All Forum Comments
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 22:34
Apparently I've got this and maybe a couple of others going in Cumbria and Lancashire Life, sometime this year.
I'd be happier if they'd give me affordable regular advertising, it costs a bloody fortune to get anything in there on a regular basis, that might actually boost my sales...
Seriously thinking of tellin em to stuff it...
ROBBERS!
Rant over, they are a Pet of mine...
I'd be happier if they'd give me affordable regular advertising, it costs a bloody fortune to get anything in there on a regular basis, that might actually boost my sales...
Seriously thinking of tellin em to stuff it...
ROBBERS!
Rant over, they are a Pet of mine...
Comment by jules posted on Fame at last... at 03/01/2014 - 22:29
K3 Kicks @rse,on build Spec and Performance, and no weenie peenie buffer! K5 Kicks @rse on build specs and general picture quality, K50 Kicks @rse on Value for money, Pentax Ricoh's Money off promo Kicks everyones @rse, thats a whole lot of @rse kicking going on.
You can also get another 15% off at the Pentax EU Webstore at the moment too, if I understand the Pentax UK newsletter correctly...
"If you are struggling to find what you want in the January Sales, why not make the most of our exclusive webshop offers with 15% off cameras, 20% off lenses and 40% off binoculars!
Simply visit http://shop-uk.ricoh-imaging.eu/ and enter the promotional codes: SalesCam2014, SalesLens2014, or SalesBino2014 to claim great savings on your New Year purchases."
"Do not despise the snake for having no horns, for who is to say it will not turn into a dragon"
You can also get another 15% off at the Pentax EU Webstore at the moment too, if I understand the Pentax UK newsletter correctly...
"If you are struggling to find what you want in the January Sales, why not make the most of our exclusive webshop offers with 15% off cameras, 20% off lenses and 40% off binoculars!
Simply visit http://shop-uk.ricoh-imaging.eu/ and enter the promotional codes: SalesCam2014, SalesLens2014, or SalesBino2014 to claim great savings on your New Year purchases."
"Do not despise the snake for having no horns, for who is to say it will not turn into a dragon"
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 14:44
Like in Australia?
Seems the right idea, does that paper have a big circulation Horst?
http://www.behance.net/wip/321671/603701
Bit of this wouldn't hurt either.
"Just hold a Pentax", was a good slogan back in the day but they need something different today and better than "Imagine Change".
Imagine no change from 500 quid if you buy a Q!
Seems the right idea, does that paper have a big circulation Horst?
http://www.behance.net/wip/321671/603701
Bit of this wouldn't hurt either.
"Just hold a Pentax", was a good slogan back in the day but they need something different today and better than "Imagine Change".
Imagine no change from 500 quid if you buy a Q!
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 12:29
MattyH wrote:
The number one problem with Pentax is the number one problem with smoking as John pointed out, is......
Pentax is just not Cool, not even a little bit, it maybe cool to those who remember the MX and LX the first time around but for those just coming into photography or investing for the first time in a quality camera it's just not there.
What I would do is start a bit of product placement on some of these younger cooler shows that only my children understand, and then build up to some cult films and then..Well from small acorns etc etc etc.
Another big problem is pricing, Take the coolest Pentax camera, the Q, this is one cool camera and even my kids agree, but the prices for the lenses are just madness, pure and utter madness, nobody who is of a cool age group is going to invest in a limited system at the prices Pentax are looking for.
The K3 is not a cool camera, it's a quality workhorse, but not cool and compared to the rest of the markets offering, it's a bit of a dinosaur.....
Well I guess being rugged and dependable is not cool, that's me Beggered then The number one problem with Pentax is the number one problem with smoking as John pointed out, is......
Pentax is just not Cool, not even a little bit, it maybe cool to those who remember the MX and LX the first time around but for those just coming into photography or investing for the first time in a quality camera it's just not there.
What I would do is start a bit of product placement on some of these younger cooler shows that only my children understand, and then build up to some cult films and then..Well from small acorns etc etc etc.
Another big problem is pricing, Take the coolest Pentax camera, the Q, this is one cool camera and even my kids agree, but the prices for the lenses are just madness, pure and utter madness, nobody who is of a cool age group is going to invest in a limited system at the prices Pentax are looking for.
The K3 is not a cool camera, it's a quality workhorse, but not cool and compared to the rest of the markets offering, it's a bit of a dinosaur.....
