Hoya buys Pentax

[oblomow]

Just read on severals forums that Hoya (famous for their filters) buys/merges with Pentax and will continue
under the name Hoya Pentax Corporation. See: http://www.hoya.co.jp/HOYA_DYNAMIC/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.index_e

Although I switched to Canon when I went digitial, I still have a week spot for Pentax. My previous (and first!) SLR was a Pentax ME Super.

 

[Grimace]

whoa, interesting pair! What else does Hoya make besides filters?

 

[balofagus]

The entire press release can be read here. Hoya will be the surviving company and Pentax is the merged company. Cost was about $770M. They will operate under the name Hoya Pentax HD.

Apparently Hoya is most interested in Pentax medical stuff, they are one of only three companies that produces and markets endoscopes (little cameras they stick inside you). Pentax Imaging (the camera unit) will continue to operate as it has been.

 

[Abstract]

Cost? Was Pentax bought out, or did Hoya and Pentax actually "merge"? I always thought that Pentax would be bought by Samsung, but oh well.

 

[balofagus]

Well, I believe that Hoya is assimilating Pentax into them, but keeping their name... The share trade is 0.158 Hoyas to 1 Pentax, is that a buyout? I'm glad its an optics company, I don't think that a buyout by Samsung would be a good thing, the technologies partnership is good though I think.

 

[Buschmaster]

Please don't let this change my camera just before I get it. Think Pentax's lenses will get better?

Pentax, Pentax, ye hardly knew ye.

I know they'll still be around under the new name, it's just a little too much for me right now.

 

[freebooter]

I think we can expect some interesting new products from Pentax in the future.

 

[coldrain]

Hoya is not unknown to Pentax. One of Hoya's divisions, Tokina, already has worked together with Pentax the last few years, jointly developing new lenses. The Tokina 12-24 f4 and equivalent Pentax lens are a result from this cooperation. Also the new Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 and the Pentax 16-50 f2.8, 50-250mm f4 are coming from this cooperation in lens design.

So... this is a merger that has possibilities, especially when Samsung will be able to develop better sensors than Pentax has available to itself now.

 

[wmmk]

wow, at first, I was worried. now that I look into this, it doesn't seem so bad. as long as everything (or at least enough) will work with the K mount system I recently bought into, I'm as happy as a clam!