Hoya to sell Pentax to Ricoh

[BigInJapan]

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Ricoh Co. announced Friday it will buy Hoya Corp.'s Pentax camera brand business for an estimated 10 billion yen around October, aiming to expand into emerging markets using Hoya's single-lens reflex technology.
Ricoh is involved in fierce price competition in the compact digital camera market, which is placing downward pressure on midsize makers' profits. The move by Ricoh could trigger a major industry realignment.
Ricoh will take over Hoya's domestic and overseas production bases, employees and Pentax brand.
Hoya and Ricoh hold the eighth- and ninth-largest domestic market shares, respectively.

[Continued on Nikkei.com]

FYI: Hoya acquired the camera company Pentax in 2007, for the price of US$1 billion, about 10% more than Pentax was valued at the time.

[Yokohammer]

This is a really interesting move, but it was kind of expected. It was widely understood that Hoya had acquired Pentax primarily for its medical imaging division, and would dump the camera division at the earliest opportunity.

But in the meantime, Pentax has come out with some seriously cool products (including the 645D ... want want want ...), which was sort of a surprise. It was surprising to me, at least. I figured that Hoya just wouldn't bother to support camera development and marketing, but it looks like I was wrong on that one.

Anyway, now that the whole shebang is going to Ricoh I can't even guess what the future holds.

Just wait and see, I guess.

[Greji]

This is a really interesting move, but it was kind of expected. It was widely understood that Hoya had acquired Pentax primarily for its medical imaging division, and would dump the camera division at the earliest opportunity.

But in the meantime, Pentax has come out with some seriously cool products (including the 645D ... want want want ...), which was sort of a surprise. It was surprising to me, at least. I figured that Hoya just wouldn't bother to support camera development and marketing, but it looks like I was wrong on that one.

Anyway, now that the whole shebang is going to Ricoh I can't even guess what the future holds.

Just wait and see, I guess.

I hope you didn't use all your fine Pentax equipment photographing my Russian goat while she was on a walkabout in your neighborhood the other day.....

[BigInJapan]

- From the official Hoya press release:
Now Ricoh aims to establish a consumer business (what, they didn't have one already?). As a first step to achieve this goal, Ricoh strengthens its camera businesses.

- From the official Ricoh press release:
On completion of the Acquisition, Ricoh will begin to use the PENTAX brand name for some of its digital camera products, and HOYA will continue to use the PENTAX brand name for their endoscopes and other products.

- An active thread on dpreview.com about the deal.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Ricoh cameras as they are struggling at #9.
As with "Konica Minolta", I wonder if they'll go with "Pentax Ricoh".

[Yokohammer]

As with "Konica Minolta", I wonder if they'll go with "Pentax Ricoh".

Whoa! You know what became of Konica Minolta don't you?
They became ... *gasp* ... Sony!
Well, at least the camera division did.

[Yokohammer]

I hope you didn't use all your fine Pentax equipment photographing my Russian goat while she was on a walkabout in your neighborhood the other day.....

I bailed from the Pentax camp several years ago, just before they were officially acquired by Hoya,
But regardless of brand, I can assure you that not a single lens was aimed in the direction of your favorite cloven-hoofed cossack.