I understand what you mean, I'm not too au fait with Q stuff but the Lenses don't seem to be all that badly priced but the body is waay over for, what I personally see (Flame Suit On!) as a point and shoot with some manual control.
quoting WEX Prices
Q7 Body £349 Should be £200 Max.
Q7 with 5-15mm £389 Should be £250.
Q7 twin Lens kit (5-15mm and 15-45mm)£529 Should be £325-350 (Puts it in iPad territory).
The Toy Lenses could appeal to kids too, they are missing a trick here?
They could do worse than bring all of the colours over here more readily and flog the basic kit for £200-£250
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 12:13
Gamka wrote:
Unlikely ... I have even turned down corporate hospitality tickets for Wimbledon Semis and Finals!jules wrote:
I dropped that in there for Gamka to pull me up on! Sean282 wrote:
[quote:3496ace15f="jules"]
The poll I agree is irrelevant but the result is not, you can lose an epic wimbledon final 7/6 6/7 6/7 7/6 7/6, a week later no one remembers the match but they know who won.
Sure that was one of the best finals ever Jules. It will never be forgotten. Do you not remember the controversey when the referee allowed the game to be decided by a 5th set tie breaker? [quote:3496ace15f="jules"]
The poll I agree is irrelevant but the result is not, you can lose an epic wimbledon final 7/6 6/7 6/7 7/6 7/6, a week later no one remembers the match but they know who won.
As for the "7/6 6/7 6/7 7/6 7/6" that totals to £1.775 or 177.5p[/quote]touché Sir
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 11:55
Sean282 wrote:
I dropped that in there for Gamka to pull me up on! jules wrote:
The poll I agree is irrelevant but the result is not, you can lose an epic wimbledon final 7/6 6/7 6/7 7/6 7/6, a week later no one remembers the match but they know who won.
Sure that was one of the best finals ever Jules. It will never be forgotten. Do you not remember the controversey when the referee allowed the game to be decided by a 5th set tie breaker? The poll I agree is irrelevant but the result is not, you can lose an epic wimbledon final 7/6 6/7 6/7 7/6 7/6, a week later no one remembers the match but they know who won.
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 10:54
MattyH wrote:
Ricoh do not or can't even be bothered to have their own UK based marketing and PR staff or department, as everything is sub contracted out to a small UK company called Escapade who are based both in Reading and London.
Now don't get me wrong, this is a very good but small PR firm, I should know as I have worked for them freelance a few times, but I also know what sort of budget they are allowed to run to as well, and it ain't big by any standards,
Put it this way, Panasonic's UK marketing and PR budget for their release of the new MFT f1.2 lens is 5 times the whole of Ricoh UK yearly marketing budget across the whole range.
This budget has been cut year on year for the last 3 financial years running, even though in the last 3 years, the Ricoh/Pentax product line up has been growing.
This also may be due to MFT and mirrorless camera sales slumping both here in the EU and America in the last 12 months? And the Dslr market has started to pick up again thanks to affordable FF offerings from the big 3.
But also the biggest marketing tool is word of mouth via sites like these across the world and it doesn't cost them a penny.
Panny is a good point but all the marketing in the world is not going to save em, it's the wrong marketing and thats sort of my point. I expect to see them release their five models next year and when that does not work there will be an exit statement soon after...Ricoh do not or can't even be bothered to have their own UK based marketing and PR staff or department, as everything is sub contracted out to a small UK company called Escapade who are based both in Reading and London.
Now don't get me wrong, this is a very good but small PR firm, I should know as I have worked for them freelance a few times, but I also know what sort of budget they are allowed to run to as well, and it ain't big by any standards,
Put it this way, Panasonic's UK marketing and PR budget for their release of the new MFT f1.2 lens is 5 times the whole of Ricoh UK yearly marketing budget across the whole range.
This budget has been cut year on year for the last 3 financial years running, even though in the last 3 years, the Ricoh/Pentax product line up has been growing.
This also may be due to MFT and mirrorless camera sales slumping both here in the EU and America in the last 12 months? And the Dslr market has started to pick up again thanks to affordable FF offerings from the big 3.
But also the biggest marketing tool is word of mouth via sites like these across the world and it doesn't cost them a penny.
They will like Phillips be gone from the TV market very soon too, things are not happy at Panasonic, they are in the Sony boat from a few years ago, too much me too and not enough innovation, the product has to be good, has to have an angle, for photographers Pentax has that angle, with the DSLR range, all but the K500 have both a 100% viewfinder and proper weather sealing, you don't have to baby it, they don't make enough of it at present but I think they are learning.
http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/lumix-cameras-fa...
