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#11
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End of an Era
"Pudentame" wrote in message ... jeremy wrote: Well, many of us sensed that it was coming. Pentax had been a longtime user of Hoya optical glass, but to see Hoya swallow Pentax us is disconcerting. These mergers nearly always result in big changes, and I would not be surprised if the "Pentax" name disappears entirely over the next few years. Actually, the "Pentax" name is one of the more valuable things Hoya's getting from the deal. I expect they'll be keeping it at least in the photography business. The driving factor behind the merger appears to be Pentax and Hoya combining their efforts in the medical imaging field. No, the driving factor is that Pentax has lagged behind Canon and Nikon in the digital camera business, and is now having to deal with competition from companies that previously had not entered the camera business, like Sony, Panasonic, Casio and HP. Pentax screwed up, big-time, and they are no longer viable. Hoya will get no more mileage out of the Pentax brand name than Konica got out of their use of the Minolta name. People are getting wise to the fact that the mere presence of a well-known brand name does not guarantee that the former quality levels are going to be maintained. I'm upset over the loss of Pentax, but I really have only myself to blame. Pentax began going down the slippery slope shortly after they abandoned the screw mount. Their cameras and lenses slowly began to be cheapened, and build quality became noticeably inferior to previous products. Nikon and Canon did the same thing, but they maintained parallel lines of "professional" gear, priced high, but still available to those that wanted it. What did Pentax do? They exited the professional camera market when they withdrew the LX from production, and they produced only 3 FA Limited lenses for film cameras, and even those had non-standard focal lengths. I read recently that Pentax committed to expanding their factories in VIETNAM, apparently as a means of keeping their costs down because of cheaper labor. Sorry, but this boy ain't buying a Vietnamese camera--not from Pentax and not from anybody else, either. And I think that a lot of us feel the same way. I don't anticipate crowds lining up to buy the "Hoya-Pentax" brand of cameras and lenses ("SMC Hoya-Pentax?") It just may be the right time for me to embrace plastic bodies and buy some Nikon or Canon digital gear. I'm just in the dumps over hearing that news of Pentax's upcoming demise. We're going to become orphans. |
#12
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End of an Era
"David Kilpatrick" wrote in message ... jeremy wrote: Well, many of us sensed that it was coming. Pentax had been a longtime user of Hoya optical glass, but to see Hoya swallow Pentax us is disconcerting. They had already swallowed a big chunk of Pentax, as their subsidiary brand Tokina makes most of the popular lenses (not the special stuff) David I was hoping that Pentax might release a full crop digital body that would take their older 35mm lenses, but that appears to be a pipe dream now. Time to start looking for a new camera brand. |
#13
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End of an Era
jeremy wrote:
"David Kilpatrick" wrote in message ... jeremy wrote: Well, many of us sensed that it was coming. Pentax had been a longtime user of Hoya optical glass, but to see Hoya swallow Pentax us is disconcerting. They had already swallowed a big chunk of Pentax, as their subsidiary brand Tokina makes most of the popular lenses (not the special stuff) David I was hoping that Pentax might release a full crop digital body that would take their older 35mm lenses, but that appears to be a pipe dream now. Time to start looking for a new camera brand. I don't know about that - with the new company having approximately 20x the capitalisation of Pentax, I think the chances of them progressing more rapidly are significantly higher. There is nothing wrong with Hoya/Tokina optics, and now they have a camera system to match their stuff to. With more money to throw around for things like R&D, marketing, and quite possibly some new high end gear, the brand can only improve. Before you jump ship, just remember that Canon don't have approx 70% market share (in Australia at least, not sure about rest of the world) because they are any better than the competition, it's simply because they have been marketed better. |
#14
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End of an Era
On Fri, 22 Dec 2006 07:12:15 +1000, Graham Fountain wrote:
jeremy wrote: "David Kilpatrick" wrote in message ... jeremy wrote: Well, many of us sensed that it was coming. Pentax had been a longtime user of Hoya optical glass, but to see Hoya swallow Pentax us is disconcerting. They had already swallowed a big chunk of Pentax, as their subsidiary brand Tokina makes most of the popular lenses (not the special stuff) David I was hoping that Pentax might release a full crop digital body that would take their older 35mm lenses, but that appears to be a pipe dream now. Time to start looking for a new camera brand. I don't know about that - with the new company having approximately 20x the capitalisation of Pentax, I think the chances of them progressing more rapidly are significantly higher. There is nothing wrong with Hoya/Tokina optics, and now they have a camera system to match their stuff to. With more money to throw around for things like R&D, marketing, and quite possibly some new high end gear, the brand can only improve. Before you jump ship, just remember that Canon don't have approx 70% market share (in Australia at least, not sure about rest of the world) because they are any better than the competition, it's simply because they have been marketed better. There's also the little matter that they have a camera and lens for just about any niche you can imagine, while the competition doesn't. -- --John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) |
