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Pentax Pricing Strategy?

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merengues

merengues

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It seems prices on B&H just shot up on all products or I'm out of sync. Maybe getting ready for Xmas with high hopes.
 
I purchased a DA55-300MM 7 weeks ago for £289 (in a shop, I know I could have got it cheaper on line.) Today in the same shop -£369!! I think my next lenses will be Tamron or Sigma
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Everything changes
 
merengues said:
It seems prices on B&H just shot up on all products or I'm out of sync. Maybe getting ready for Xmas with high hopes.
Click to expand...
No. You're in sync. Unfortunately, the trend may continue into the foreseeable future. The falling dollar won't help US customers in the short term, either. This seems to be part of Hoya's profitability strategy. This "old news" quote foreshadows the present reality.

"TOKYO - Japanese high-tech glass maker Hoya Corp (7741.T) said its sales in the financial year to next March are likely to exceed 400 billion yen ($4.22 billion), compared with a consensus market estimate of 398 billion yen. Hoya Chief Executive Hiroshi Suzuki said he aims to turn Pentax operations profitable in the current financial year as it presses ahead with cost-cutting steps." (Reuters, 08/18/2009)

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Cheers,

Shimbabwe
 
I wonder if their strategy is to be a new "Leica" (keeping the right proportions, of course). That would be very disappointing, since affordability was one of the main reasons I (and probably a lot of people) bought into the system.
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Thiago Silva - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thiagosilva/
Victoria - BC - Canada

'If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.' (Lewis Hine)

 
Hoya is determined that Pentax products show a profit. The days under the old regime when products sold at at break even or a loss are long gone.
 
Stephenhampshire said:
I purchased a DA55-300MM 7 weeks ago for £289 (in a shop, I know I could have got it cheaper on line.) Today in the same shop -£369!! I think my next lenses will be Tamron or Sigma
--
Everything changes
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Still £275 at SRS and £279 at Park and they are the new prices, the "old" price was around £195. Your shop is selling at full SRP, you can do better elsewhere or you should ask for a price match.

Nevertheless, as others have said, the old "bargain price" days are long gone. Even so Pentax is still competitive with the other major brands pricings, sad but true. :(
--
Richard Day - 'Carpe Diem!'
Gloucester UK
 
merengues said:
It seems prices on B&H just shot up on all products or I'm out of sync.
Click to expand...
Not sure when the last time you looked was, but prices went up across the baord maybe six months to a year ago, and haven't gone up any more recently. Every item I just priced at B&H just now is exactly the same or slightly less than it was a few months ago.

--
Marc Sabatella
http://www.marcsabatella.com/
Blog: http://marcsabatella.blogspot.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcsabatella/
 
... Pentax's point of difference (in DSLR terms) was reasonably competent gear at a reasonable price. Whatever we like to think in Pentaxland, the Nikon D300 blew the K20D (which I have) out of the water, megapixels notwithstanding. The difference was that the Nikon was a superior camera for a lot more money. So we ( ok, I'll speak for myself, I ) accepted the inferior focusing, slower frame rate, hit or miss flash system and so-so image quality because the price was right! . I have friends and acquaintances who use D60, D300, D300s, D90, Canon 40D etc. They all turn out images at least as good as my Pentax cameras (3 different models). Actually my mate's D60 left my DS for dead as far as focus accuracy and image quality went. I bought the *istDS because I had a few legacy lenses from my film camera days. In retrospect, I would have saved myself some angst if I'd bought into the Nikon system years ago.

For Pentax to stay viable into the future with pricing equivalent to the big two, they will have to turn out gear that is a lot better than them. Being as good at the same price point will not be enough. With a choice of two cameras roughly the same price and the same quality and performance, are people going to choose the Nikon or the Pentax?
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Mike M. (emem)
http://www.veritasmea.com
 
What seems to have changed now is before they had "click for price", now they are showing MSRP until you add it to the cart. Prices are the same once you do that.

The Tamron 70-200/2.8 did just go up though, but still at $675 at Abe's
 
Leuf: Thank you. I was not out of sync, just blind.

Earl
 
I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments. Given the current situation I would be a Nikon shooter. Looking at lots of adapters for the 4/3 system maybe my next camera will be an Olympus! That way, I can still use my Pentax lens.
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Best wishes, George P
' . . . . not all who wander are lost.'
 
thiago_silva said:
I wonder if their strategy is to be a new "Leica" (keeping the right proportions, of course). That would be very disappointing, since affordability was one of the main reasons I (and probably a lot of people) bought into the system.
--
Thiago Silva - http://www.flickr.com/photos/thiagosilva/
Victoria - BC - Canada

'If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.' (Lewis Hine)

Click to expand...
Yep!

Good quality+decent prices was my reason for buying Pentax, and the fact that pentax was my old film kit.
I have seen the pricing of Pentax lenses go sky high in the last 6 months or so.
 
Agreed! I use SRS quite a bit, they were cheaper on that lens, but I try to support our local shops sometimes! Won't be buying a KX or K7 there though. The 55-300 was to replace my Tamron 70-300 which I dropped (2nd lens I have broken in 37 years with interchangeable lens cameras) -bought tiwth my K100D and kit lens at Jessops a few years back. I woud love a DA50-135, but will probably end up with a Tamron 70-200f2.8 if I save my pennies. : )
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Everything changes
 
x5 - no legacy lenses, I was (am) a Canon shooter on film - AE-1! K100D was a steal at the time. K20D purchased 2 months ago was 40% of the cost of a K7 or a D300.
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Everything changes
 
emem said:
Actually my mate's D60 left my DS for dead as far as focus accuracy and image quality went.
Click to expand...
The *istDS was 3 years old when the D60 was introduced. If Nikon couldn't do better with 3 years development time and much, much more R&D money than Pentax then they should have been shot! There is no point whatsoever in comparing against newer or much more expensive cameras. If money and R&D time can't buy you more then why spend more?

"Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten" - very true but you need the money to pay the price first.

--
Steve

http://www.pbase.com/steephill
 
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