An interesting thing about Pentax

[theITguy]

While I was looking into the financial reports for Pentax (yeah, wanna get a Pentax but I do not have $8K atm...) before I make any important decisions, was surprised that their mission statement or vision statement does not state cameras, but digital cameras.

Their board of directors/management seems to be changed since last year, and their biggest revenue income is still from the camera division dispute having a medical division. Their sales is currently about US$1.4bn+/- while aiming to hit US$2bn by 2007 with US$160m profits.

If you ask me, I would say their position is much better than Leica (the camera company only hence the disadvantage) as Pentax itself is having medical and imaging division under 1 company. They have just merged their Pentax Sales company to their main company so I guess the reforms are being carried out slowly.


They have a pretty fine 645NII and 67II system. The 35mm offerings are also good, also performance wise overall might not be as good as Canon/Nikon.

 

[nightpiper]

wud love their MF range if pocket permits. heard they r releasing a MF digital back with 18MP based on the high quality Kodak sensor. that wud be really juicy to get. (*salivating*) :bsmilie:

 

[theITguy]

Dun think it is a digital back. More like a Digital MF camera like the Mamiya ZD (not the Mamiya ZD Back)

 

[kahheng]

While I was looking into the financial reports for Pentax (yeah, wanna get a Pentax but I do not have $8K atm...) ...

blah blah blah....

I think if you live Stateside, Pentax medium format would be a very good choice for the kind of photography you seem to want to do with it. Unfortunately, in my own experience dealing with two of their official agents in the last 18 or so years, Pentax is simply not very well supported in Singapore when things go wrong. They are just not very competent in their service work if you ask me. It's sad but true, especially when you consider the extremely good quality of the optics and the uniqueness of the 67 series.

I'd suggest looking at a Mamiya RZ system instead. The system is tried and tested, the optics are superb, weight wise really not that bad, and it's extremely well supported by the local distributor. They've never let me down with their Mamiya servicing and sales support. 8K could well get you a three lens system with a prism. On the balance, the RZ and it's mechanical brethren the RB series have the best design compromises if you ask me.