#15
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End of an Era
"Pudentame" wrote in message ... RichA wrote: Recent study on the news the other night. You are twice as likely to die in an accident with a small car than a large one, internal compensation devices (airbags) nothwithstanding. OTOH, my own experience indicates a smaller, more nimble vehicle allows the driver avoid accidents he might not be able to avoid in a larger, heavier, less maneuverable automobile. I'm not worried about me being able to get out of the way, I'm worried about the teenagers, alcoholics or both who I never see coming. |
#16
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End of an Era
jeremy wrote:
"Pudentame" wrote in message ... jeremy wrote: Well, many of us sensed that it was coming. Pentax had been a longtime user of Hoya optical glass, but to see Hoya swallow Pentax us is disconcerting. These mergers nearly always result in big changes, and I would not be surprised if the "Pentax" name disappears entirely over the next few years. Actually, the "Pentax" name is one of the more valuable things Hoya's getting from the deal. I expect they'll be keeping it at least in the photography business. The driving factor behind the merger appears to be Pentax and Hoya combining their efforts in the medical imaging field. No, the driving factor is that Pentax has lagged behind Canon and Nikon in the digital camera business, and is now having to deal with competition from companies that previously had not entered the camera business, like Sony, Panasonic, Casio and HP. Pentax screwed up, big-time, and they are no longer viable. Well, press release I saw made a lot less mention of the digital camera business than it did of medical imaging. |
#17
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End of an Era
In article , just bob
kilbyfan@aoldotcom wrote: "Pudentame" wrote in message ... RichA wrote: Recent study on the news the other night. You are twice as likely to die in an accident with a small car than a large one, internal compensation devices (airbags) nothwithstanding. OTOH, my own experience indicates a smaller, more nimble vehicle allows the driver avoid accidents he might not be able to avoid in a larger, heavier, less maneuverable automobile. I'm not worried about me being able to get out of the way, I'm worried about the teenagers, alcoholics or both who I never see coming. Ayup. It ain't how good you are, it's how bad they are. The lowest common denominator is the one you have to worry about here, 'cause they can come from nowhere when you don't even have the time to react, let alone defend. It's like handing Joe Luser off of the street a DSLR in auto-program mode and saying "go take some pictures" and handing a photographically skilled individual the same camera and saying "photograph me a masterpiece", then comparing the results. 50% of it is the workspace between the ears, 40% of it is meaningful experience, and the last 10% is just dumb luck. Most "drivers" on the road in this country today rely mostly on the last 10% to get them through. The way I see some "drivers" "drive", I wonder how they have lived as long as they have. As I noted elsewhere, a majority of it is a problem of people not being taught how to _drive_ properly, but rather how to "operate a motor vehicle" and how to pass the "drivers'" license test. Then there are the "just plain stupid" variety, like the lady I saw the other day, doing about 25 in a 55 zone, and when I finally got room to pass her (5 miles & 10 minutes down the road), she waa READING A F*^^&*KING BOOK while she was "driving". -- You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence. -- Charles A. Beard |
#18
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End of an Era
Ken Lucke wrote:
In article , just bob kilbyfan@aoldotcom wrote: "Pudentame" wrote in message ... RichA wrote: Recent study on the news the other night. You are twice as likely to die in an accident with a small car than a large one, internal compensation devices (airbags) nothwithstanding. OTOH, my own experience indicates a smaller, more nimble vehicle allows the driver avoid accidents he might not be able to avoid in a larger, heavier, less maneuverable automobile. I'm not worried about me being able to get out of the way, I'm worried about the teenagers, alcoholics or both who I never see coming. Ayup. It ain't how good you are, it's how bad they are. The lowest common denominator is the one you have to worry about here, 'cause they can come from nowhere when you don't even have the time to react, let alone defend. It's like handing Joe Luser off of the street a DSLR in auto-program mode and saying "go take some pictures" and handing a photographically skilled individual the same camera and saying "photograph me a masterpiece", then comparing the results. 50% of it is the workspace between the ears, 40% of it is meaningful experience, and the last 10% is just dumb luck. Most "drivers" on the road in this country today rely mostly on the last 10% to get them through. The way I see some "drivers" "drive", I wonder how they have lived as long as they have. As I noted elsewhere, a majority of it is a problem of people not being taught how to _drive_ properly, but rather how to "operate a motor vehicle" and how to pass the "drivers'" license test. Then there are the "just plain stupid" variety, like the lady I saw the other day, doing about 25 in a 55 zone, and when I finally got room to pass her (5 miles & 10 minutes down the road), she waa READING A F*^^&*KING BOOK while she was "driving". See he http://home.san.rr.com/fsheff/incars.htm -- Frank ess |
