester-based Kodak sued Ricoh in April 2012, claiming that Ricoh was stiffing it on royalty payments due from its use of Kodak patents.

Among its claims were that once Ricoh bought camera maker Pentax Imaging Systems in 2011, it owed back royalties since Pentax had never signed any digital imaging licensing agreement with Kodak.

In the suit, Kodak sought unspecified dollar damages.Ricoh, for its part, argued that that it had paid Kodak everything owed by the patent license agreement for its own products, and that there's no proof Pentax ever infringed on Kodak's patents.

The case went to trial this week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, with a jury ruling for Kodak, said company spokesman Christopher Veronda.But in a stipulation signed by the companies this week before the start of the trial, Ricoh and Kodak both agreed that regardless of the trial's outcome, Ricoh would pay Kodak $75.8 million — roughly $69 million to settle various claims, as well as $6.9 million in interest.

Kodak sold its portfolio of roughly 1,100 digital imaging patents in 2012 as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy.However, the Ricoh settlement money will go to to it and not the new owners of the patents since Kodak owned them during the nine years between Ricoh first signing a licensing agreement and its Pentax takeover, Veronda said."

20 Millions of Pentax Cameras in 2013

See the posts here, here and here by Pentax PH.

So, for what is told, the 20 million-th Pentax camera has just been manufactured at Cebu's Pentax factory in Philippines this year, which has happened only after 32 years when their 10 million-th camera was made back to 1981. It is interesting to note that the first Pentax camera, the Ashaiflex I was first created and marketed back to 1952. So, Pentax was able to make and sell their first 10 millions of Pentax cameras in 29 years last time, and then for another 10 millions of cameras in another 32 years. But since cameras have become widely popular and they have been just domestic products in recent decades, the above figures have just proven and witnessed clearly about the decline of this once Giant in the camera industry and history.

For what I have just counted, I have bought 16 models of Pentax cameras these decades, for both film (5 models) and digital (11 models), SLR or not, since I first bought my Pentax SFX in 1988.

Nonetheless, as for that mentioning about the gold/brown coloured Q10 against the LX Gold Limited Edition, I think that yet once again hurts the weak sentiments of we long-time Pentaxians! :-( It is because the LX was just the last real professional grade camera body and system of Pentax whilst the Q10 is just a toy. Compare a Q10 with the LX is really rather inappropriate after all, IMHO! Btw, I have my gold/brown coloured K-r myself, which I think is still way better than a toyish Q10, isn't it?

First Quarter Financial Results of Ricoh

See the Q1 financial report here:

http://www.ricoh.co.jp/IR/events/2013/pdf/h26ke.pdf

with the summary fact sheet here:

http://www.ricoh.co.jp/IR/pdf/summary_text_1307.pdf

Via: Kakaku forum post here.

(All of above are in Japanese.)

Below are excerpts of camera business related statements as directly copied from Google Translator:

- "Optical business has remained strong, such as FA camera." (Remark: Ricoh FA camera series is their security CCTV line.)

- "For the same period last year, operating income has been a significant increase in 800 million yen. The structural reforms on an ongoing basis in the future proceed through, we will strive to improve profits further."

-  "At 37.8 billion yen net sales, sales increased by 7%. Lease finance business to expand sales steadily. Camera business also started to contribute, together with, has been started to expand sales."

- "6 Billion Operating profit, it does not profit contribution be completely still. Rather than camera business, finance and business is, it is due to upfront investment in new businesses and other related."

In fact, all those statements about the camera business are vague and there is no real figure of any disclosed and published. Instead, the stance of restructuring of the camera business unit is clearly stated. On the other hand, it can be seen in the report that the operating profit and margin of the photocopier business of Ricoh, i.e, their core business, is steady, which is about 7.6 to 7.7% for the first quarter in each financial year, namely, the current and the last one.

Pentax Forums Now Host Official Canon Ads, Not Pentax Nor Ricoh's! :-o

For instance: http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-news-rumors/229588-ricoh-announces-company-name-change-no-more-pentax-ricoh-imaging-just-ricoh-31.html

A click on the Ad Banner will direct you to the Official Canon EOS M Page of your local server! :-o

Btw, they do have to earn a living, don't they? When Ricoh don't pay them well.. This is completely understandable! ;-)