Hoya has announced that it will be selling Pentax’s camera business to Ricoh. The deal should take effect on October 1, 2011 and is reported to be a $124 million selling price.
Interestingly, Ricoh has a history with the Pentax K-mount. My first SLR was a Ricoh KR-Super II (shown above), which is a K-mount camera that was basically a Pentax K1000 knockoff. Who knew that a couple of decades later Ricoh would acquire the K-mount system for its own?
In a statement released by the two companies, Ricoh said that it “plans to 1) enhance its digital camera businesses (especially theinterchangeable lens camera market which is expected to grow), 2) create value-added businesses for taken photographs (creation and development of value-added services that encourage seeing, storing and refinishing photographs and utilize photographs as communication tools), and 3) expand to other fields (study of entry into the image archiving business using medium-format digital cameras and enhancement of security-related products).”
Of course, it’s too soon to make any predictions as to how Ricoh will handle the Pentax brand. Pentax has produced some solid cameras recently; however, it’s nowhere near the market recognition of Canon, Nikon and Sony. Personally, I’d like to see the Ricoh/Pentax relationship do well and push the Pentax brand to the next level.
[via Photo Rumors]
That is very interesting news. I have a Pentax K1000 and it still works very well. At least 4 lens and flash etc. My wife wanted it when I upgraded to digital, so at least it stayed in the family.
my first slr was a Ricoh TLD 401
she had a flip viewfinder what worked normal or from on top of the camera.
the lens was to screw on
some 30 years later a RIcoh C R6 was my first travel zoom
This is amazing news and I’ve been dreaming of this sort of deal for a long time now. Pentax makes amazing dslrs and Ricoh makes the most professional compacts of anyone. I can’t even imagine what these two can produce while working together. Bravo Ricoh!
Full frame digital back for their 645N!!!!!!!!!
It was 1967 and for that time I had a second hand Edixa. Than I bougth a Ricoh Singlex TLS, with 2 Rikenons. It was a tank, but after many years it died. Than it was time for a Pentax Spotmatic II and after that the ME. I switched to Canon the T90 and later the eos 650. The first digital camera was the Canon powershot pro1 and after a short life it became the Eos 40D. Both canon D experiences were very disappointing . Last october I bought a Pentax K-r. In only two month I ruined it. Now I am the owner of a second hand Pentax K20D and I am extremely happy with it.
Well with my experiences two both Ricoh and Pentax, I think this will be a very better mariage than Pentax with Hoya. I am very optimistic whenI see the innovations of Ricoh’s GXR.
Greetz, Ivo
Great camera history Ivo. Thanks for the comment.
I just bought a new K-5 and took it on vacation. It is a great camera. I hope this deal helps promote the Pentax product and is good for everyone.