Pentax and N***n

[Dan Matyola]

I was reading an old Tom Clancey novel yesterday, "Without Remorse."  I 
was surprised to find an excellent account of how N***n grabbed the lead 
in "professional" cameras from Pentax.

The story takes place in the '70s.  One of the minor characters is a pj 
who is trying out a new camera.  He has been using his faithful 
"Honeywell" Spotmatic for years, and has been very happy with it, but he 
has just been given a new N***n FREE, together with several telephoto 
lenses, which he tries out for the first time photographing the body of 
a girl who was tortured, mutilated and killed by drug dealers.  It gives 
a real feel for how N***n pushed aside Pentax and all of the other 
camera companies by spending lots of money on freebies to professionals, 
so that they could make much more selling overpriced cameras to amateur 
wanabes.