Will this bring QC in Pentax imaging products to a satisfactory level?

Reuters is reporting a bit of board room activity in Japan this morning, which could, by the end of today, result in Ricoh purchasing the Pentax brand and camera business from current owner and proprietor Hoya Corporation. The global news agency points out that Hoya's initial acquisition of Pentax, back in 2007, was primarily motivated by its eagerness to acquire Pentax's medical technology, and although the company's had a slew of strong products since then, it probably makes sense for Hoya to pass the digicam work on to someone who might feel more invested in it. For its part, Ricoh also has a well respected line of digital compacts, but lacks the DSLR lineage and experience that Pentax brings. Provided this deal goes through as rumored, and Reuters has three sources who say it's imminent, the only question we've got to ponder is whether the Pentax naming will take over for Ricoh's slightly less recognizable branding or vice versa.

Update: That was quick! Hoya has confirmed the sale. Thanks, Ben! It is as reported earlier: Hoya will hang on to the rights to manufacture and develop products for the medical field, while Ricoh is gobbling up the Pentax Imaging Systems products with a view to expanding its presence in the consumer digital camera market.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/01/ricoh-set-to-acquire-pentax-camera-brand-and-business-get-serio/

wow i agree....
i guess you all know i am ricohs biggest fan....

i dont see them messin with the vererable name pentax,
but if ricoh cross pollinates the control\ menus\interface
i see a 10  fold improvement in that area...for pentax.....ricoh has the purist user experencein those areas ,imho

the logic and intuitiveness of ricoh machines is one reason for their super high regard in japan and around the world , build quality is also top notch.....but pentax could teach ricoh a thing or 2  about slrs, assuming that catagory  is even around  in 10 years

[ here i would have nornally inserted a shocked emoticon,
but the new one looks less shocked and more like a road accident victim...lol]

come on i know threre are a lot of you pentax guys ...

chime in ....   do any of you pentax gutys realize how  good this is for pentax ?

ricoh has been making great cameras since 1938
the company which makes 20 billion in sales   [mostly office machines ] has the recources to make the best cameras in the industry , for those of you who dont know
ricoh makes a small number of camera models , but none of them are shitty embarassing pieces of crap  that every other maker produces , like the mostly embarassing crap coolpic s junk machines , the low end canons and pentax and other sub standard plastic crap consumer models polluting the shelves of best buy and wall mart and similar cheap outlets on other contenents.   

ricoh  simply does not make a shitty camera , every model they make is extraordenary in build . it is a philosophy of the engineers and executives both the the credit of the company. they have the best interface and controls build  from the best tough compacts out there on the planet ....to the enthusiast gxr grd and cx line of cameras , they only ever make a few models ,4-6 at any given moment , but they are so good and well made , they  make the other makers look like they dont care about quality , in this ricoh stands apart ,

pentax has been eviserated and screwed by  it hoya aquasition and its years of poor guidance  , hoya who only really wanted to cherry pick it foir medical device technology , should be horsewhipped for what they done to the venerable pentax tradition... the quality of pentax has nosedived under the care of hoya and the sale of pentax is one of the best things to happen to the comapny since the days of the venerable lx , a legend of slr dom

ricoh will sail pentax to new heights , mark my words
quality and camera greatness will be allowed to emenated from pentax engineers under the guidance for the only japanese maker obsessed with quality , and thats ricoh...
they simply will not make a shitty camera and never will you cant say that about any other maker at the table imho

great days ahead for pentax , like when cosina bought the venerable voigtlander name
for a line of rangefinder products

speak up!

Only time will show. I still have the K-r in a drawer and an amazing Sigma 18-50/2.8 EX DC MACRO to go with it....

ricoh  simply does not make a shitty camera

True, true....

