True, but with the current situation the biggest competition for the
newest camera is it's previous generation.
A lot of people who didn't live through the Camera Craze of the 1970s
when SLR technology made it possible for everyone who wanted one to have
a semi pro level SLR, at prices that were insanely affordable.
Most of those cameras and lenses were mechanically reliable, and
optically capable of taking photos as good as the most expensive system
cameras, in the right hands.
Unfortunately most people who bought them didn't have the right hands.
It actually took talent and dedication to make good photographs, (who
knew).
Those cameras ended up in attics, basements and the back shelf of the
bedroom closet. For a long time if someone wanted a good semi pro
camera, they already had a friend or relative willing to unload a pretty
good SLR cheep. The camera market crashed and a lot of manufactures
left the industry, Ricoh being one of the last to give up the ghost
before the age of Digital Photography.
Now it looks like they /may/, (notice the weasel word), kill the
original Pentax brand and technology base where before they only killed
their own take on it.
On 4/12/2017 12:12 PM, Gonz wrote:
There will always be demand, the question is what will be the steady
state demand? And at that demand rate, what will be the price? If
the scale is much smaller, then the prices will be much higher to
justify the lines and design efforts. The hobby may end up being
relegated to rich old farts...
On Wed, Apr 12, 2017 at 11:07 AM, P. J. Alling
<[email protected]> wrote:
NIkon is cutting back too.
Canon may be fatally wounded, though like the conceptual dinosaurs of the
19th century, (which they still taught when I was in school), it's too big
to know it's dead yet.
Digital cameras whether DSLR, Mirrorless or Old Fashioned RF, have reached
the level of sufficiency for pretty much every segment of the market.
12 to 16mp serves for most serious amateurs and even many professionals.
Almost no one needs more than that, and those who actually do /need/ that
kind of resolution aren't enough to sustain the mass market, they buy Phase
1 backs for their medium format cameras. and pass on the costs to their
clients.
For everyday use the camera in the average Cell phone is good enough so the
market for stand alone P&S cameras is dead.
The Megapixel race has become pointless, image quality is now better than
good enough, and has been for two generations of camera sensors, and anyone
who's had to pour over several hundred almost identical frames probably
doesn't figure that they need faster than say 7 to 10 frames per second,
damn that's too much like work if you're doing it for fun.
That's the state of the current camera industry.
Most people already have the camera they perceive that they need. Which is
why the market for advanced cameras is contracting.
I mean really, look at this list, how many of us are still using K-5 family,
or earlier, cameras. I mean sure a K-3 would be a small boost in frame rate
a bit improved AF, and actually a significant boost in resolution, at very
little cost in image noise, but I don't covet it, and a used K-3 sells for
not much more than a used K-5II.
More importantly we're not the typical user base, we're more likely to want
the latest and greatest. Most people don't need that and aren't willing to
shell out hard earned money for incremental improvements.
On 4/12/2017 11:01 AM, Gonz wrote:
Yeah, I don't know, why wait till shit starts breaking and your
equipment loses value steadily? If the sky truly is falling, then
maybe its time to sell all and start over. Maybe Nikon will buy the
patents for the in body image stabilization, that is certainly a
valuable technology.
On Wed, Apr 12, 2017 at 9:55 AM, Stanley Halpin
<[email protected]> wrote:
Do they have a just-in-time stocking model for camera and lens spare
parts? Or do they plan ahead for expected demand several years out? If the
latter, (which makes sense in terms of batch orders of limited run items
from suppliers) then we should be ok for a while. I believe various EU and
other jurisdictions stipulate that sellers need to have a two year supply of
spare parts after an item ceases production?
Not panicked yet…
stan
On Apr 12, 2017, at 10:25 AM, Gonz <[email protected]> wrote:
Yeah, here's hoping. But if something goes wrong, the spare parts
department might be in a bind...
On Wed, Apr 12, 2017 at 9:04 AM, Paul Stenquist <[email protected]>
wrote:
Your K-1 and lenses will still work great after Ricoh turns out the
lights.
Paul via phone
On Apr 12, 2017, at 9:55 AM, Gonz <[email protected]> wrote:
Well that sux. I just spent > $4K on K-1 and lenses
On Tue, Apr 11, 2017 at 11:23 PM, Bipin Gupta <[email protected]>
wrote:
This came in today to my Inbox:
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Ricoh-may-close-shutter-on-personal-camera-business
The end of Pentax - Ricoh coming near??
Hope this time an Indian Company buys them out, or I see a merger
with
some existing
Camera Manufacturer.
God Bless us Pentaxians, as we have been tossed enough by the waves.
Regards.
Bipin
from the IT / Computer Capital of the World.
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