I Wish This Would Expand To The US

[smoke665]

In further explanation of Pentax plan for Japan. Ricoh Explains Its New 'Workshop-Like' Business Plan for Pentax I hope it success and quickly follows in the US market. The decline of the brick and mortar camera stores of old has forced most of us into buying online anyhow, usually from a store that may or may not be versed in product knowledge. I see nothing but advantages of a direct manufacturer connection, even if it is by phone or online.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Seems like a lot of things are available direct from from a company these days. Interesting what Ricoh/Pentax are planning; wonder if that concept would be tried here?

Funny (interesting?) thing to me is that my first 'real' (as in SLR) camera was a Ricoh that I made payments on at a local camera store; so was/is my digital camera. The owner of the store said he thought I was never going to get it paid for! lol I could pay whatever I wanted as long as I made a payment every two weeks. Can't imagine being able to do that today!

 

[smoke665]

Seems like a lot of things are available direct from from a company these days. Interesting what Ricoh/Pentax are planning; wonder if that concept would be tried here?

Funny (interesting?) thing to me is that my first 'real' (as in SLR) camera was a Ricoh that I made payments on at a local camera store; so was/is my digital camera. The owner of the store said he thought I was never going to get it paid for! lol I could pay whatever I wanted as long as I made a payment every two weeks. Can't imagine being able to do that today!

My most memorable store was an old store in town that was started by the grandfather, then his son took over then the grandson till it closed. It was an old high ceiling building with tin tile on the ceiling, long and narrow. On each side were glass display cases, behind were tall cabinets all the way to the ceiling. They stocked everything from cameras to dark room equipment and supllies. Most important I never asked a question they didn't know the answer to.

 

[Dale H. Cook]

Seems like a lot of things are available direct from from a company these days. Interesting what Ricoh/Pentax are planning; wonder if that concept would be tried here?

Funny (interesting?) thing to me is that my first 'real' (as in SLR) camera was a Ricoh that I made payments on at a local camera store; so was/is my digital camera. The owner of the store said he thought I was never going to get it paid for! lol I could pay whatever I wanted as long as I made a payment every two weeks. Can't imagine being able to do that today!

Although I bought my K-70 body online and initially used it with my K-1000 lenses I soon wanted a couple of late-model Pentax lenses to take full advantage of the K-70s features. I still have a brick-and-mortar camera store which is a Pentax dealer and bought both new lenses there at prices that were competitive with online prices. A major reason why I prefer buying lenses in person is that I can try them out on my K-70 to see if they suit my needs.

 

[smoke665]

Although I bought my K-70 body online and initially used it with my K-1000 lenses I soon wanted a couple of late-model Pentax lenses to take full advantage of the K-70s features. I still have a brick-and-mortar camera store which is a Pentax dealer and bought both new lenses there at prices that were competitive with online prices. A major reason why I prefer buying lenses in person is that I can try them out on my K-70 to see if they suit my needs.

You're fortunate. The closest store to me is 200 miles, and I'd be lucky to only find a limited selection of Pentax.

 

[Dale H. Cook]

I am fortunate that I have that Pentax dealer. The one in Roanoke, VA, where I have lived for 35 years, is an AV (Stereo/TV/Home Entertainment Center) store which has been catering to consumer and commercial customers since 1936. They became a camcorder dealer early on and still carry digital camcorders. A regional chain of camera shops was based in Roanoke for decades, and when they went out of business several years ago customers of the AV dealer persuaded it to expand into still cameras. They are my primary source of all things photographic.

Until fairly recently there was an old-school camera store about 50 miles away which opened in 1938. I did some business there over the years but in recent years before they closed that store was obviously on its last legs.

I don't know of any other brick-and-mortar camera stores closer to me than two large cities 140-150 air miles away, and I don't get to either more than twice a year at most, so I am indeed fortunate.

 

[pendennis]

Consider the Pentax/Ricoh share of the market. They may very well succeed because the brand really amounts to a niche vis-a-vis Nikon, Canon, Sony. The larger companies have quite a dealer network which works very well for both the manufacturers and their agents. I can imagine that B&H, Adorama, even retailers like Best Buy, have fairly complicated franchise agreements, and those would be extremely costly to terminate. However, Nikon, et al, all have extensively detailed web sites, and potential buyers can virtually test drive a new camera there. I imagine that virtual reality models would enable a customer to get a near-real life "test drive".