#19
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End of an Era
In article , Frank ess
wrote: Ken Lucke wrote: In article , just bob kilbyfan@aoldotcom wrote: "Pudentame" wrote in message ... RichA wrote: Recent study on the news the other night. You are twice as likely to die in an accident with a small car than a large one, internal compensation devices (airbags) nothwithstanding. OTOH, my own experience indicates a smaller, more nimble vehicle allows the driver avoid accidents he might not be able to avoid in a larger, heavier, less maneuverable automobile. I'm not worried about me being able to get out of the way, I'm worried about the teenagers, alcoholics or both who I never see coming. Ayup. It ain't how good you are, it's how bad they are. The lowest common denominator is the one you have to worry about here, 'cause they can come from nowhere when you don't even have the time to react, let alone defend. It's like handing Joe Luser off of the street a DSLR in auto-program mode and saying "go take some pictures" and handing a photographically skilled individual the same camera and saying "photograph me a masterpiece", then comparing the results. 50% of it is the workspace between the ears, 40% of it is meaningful experience, and the last 10% is just dumb luck. Most "drivers" on the road in this country today rely mostly on the last 10% to get them through. The way I see some "drivers" "drive", I wonder how they have lived as long as they have. As I noted elsewhere, a majority of it is a problem of people not being taught how to _drive_ properly, but rather how to "operate a motor vehicle" and how to pass the "drivers'" license test. Then there are the "just plain stupid" variety, like the lady I saw the other day, doing about 25 in a 55 zone, and when I finally got room to pass her (5 miles & 10 minutes down the road), she waa READING A F*^^&*KING BOOK while she was "driving". See he http://home.san.rr.com/fsheff/incars.htm Yep - I think I know some of those people. At least, I think I've been behind them :^) And you can always tell when the cell phone's in use by the cocked angle of the head from behind. Why do people think they have to "lean into" the phone? [probably for the same reason that they think a) that they have to shout into it because they can't hear it well so naturally, neither can the person on the other end*, and b) that the rest of us are interested in the least in listening to their half of the conversation in places like supermarkets and restaurants - i.e., stupidity, or lack of consideration for others] * I'm reminded of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal [c.f. Douglas Adams], the most mind-numbingly stupid creature in the universe... as any HHGTTG aficianado should know, it is so stupid that it thinks that if YOU can't see IT, then IT can't see YOU, and so the way to escape being eaten by it is to put your towel (you do have it with you, don't you?) over your head. -- You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence. -- Charles A. Beard |
#20
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End of an Era
I have to carry my Telescopes in my car which happens to be a 1974 plmy, and
I don't need to smog it either. -- There are those who believe that life here, began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans, who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltechs, or the Mayans. Some believe that they may yet be brothers of man, who even now fight to survive, somewhere beyond the heavens. The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond Telescope Buyers FAQ http://home.inreach.com/starlord Sidewalk Astronomy www.sidewalkastronomy.info The Church of Eternity http://home.inreach.com/starlord/church/Eternity.html "Ken Lucke" wrote in message ... In article , acl wrote: jeremy wrote: mechanical build quality had deteriorated noticably. Just like new cars. Better fuel economy and more amenities, at the expense of less sheet metal and smaller overall size. So, basically, you prefer cars with lots of sheet metal and large size? Damn straight _I_ do. Sheet metal, true internal structure (not just some flimsy suppoorts for the outer skin), and large size. I'd take high strength composite fiber/plastics (NOT fiberglass!) if they ever start making cars with them (oops, sorry, that was an inadvertent cue for RichA to enter the thread with his obsession), but until then, I want METAL around me. The more the better. Ever seen a serious wreck? Ever been in one? From 1979 to 1996, I worked as a professional, full time paramedic (in Portland, OR and other places), and the last 6 years was also a firefighter. I've _seen_ (and sometimes had to scrape up) the difference in outcomes. Sorry, but to hell with fuel economy... with the millions of people on the road in this country who merely know "how to operate a motor vehicle" as opposed to actually knowing how to _drive_ their vehicles (and there is a HUGE difference between those two skillsets), I want a tank around me, if possible. Again, damn straight I prefer a vehicle with some substance to it rather than today's tin cans that a wrinkle in the sheet metal causes major loss of body integrity and strength (literally). -- You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence. -- Charles A. Beard |
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