Pentax disappearing? (Page 4): B&H? Adorama? Samy's? All flourishing and all have a huge brick and mortar presence...the ultimate play store where you can handle gear. But the point...

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Jackdoor wrote:

Exactly right. The online retailers are the adaptation, and are surviving. Shops where you can handle the goods have higher costs, are trying to adapt by reducing their stock range, hence the OP's problem. That's how it works, and we shouldn't complain when it's difficult to compare competitor's products directly.

B&H?

Adorama?

Samy's?

All flourishing and all have a huge brick and mortar presence...the ultimate play store where you can handle gear.

But the point you made that I disagreed with was where you said "it's our fault"

It isn't

Jackdoor Loc: Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

rpavich wrote:

B&H?

Adorama?

Samy's?

All flourishing and all have a huge brick and mortar presence...the ultimate play store where you can handle gear.

But the point you made that I disagreed with was where you said "it's our fault"

It isn't

Just 3 retailers in the US, one of which has race issues? An OP with a valid point.

You and I are going to have to agree to disagree again.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Jackdoor wrote:

Just 3 retailers in the US, one of which has race issues? An OP with a valid point.

You and I are going to have to agree to disagree again.

Lol...yeah the only three. :(

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

Back in the sixties & seventies, I worked in downtown Chicago, "the Loop". There were dozens of camera stores, one on nearly every block. I just did a google search and came up with only three, on Wabash Avenue, in all the Loop. (One, Central Camera has been there for over a century, the others I do not recognize.)

Outside of the loop, in the third largest city in America, there are only a few listed camera stores, including listings for Best Buy and Walgreens (which I believe only has photo processing services). One of the few is Calumet Camera, venerable Calumet Camera, but, hey, they are now owned by B&H!

No, we are not down to just three retailers, but we are very close to it!

Back when I used to haunt all those Loop camera stores, there was an ethic we tried to live with, to not check out the camera at the local store, only to order it from one of the national retailers like B&H. I tried to live up to that ideal, though I knew others who didn't. And that may have contributed to the demise of the local camera store, but I expect it was (is) market forces beyond our collective control.

digit-up Loc: Flushing, Michigan

jerryc41 wrote:

They just introduced a full frame camera, so I don't think they plan to disappear.

http://www.dpreview.com/opinion/4721880615/the-long-difficult-road-to-pentax-full-frame

Jerry, you are most often"right-on", and I'm certainly with you on this. I also happen to be a loyal "PENTAXIAN". Todays'Mail order far exceeds my needs. It does bother me to not be able to see and feel Pentax in a local "bricks&boards" store. And as much as I always try to support the local businesses, I just resent that the options there,seem only to be Canon & Nikon. I just can't appreciate the rediculous prices, those companies seem to think they deserve. In the past seven years, I have purchased three Pentax dslrs and about 20 Pentax or third-party lenses, for Pentax. All from Adorama or B&H (mostly B&H) The "mail-order aspect" has been. NO-PROBLEM... I just wish I could see, in real-life, my Pentax purchase, before I buy it. The thing is, any product that isn't what I EXPECT, the return is "NO-PROBLEM.. I have been mostly Pentax since VietNam, 1968-1969. So I haven't had to return anything really. I'm so confident of B&H, and Pentax, that I have PRE-ORDERED the K-1.. SIGHT unseen. And even though I've seen all the HOughpolough, canon and Nikon, Pentax has yet to fail me. Fabulous cameras and best glass, inexpensively.. RJM

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

Jackdoor wrote:

All of us that ever bought mail order rather than at a local dealer just to save a few $/£s share the blame for this. But that's capitalism folks...

I don't have a problem with capitalism. I'm trying to buy a camera made by a "capitalistic" company, and sold by a relatively local "capitalistic" dealer. Blaming this situation -- one where Pentax is apparently shrinking its dealer base -- is non-sequitur.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

Impressionist wrote:

Start in the morning. Train from Schectady to NYC, Cab to B&H, get your Pentax,cab to station, train back to Schenectady taking pictures with new camera all the way up the Hudson and home.for dinner. Not a bad way to spend a day. Take significant other. Total Win.

I believe there is a major camera dealer (B&H) virtually across the street from the train station. I'd rather support a local dealer, but he has been shut out in this case.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

BBurns wrote:

Sounds to me like you need to enjoy a nice train trip.