Quote from: cosinaphile on July 01, 2011, 07:32:53 PM

ricoh  simply does not make a shitty camera

True, true....

that acknowlegment ia appreciated, no other thought s.?... i, for one , find  this devlopment super facinating ....who knew?? fxxk????lol

however i think ricoh will kill there ricoh branded manhines and call them pentax
i dont want that to happen

Wow ♘

Let,s see if the Pentax name holds.

although ricoh is the giant that bought pentax, it is ricoh branded name thats in serious danger of extinction, ricoh themselves tried to brand their cameras caplio for a while
but gave up after a while , theyre doing this for pentax lens ...slr , maybe q?,  and ilc
technology , [ i think something was brewing in mirrorless at pentax ]

and they are also doing it for the devoted fan base of pentax , which is very valuble to them , and distribution channels  ... i hope they keep both names ... truely

Quote from: lisandra on July 02, 2011, 09:40:39 AM

right now, Im in the line between excitement and fear,they could do a lot of good or a lot of damage.

pentax could be damaged more than what hoya did to them ?
i seroiusly doubt it ...the next stage would ha been lineage death.... like contax, like konica
like minolta.....which is a damn shame

 research ricoh and youll see this is the best thing that could have happened for pentax , such is ricohs quality obsession, they will rescue pentax but maybe kill the ricoh name

I have no doubt ricoh is a fine company that makes nothing but fine things but, whats the next move with the pentax name? mirrorless APS C? will they keep the medium format? will they still buy sony sensors? Can they keep the flagship K# improving? These are the questions that will make or break the deal in my head. I just dont know (nobody knows for sure) where they are going, so Im admitably nervous.

will they still buy sony sensors?

Be interesting to see where Ricoh goes with the "Ricoh" name in this case...

No,
I meant where Ricoh goes with Sony sensors...

The negativity displayed towards Pentax in this thread is simply astounding and has no bearing in reality. It's not even worth my time trying to refute nonsense like "Will this bring QC in Pentax imaging products to a satisfactory level?" A perfect example of the formulation "have you stopped beating your wife?" and just as fallacious.

I have made my comments on the Ricoh buyout in other more amenable discussions.

Meanwhile my two generation old Pentax body is a far better photographic tool than any MFT camera... though I still hold out hope Olympus will get the message eventually.

not sure what you  percieved as negativity towards pentax in this thread, could you be more specific?

also you say:
"I have made my comments on the Ricoh buyout in other more amenable discussions."
im sorry you find this discussion less than amenable, i thought its levels of decorum and comments were not unkind  or guilty of unfairness to pentax , in fact i find the opposite to be true.
as i enjoy what other have to say , could you link to the places where you have made your feelings on these interesting developments known ? thanks

ive alwatys loved the pentax brand and i own:

4 copies of the  pentax 110     24 mm 2.8
3 copies of the  pentax 110     18 mm 2.8   focus wheel version]
4 copies of the  pentax 110     50mm  2.8   [one permanantly modified as a ~ 1:2macro]
2 copies of the  pentax 110     70mm  2.8   
1 copy   of the  pentax 110     20-40mm      2.8 mm zoom

the first 2 lenses i modified for the ep1  were a 50 mm nikon and a 24 pentax 110 [before comercial adapters were made]....and the quality of the tiny pentax lens astounded me

i totally  respect pentax and wish them nothing but success ,

but the truth is,    in the entire optical... lens,... camera body... medium format digital.... binocs. divisions [ except for a series of  small af digital modules which hoya retains] sells for only the equivilent  of 124 million usd !!!? ? ?  well , i call that a fire sale , a company better  on the block  and sold to a camera company that cares and makes world class cameras, instead of in bankrupt and pick by vultures you by companies like ...say hoya? or sony .



ricoh will save pentax , ricoh will sadly probably retire the venerable ricoh name, which i see as
lamentable, they will use the incrediably devoted enthusiast base of pentax and ricoh both , to propel both great companies to new heights.... that is my positive and optimistic take on this facinating new development

i choose to see a silver lining here even as the name ricoh is in danger of extinction

The negativity displayed towards Pentax in this thread is simply astounding and has no bearing in reality. It's not even worth my time trying to refute nonsense like "Will this bring QC in Pentax imaging products to a satisfactory level?" A perfect example of the formulation "have you stopped beating your wife?" and just as fallacious.

I have made my comments on the Ricoh buyout in other more amenable discussions.

Meanwhile my two generation old Pentax body is a far better photographic tool than any MFT camera... though I still hold out hope Olympus will get the message eventually.

Most of us own Pentax cameras, and are constantly disappointed by them. I'm curious though as to which camera you own, because I've owned many.

The K20 wasn't bad either