Worth investing in lenses?

Now I really love my Pentax camera, but after what a few people have said to me about "pentax is dying" I just wondered if anyone can shed any light on the situation.

I love my K20D and I love how cheap it was! I couldn't find a better speced camera for under £1200. Now people have told me that pentax are likely to stop making high end bodys, is this true?

I see hoya are selling Pentax and this just added to my worries. I want to keep using Pentax kit, but I don't want to be investing money when I might have to change brands in the near future.

I hope what I have heard is false, as I want to keep my K20D and when the successor to the K7 comes out, ill buy iy

Oh not that again

Scaremongering, probablly started by someone who wished they'd bought Pentax for all the features it offers.

Heres a good idea for those worried about Pentax going under and not being able to use their lenses anymore.....Buy a Canon surely Canon will still be going for years to come, and surely enough they will change their lens mounts without blinking and eye and you still wont be able to use all your old lenses

Been there; had the same concerns!

I resolved it by buying a K20D and Pentax 12-24, 100 macro, 16-48 and DA* 50-135!!! Now I'm enjoying them to the full.

If we constantly worry about what happens in the future we'll never get on with to-day.

Bought a new car? New model comes out next month!! Bought a new computer? It'll be out of date to-morrow!!!!

To-morrow is another day! Don't worry about it until it comes.

I thought as much, just wanted to double check

I am sorry but you are talking rubbish.

If you want to know why pentax "is dying/is not making any more highend bodies/is being sold" why dont you ask the idiot that told you this in the first place.

Are you referring to the report on Photo Rumors about a quote from the Hoya CEO in a recent interview with the Nikkei?
The latter eventuality would be extremely bad news indeed, whereas the impact of the former would be entirely contingent on the identity of a possible buyer.

Unfortunately, I think there are indications that Hoya have already had Pentax in the shop window for some time, and the longer that carries on without a buyer emerging the higher the probability of an unequivocally negative outcome.

They are coming with a MF digital camera Spring 2010, I believe that you can call a MF high-end
Not even Nikon or Canon has such a large sensor only FF, they are such amateurs

The 645D will cost around the 6000 to 8000 $ so far as we know.

I was only questioning what I have been told, no need to be so aggressive.

Luke

Apologies, but these type questions continually pop up on various forums with no (or slender) facts to back them up.

There are few certainties in life and the survival of any camera manufacturer is not one of them.

You obviously appreciate the quality that Pentax is capable of as you still use your MX and have bought a great DSLR, so my advice would be not to worry and enjoy your Pentax

I have lenses and I have investments. My investments make money. My lenses are used to take photos. Do you invest in gasoline when you fill your tank? Do you consider buying a new HD television an investment? Of course not. They're something to use. That's how I feel about lenses.

I have a 17-70mm for strolling, a 12-24mm for landscapes and interiors, a 55-300mm for a telephoto, a 35mm prime for evening street shots, and a 50mm and 77mm for portraits. That's my lens line-up and I'm happy with it but I use them. They aren't an inestment.

Minolta folded. Their lenses didn't. I suspect something similar would happen if Pentax folded. I've pondered what I would switch to if Pentax went away and nothing jumps out. So, I suspect a new company that accepted Pentax lenses might have some attraction.

I don't really need to create imaginary problems today since we have enough real problems to keep me awake at night but what if the current government in the U.S. puts a 150% luxury tax on DSLRs?

Luke
first of all welcome to the forum.

Secondly seems like you have had your baptism of fire . You will learn soon that there are topics that unless you are ready to start an argument its best to leave them out from this forum. Some forum members have a very small patience threshold when it comes to discussing matters such as what you just mentioned. I personally think you didn't exactly say anything wrong and if any member felt that what you heard were just silly rumours then they could have used decent and polilte ways to refute it or enlighten you. You came in here to join a community after all and participate in the forum and you are entitled to do so as long as you follow the rules laid by the site administrators.

Thirdly, please do not be put off by any harsh comments, you will find that there are a lot more members who take a more understanding view to a question such as yours. Like Stefan's comment proved for example

I do agree with this.

But spare a thought for the frustration of those that have had to do the "polite enlightenment" thing, time after time after time.

We all mean well, but sometimes exasperation does get the better of us.

I think Peter's exasperation, followed by Luke's very reasonable reaction, followed by Peter's apology is a perfect example of the way we can slip occasionally, but still remain friends.

Fully agree with that.
We have to remember also that new members keep joining in and sometimes they will keep on touching the same old issues, so I guess we have to stretch our patience and if once in a while slippages occur promptness in ackowledging it and resolving the issue will go a long way to settle it and keep the new members happy and also make them feel welcome.

Full credit to Peter and Luke in resolving this issue so promptly anyway. We all are prone to slippages of the tongue, well, in this case of the fingers, or shall I say of the mind . I too have a few, particularly after a few puffs and drinks

Thank you Amin
All ended well like Amin said, we all have a slippages of the tongue sometimes.

To go on with the original topic, Pentax has been very active the recent years when Hoya took it over.
We first saw the K-M a year ago and half year after that the K-7 came competing directly with the Canon 50D and the Nikon D300(s) and setting some standards for the rest to follow and now we got the K-X.
We also saw the DA17-70, DA*55, DA*60-250, DA18-55WR, DA50-200WR & DA-L55-300
For next year the 645D will be coming and also two lenses for that and we might see a long telephoto lens later that year for the APS-C format.
Saying they are dying is simply silly since they haven't been so lively in years.

Pentax also still has some trump cards the others doesn't have, for example;
- SR that also compensates tilt, non of them has that.
- Better movie mode, the K-7 has 1536 x 1024 @ 30 fps against D300s 1280 x 720 @ 24 fps, only the Canon 5D is better so far as I know but that's a different class of camera.
- AF sensor that automaticly adjust to lighting conditions, AF that doesn't have that will focus differently outside in the sun then inside because the colour of the light is different.
- cold resistance?
- forgot to at a silent and fast mirror return system.

Thanks everyone, two new lenses arriving tuesday