Hoya (Pentax) Q1 Results tomorrow 2010-08-03

[Kym]

http://www.hoya.co.jp/english/invest...tor_09_23.html

Q1 Results tomorrow (Japan has a April > March FY)

I won't be online much in the next few days

[Falcons]

Wow, I know some guys who are heavily into their Fords or Holdens but I reckon photographers leave car enthusiasts in the dust when it comes to brand loyalty - I bet not even the most rabid Ford or Holden fan never has thought to look at the company reports or stock results.

Anyway - Go Pentax, hope it is a great result tomorrow.

From a business point of view the Pentax story is quite intresting - the inventors of the SLR system as we know it with a mirror and Penta prism (Pentax - Pentaprism - Get it??) and the innovators of TTL metering (which was copied buy Canikon) have been happy to plod along - put a toe in the water of professional level SLR with the LX but decided to just keep making really good cameras for the enthusiast market (probably the right choice in the long term) - and more importantly made the best quality glass there is which is still useable today and in fact is quite often superior to most of todays offerings.

A little late getting into the DSLR market which had all the naysayers predicting the Pentax brands DOOM!!!.

But the little company Pentax (now merged with Hoya) has managed in a fairly short period to cement itself as #3 - and that is no mean feat considering the amount of marketing $$$ Sony threw in to push its Alpha range (Should have kept the Minolta name guys!).

Just proves that not everyone is a sheep and just follows marketing hype.

Once againg Go Pentax and watch out canikon your next.

PS - most rabid Ford and Holden guys I know seem to drive Toyota's

[Kym]

Pentax are back in the black, but the Grandson of Hoya's founder recently said the Pentax merger was a mistake
from a value perspective i.e. they paid too much (not that the idea was wrong).
Most analysts think they paid about 20%-25% more than they should have.

The flip side is that the K-x is ripping it up, and I expect that to sustain the camera division at this time.

The optical eye ware lenses are doing well from what I understand.

... Petrol heads can't read so the financial of H & F are pointless anyway

[Master12]

Hope Pentax will be in better and better shape. I am all ready for a Pentax full-frame DSLR.

[Kym]

Hope Pentax will be in better and better shape. I am all ready for a Pentax full-frame DSLR.

35mm sensor is not in Pentax strategy. APS-C + Medium Format (645D) is their plan

[Kym]

In HOYA’s Pentax brand digital cameras, the number of single lens reflex cameras sold
rose from a year ago, reflecting continued robust demand for entry-level cameras, which in
turn resulted in higher sales of interchangeable lenses.
As a result, sales of the Information Technology segment stood at 55,647 million yen, up
21.6% year-on-year, and operating income amounted to 12,427 million yen, up by
approximately 4.7 times year-on-year

And if you go into the gory details Pentax number all on the up!!

[Falcons]

Hope Pentax will be in better and better shape. I am all ready for a Pentax full-frame DSLR.

Wouldn't count on FF for Pentax - worldwide sales of FF from any brand are pretty dismal and it looks like Sony is also pulling the plug on its FF cameras and they threw serious money at marketing. Looks like Pentax made the right choice with their strategy - will be interesting to see how the 645D goes in the market.

New cameras to be released soon - maybe see Pentax start to nip at nikons heels.

[Cage]

I wonder if their market research people have any idea how many Pentax users are hanging for a long lens.

A 500mm prime f/4ish, or 150-500mm or similar.

Come on Pentax, give us some long glass and you will stop losing users to Canikon.

[Boo53]

it looks like Sony is also pulling the plug on its FF cameras and they threw serious money at marketing. .

.

Ah rumours!

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/?s=full+frame

But those figures indicate that discerning consumers are interested in good cameras, even if they don't come from the big 2

John R