Panny, well it's as small as an Olympus but it's not an Olympus, it can use Olympus Lenses but it's not an Olympus, They have retroish looking models but they are not an OMD, they have shake reduction but well it's not as good as Olympus... They are suffering...
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 10:52
Smeggypants wrote:
The poll is meaningless. What isn't meaningless is the lack of Pentax PR in the UK. Employing some 1 person concern working from the corner of their dining room as the Pentax UK PR machine is simpyl not good enough.
Ricoh isn't a tiny company. They can afford a decent PR campaign and they should be doing so. Not for the K-3 so much but for the compact and more entry level models.
They should also release a FF model and try andget some inroads intothe pro market as that will filter confidence down to the hobbiest market ( most of us here ) and compact market.
"Speculate to accumulate" and all that. Hoya might not have been bothered but surely Ricoh can see the sense?
I simply don't agree with you Smeggy, they now have a cause and a chance for some momentum, they do need to grasp the nettle though. Until late last year I had not seen Pentax in the front window of a Camera shop for many a year, my local Wilkinsons now has every model save for the 645D in the front, have just got "Pro" Status and are taking up more Front window real estate than the Cannot and Nikoff Displays combined. Ok only about ten shops but I was in the Jessops in the Metro at Crimbo, Pentax everywhere, glossy brochures all over the place, it may not be coming at the pace you want Smeggy but it is coming, the Ricoh Behemoth is starting to roll.The poll is meaningless. What isn't meaningless is the lack of Pentax PR in the UK. Employing some 1 person concern working from the corner of their dining room as the Pentax UK PR machine is simpyl not good enough.
Ricoh isn't a tiny company. They can afford a decent PR campaign and they should be doing so. Not for the K-3 so much but for the compact and more entry level models.
They should also release a FF model and try andget some inroads intothe pro market as that will filter confidence down to the hobbiest market ( most of us here ) and compact market.
"Speculate to accumulate" and all that. Hoya might not have been bothered but surely Ricoh can see the sense?
The poll I agree is irrelevant but the result is not, you can lose an epic wimbledon final 7/6 6/7 6/7 7/6 7/6, a week later no one remembers the match but they know who won.
Comment by jules posted on DPR Best DSLR of the year vote at 03/01/2014 - 08:36
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/23/matt-molloy_n_4475382.html#
Got to have me a go at this, Blythman, I reckon your neck of the woods would be the place!
Got to have me a go at this, Blythman, I reckon your neck of the woods would be the place!
Comment by jules posted on And now for something completely different... at 03/01/2014 - 06:01
I think I'd do it slightly differently to be honest. I don't think Pentax should aim to compete with Canon or Nikon particularly - I don't see how they can. I see them as a more of a niche player - perhaps Subaru would be the automotive equivalent: slightly quirky, bloody good at what they do well, a bit rough around some of the edges, but tough as old boots with a good deal of brand loyalty.
Where that leads me is to think about Pentax's USP as a dSLR manufacturer, and for me that is not about sports or indeed studio work (hence focus and flash has never been quite the priority it might and perhaps should have been). It is almost certainly about rugged outdoors, nature photography and weatherproof work. So where I think they should concentrate their effort is the landscape and street ends of the market. They have excellent equipment relevant to these markets already. Another niche is military and war photography - I've seen some excellent portfolios by war photographers who use Pentax equipment and swear by it. Ricoh might do well to pubicise those - if these cameras are good enough to use in the extreme conditions of Afghanistan etc, then they're more than capable for Croydon.....
If I was them I think I'd also be concentrating on getting some pro's to use the 645D because that really is in quite a nice niche of its own. Given the increasing capability of newer FF bodies, a 645Dii(S!) with some serious professional support might get noticed, at the top end of a market where I think Pentax has a unique offering. I think we should forget the idea of getting journalists or sports photographers to shift brands. Ain't going to happen without a system that Pentax can't afford to manufacture.
As for FF, well I guess they will have to do something at some stage, but I really hope it's closer to the new Sony A7 and 7R implementation rather than another bulky me-too FF dSLR. Unless, that is, they are somehow able to cram a full frame sensor into the K-3 body. That might make people take notice. They've already done that trick with a larger sensor in the Q so who knows.....