In another arena however, automakers are now taking orders directly on their sites, bypassing visiting the dealer(s). While the dealer still gets the standard cut for handling and delivering, there is a trend on the rise.

And with other online retailers selling clothing, appliances, electronics, etc., why should camera manufacturers be any different.

 

[smoke665]

They may very well succeed because the brand really amounts to a niche vis-a-vis Nikon

Yes but that niche seems to be a very loyal one. I've been a Pentaxian for well over 50yrs, and doubt that I'll ever change.

One of the problems I have with the big box stores that sell camera equipment is their lack of knowledge beyond the basics. If I have to research all my questions online why do I need them? Another factor is all the cities around me have some fairly high local sales taxes. I live in a county where the state/county is half. On a $2k of equipment that's an automatic $100 savings. One of my favorite vendors is Paul Buff. They are it from manufacturing, to customer service, shipping, technical, warranty, etc. You call them you get a live knowledgeable person, if they can't answer it they get technical on the phone, and stay on so they know next time. They walk you through the buying decision so well (They actually use the equipment) that I've never had to return anything they recommended. That's the kind of service and support I'd like to see at Pentax. When I first bought the K1MII I had a technical issue that needed an answer. The big online camera store I bought it from didnt have a clue. I had to go through multiple sources, and spend several hours on the phone and internet before I actually reached a technical person at Pentax, who could help me resolve the issue.

 

[Dale H. Cook]

... and potential buyers can virtually test drive a new camera there. I imagine that virtual reality models would enable a customer to get a near-real life "test drive".

I would no more care to buy a camera that way than I would to buy a car that way. For one thing online buying does not provide tactile feedback.

 

[Strodav]

Remember where we came from? I lived in the burbs of Chicago when I got into photography and there were 2 or 3 good Camera shops near me and 2 or 3 really big camera stores downtown. That's where you went to talk to photographers about cameras, glass, accessories, and secrets around developing your own film. That's when everyone wanted a decent camera because the Instamatics and cell phones with cameras weren't invented yet.

That has all been replaced by the internet. You don't need to go to a camera shop anymore to compare models and glass because you can get much more useful information in front of your PC, Mac, or Tablet and all without someone trying to pressure you into buying something. You can purchase over the internet and if the product you want is in stock it can be there as soon as the next day, but certainly within a few days. Factor in cell phone cameras where most anyone can take good pictures and video with very little knowledge of photography and you can see why camera shops are disappearing and are being replaced by Adorama, B&H, KEH and even Amazon. Even some brick and mortar stores sell more product online than they do from their stores because the dwindling number of enthusiasts, like those on photography forums, are spread out all over the country.

So I applaud Pentax from trying something new / old that they think will work in Japan, where they have a decent market share, but don't think it would fly here in the US given the vast majority of enthusiasts buy either Canon, Sony, or Nikon and are spread out all over the country.

 

[Dale H. Cook]

You don't need to go to a camera shop anymore to compare models and glass because you can get much more useful information in front of your PC, Mac, or Tablet and all without someone trying to pressure you into buying something.

Nonetheless that information does not replace having a camera in your hands and trying it before buying.

Factor in cell phone cameras where most anyone can take good pictures and video with very little knowledge of photography and you can see why camera shops are disappearing and are being replaced by Adorama, B&H, KEH and even Amazon.

Cell phone cameras in the hands of those who are not photographers can result in useless photos. Look at any of the sites (such as FindAGrave.com) largely populated by cell phone photos as an example. In very many of those FindAGrave photos you can't even read the inscriptions on many gravestone photos. I am currently working on an article for the Association for Gravestone Studies Quarterly on taking DSLR gravestone photographs that meet the needs of gravestone scholars (hint: you can't do that on a cell phone). I think that there will continue to be a divide between the very large numbers of those happy with purchasing photographic equipment online, and a minority composed of professionals and advanced amateurs (I began using SLRs more than fifty years ago).

 

[pendennis]

I would no more care to buy a camera that way than I would to buy a car that way. For one thing online buying does not provide tactile feedback.

I truly appreciate your response.

While many folks go to "brick and mortar" to get the "tactile feedback", the downfall of those stores has been folks who then ordered their Nikon/Pentax/Canon, etc., from B&H, Adorama, and even Abe's of Maine. True, the brick-and-mortar folks have been forced to provide pricing equaling on-line ordering. One of the few brick-and-mortar stores here in the Detroit area will match any price they can verify from on-line dealers. That's a good deal for me, but for them, maybe not so much.