Ned Bunnell is interviewed By Dave Etchells, The Imaging Resource .
"A stalwart of the photography industry, Pentax has a long-standing reputation for quality optics and solidly-built camera bodies at affordable prices. (How many hundreds of thousands of photographers of a certain age cut their teeth on a Pentax K1000?) After an initially rocky transition to the digital era, Pentax has recently made great strides with their K-7 and K-x SLR models, and their 2010 digicam lineup includes some refreshingly different aesthetic designs. At PMA 2010, IR Publisher Dave Etchells and Senior Editor Shawn Barnett caught up with Ned Bunnell, President of the US division - Pentax Imaging Co. - and both an industry veteran and a serious enthusiast photographer in his own right. Ned shared some interesting perspectives on the industry as a whole and Pentax's place in it - Read on for all the details:
Ned Bunnell is interviewed By Dave Etchells, The Imaging Resource
Ned Bunnell is interviewed By Dave Etchells, The Imaging Resource
8 comments:
I wish the interviewer would have asked him about the widespread reports of SDM failure. Did you have a chance to talk with him at PMA Yvon?
Other than that, I think it was a good interview.
Bob,
I haven't talked to Ned because a last minute event caused me to miss the PMA show. I will wait a few days to let the dust settle and I am going to find out what the deal is.
Great. I anxiously await your response. Maybe you are the one to finally represent us and get to the bottom of this. For some data, someone at Pentax Forums (I won't list names without permission)compiled a list of reports of SDM failure in the last couple of months. (75 reports of SDM failure from 61 people, on dpr alone!) You should have the info before talking with Ned, since the typical corporate response will be to downplay and deny. His spreadsheet is here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tytSIc_52GQo_jdEMXdcEmg&output=html
The SDM petition which is up to 738 signatures, is here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?593039&1
Bob,
Although your comment may reach Mr. Bunnell, I don't endorse this approach. I will research what is the view of Pentax in the seemingly problems with the SDM lenses. When and if I get answers directly from Pentax,I will be reporting back on this blog.
I'm sorry, maybe I misunderstand. Which approach do you not endorse? The petition? I am making no judgment on the petition myself. Maybe it is a good idea and maybe it is a bad idea. I just thought it would be helpful to provide you information before you talk with him. You have at your fingertips now, 75 reports of SDM failure from 61 people. I thought it would also be helpful to see that the problem is big enough that there is support for a petition.
I can't think of another product in Pentax history that has resulted in so many complaints.
thanks again.
Bob,
The petition is okay. Reaching Mr. Bunnell through a comment here is not the way I usually approach problems. By mentioning his name here, you put him on the spot. He is the president and surely has a lot of responsibilities, but he also has a staff to take care of these problems. A letter, sent through the USPS, certified with a return receipt would have done the same, and perhaps better. Pentax location, address and phone number are easily accessible.None-the-less, I will still investigate this and will report what my findings are, as soon as I get answers. I never had any problems with Pentax services and warranties. There are no need for you and I to continue this conversation through my blog, as I know Pentax employees and perhaps Mr. Bunnell read my blog. Give me some time and I will get to the bottom of this, good or bad.
Hello Yvon,
I thought I would wait a month before I posted again. You had mentioned you were going to investigate this. I was wondering if you have had a chance to do that yet?
Thanks again,
Bob
Bob,
I did the best I could in inquiring this particular problem with the SDM lenses. I am told that the defective SDM lenses have been repaired for everyone that sent their lenses back under the warranty. The problem has been fixed. Pentax USA is only a subsidiary of Pentax and Pentax Japan/Hoya really controls the company's decisions and direction.
I guess that I have been firtunate enough not to have any problems with my SDM lenses. I wish I could help some more, but I'm just like anyone else...I don't work for Pentax, I just like their cameras.
Best regards to all.
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