I like train trips; I'm the publisher of a train mag. And obviously, I take pix. But an entire day wasted (plus the cost) on a trip to NYC and back doesn't thrill me. I want to support local, but when even Best Buy no longer carries the camera, that camera's manufacturer's commitment is drawn into question.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

wdross wrote:

This is how cellphones have changed the game. Not ... (show quote)

I have been blessed with a wife who does not enjoy shopping. And, no, you can't have her!!

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

rehess wrote:

Personally, I have bought my last two cameras via the Internet, but I understand where the OP is coming from.

Thank you. I have bought both from the Internet and locally. I tend to prefer the local, because if I have a stupid question, my local dealer can bail me out. And if I break a lens in two -- yeah, I've done that -- he quietly accepts it and sends it out for repair, and calls me when it's back. I rather like the human touch.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

suntouched wrote:

My experience reflects many others: I bought my Pentax K-3 ll and all of the Pentax lenses/accessories online because I could not find a camera shop/Best Buy that handled Pentax in Salem Oregon, Colorado Springs or Tucson. Same story with the Panasonic Gx8. And the Olympus.

You do have an option or two in Portland, OR (visited them when I was in Portland on business), but Tucson with nothing surprises me. I think Pentax just flat out winnowed BestBuy out of the mix, and that's a mistake.

mickley Loc: Schenectady NY

wdross wrote:

Even Wal Mart has been hit by the shrinking market. Where they use to have 20 feet of four tiers of tightly spaced cameras, it is now 10 feet of very loosely spaced cameras with three feet of GoPro. Very soon I expect the cameras to go down to five feet or less of cameras and five feet of GoPro and accessories. Don't even try to find a "regular" camcorder.

And, yes, I checked the dreaded WalMart. They don't carry the camera.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

mickley wrote:

I like train trips; I'm the publisher of a train mag. And obviously, I take pix. But an entire day wasted (plus the cost) on a trip to NYC and back doesn't thrill me. I want to support local, but when even Best Buy no longer carries the camera, that camera's manufacturer's commitment is drawn into question.

I like train trips too. When we lived in western Mass, I saw a lot of your station from train side, as we rode from Albany NY to South Bend IN. I hear that they would even like to build your city a fancy new station {or has that already happened in the nearly three years since we moved back here?}

mickley wrote:

... I think Pentax just flat out winnowed BestBuy out of the mix, and that's a mistake.

But I'm getting off topic here. My understanding is that the lack of Pentax stock at stores such as Best Buy, Target, and WalMart represents neither a current lack of commitment nor poor decision-making by Pentax. The retailers have only so much shelf space, and they themselves choose how to allocate that amongst brands. At one time Target was selling the white {"storm trooper"} version of the Pentax K-50. They dropped that just before I was ready to buy one; I'm guessing they weren't selling enough of them to meet their standard, but I don't know for certain what the deal was. Also, Best Buy had a nice Sony display; I don't know whether that was their idea or whether Sony was subsidizing it, but I don't remember seeing it the last time I was there {I don't go there very often}.

I bought my first Pentax in 1979 at Roberts Photo's brick-and-mortar store, which was on the circle in Indy at the time. I bought my second Pentax in 1984 at a "catalog" store here in South Bend. I spent a number of years using Canon instead, and by the time I came back to Pentax my only choice was to buy on-line and trust for good service {which I did get from KEH}.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

here in the mfw (mid _______ west, there are a couple of really good camera retailers. in st. louis you have, of course, Schillers. they deal with commercial and amateur image makers and have an excellent array of differing brands and lenses.
the other store is Creve Coeur Camera. they have stores in bloomington and springfield illinois. their home base is in st. louis missouri. they also offer excellent advice along with an excellent selection including pentax.

they also offer film development in the 35mm and 120mm formats, both colour and black and white.
very cool people.

J.R.Newton Loc: Saint Bernice, Indiana

I bought a new Pentax K30 a year ago from Galloway Photo in Terre Haute, In. Its been there since the 70's.
I'm sure they can find anything you need. They aren't a big store, but provide good service. (I know...I worked there 25 years ago!) you can find them online at

Galloway Camera
3175 S. 3rd Place
Terre Haute, IN
812-235-7111

http://www.GallowayCamera.com