On Wed, Jun 01, 2005 at 10:53:15PM -0400, Christian wrote: > > Once again, Pentax has not even thrown us a bone. "Hey check it out guys! > a new DSLR! (oh yeah, not the one our loyal, salivating customers have been > begging for, it's another downgrade. even LOWER spec-ed than the previous > release)"
Anyone who finds this news in any way astonishing just hasn't been paying attention. Pentax stated their future path, loud and clear, in the interview given at about the time the *ist-DS was released. First the DL, then the MF digital, and then the *ist-D follow-on. But the ostriches don't want to hear the facts - they'd rather keep their head buried in the sand, then piss and moan when Pentax don't release the *ist-Dn camera those folks just happen to want. > I'm not bashing the new camera. . . . > But I'm wondering what it offers that the others do not. At present, the price looks pretty good. But it doesn't really need to offer what the others don't - it just has to be able to compete on an equal footing. The low end of the market is almost entirely price driven - come in $25 cheaper and you'll probably get the sale. > If Pentax want to be a niche player, great! But their niche should be > advanced amateurs such as myself who are willing to pay for a steady stream > of "professional-grade" cameras, lenses and accessories. They shouldn't > waste their time (and mine; my dissatisfaction with their product strategy > has been voiced) with entry-level cameras that - in spite of build quality, > features, size and ergonomics - cannot compete with current offerings from > other companies based on marketing and brand recognition. Pentax have been going broke trying to play to that niche for years. They don't have a viable future continuing along that line - there just aren't enough "loyal, salivating customers" today. Of course they might not have a viable future anyway, but at least they're doing what is necessary to try and stay in business.
