Pentax on the bounce back
Pentax will return to the high-end digital camera market this year with a digital medium format camera and flagship DSLR. Simon Bainbridge reports
Pentax will launch the first of a series of new high-end digital cameras later this year.
The company confirmed it is going ahead with the development of a medium format digital camera (first reported in BJP, 29 June 2005) at a Pentax media summit BJP attended last week. In addition, it revealed that it would introduce a number of digital SLRs, including a top-of-the-range model, along with a new range of digital lenses, over the next 18 months.
Working examples of the digital MF camera are expected to be ready for Photokina (the biennial imaging show - the world's biggest - which returns to Cologne in late September), going on sale in time for the PMA annual trade show in 12 months time.
According to John Dickins of Pentax UK, the aim is to beat Mamiya's price for its new digital MF camera (the final version of which is expected to be shown at this year's PMA). Although he could not confirm a price, a colleague told BJP that Pentax is aiming for £5000-6000.
Dickins says the digital MF camera will be based on Pentax's 645 film camera, and that it will feature a 22 million pixel resolution sensor.
'I'm not sure the size of the chip is actually going to be 6x4.5cm,' he revealed, 'but it will be bigger than 35mm size.'
Dickins says that the 645D is not the result of a long-delayed gestation, rather, the company made a conscious ploy to get into the digital MF market, despite coming to it much later than Hasselblad and Mamiya.
'We made the decision to compete in that market,' he told BJP. 'The camera has been in development for six to nine months. There's an awful lot of programing involved to make sure the chip works properly with the camera itself. We learnt a lot from a concept camera - a top-of-the-range 35mm format SLR with a digital chip inside it - that we showed a couple of Photokinas ago (autumn 2002). We learnt how to adapt a film camera and program the digital side to interface with the mechanical parts, and that's not easy!'
'We showed a number of prototypes a short while ago, all of which were conceptually based on the 645 film camera. One particular design has been chosen, which is basically a mix between the best bits of all of them.
The benefit of it is that the lenses and accessories that were designed for the film camera can be used on the digital too.'
Asked what Pentax could add to the digital MF market, Dickins replied: 'We want to bring the usual Pentax strengths, which are ease of use and portability. The original 645, and the 67 to some extent, were designed as field cameras, and that's what we want to do with the digital.'
Digital SLRs & lenses
The segment of the digital camera market that Pentax is targeting with its digital compacts and new DSLRs is made up of models with resolutions of six million pixels and above - the area of fastest growth. Asked whether the new DSLRs would be a new range, or additions to the current ist range, Dickins answered: 'They will be a mixture of both.'
And will that include a professional model? 'From BJP readers' point of view, they will regard it as a high-end amateur camera. However, that's not to say it won't be able to stand up to the rigours of everyday use that a professional would put it through.'
He also predicted that Pentax would introduce a new lens range to go with the new DSLRs: 'I can foresee us bringing out lenses of focal lengths and maximum apertures that we haven't seen before, which is very exciting.' He added: 'Having more lenses is quite a high priority at the moment.'
As with the 645D, it is hoped that these products will go on show at Photokina.
Back in business
At the summit, Pentax also announced that its UK operations are back in profit, predicting that its Imaging Systems division will follow suit this year.
David Moore, MD of Pentax UK, put paid to rumours about the company's sustainability, revealing that the UK subsidiary turned a loss of £0.3m in 2004 into a profit of £0.1m in 2005. He predicted that that will rise to £0.6m this year. Worldwide, the company's annual operating profits are expected to rise to £50m this year, more than doubling the £20m figure it achieved two years ago.
Pentax UK's operating profit ratio dropped to -11% in 2004, but is estimated to reach 2.1% by the end of 2007. Turnover for the same period is expected to rise from £29m to £42m. However, the UK operations still lag well behind the company's international performance, particularly in France, where Pentax is the market leader in digital compact camera sales. Pentax UK is in eleventh position, with 2.9% of the digital camera market, compared to Canon's 17.8% share. However, in the largest sector of the market, last year Pentax was second only to Olympus in sales of five million pixel resolution cameras. It is now targeting the fastest-growing sector - six million pixels and above - with new digital compacts and SLRs.
This year, Pentax will attempt to consolidate its position in the UK following its recent restructure, which included outsourcing its handling of independent photographic retailers through a new deal with Intro2020 in an effort to secure 'smarter distribution'.
No shakes
In addition to suggestions of professional level launches, Pentax revealed two new digital compact cameras, including the new entry-level six million resolution Optio E10, and a flagship model, the Optio A10. The latter is the first in the new 'S' family, featuring the company's own 'shake reduction system'.
This 8.32 million pixel resolution camera features two internal sensors detect the amount of camera shake, and a dedicated CPU calculates the necessary correction from the amount of camera shake and the lens' focusing data. A mechanism then moves the CCD based on the calculated correction to compensate for the camera shake.
Key points
- Digital MF camera to be revealed this autumn
- Flagship digital SLR and new lens range on the way
- New compact featuring 'shake reduction system'
- Pentax UK back in profit
- Strong sales in fastest growing camera sectors
- Operating profits expected to rise six-fold in 2006.
