A cut-throat DSLR price war has been blamed for a 19.9% fall in sales of Pentax camera products for the nine months to 31 December 2009 compared to the same period a year earlier.
In a statement accompanying its latest financial results, Hoya Corporation, which owns Pentax, said: ‘In the digital camera area there were new products introduced to the market which generated interest, so the number of single lens reflex cameras sold increased relative to the same period last year.’
But, added Hoya: ‘Overall earnings decreased due to tough price competition.’
Hoya, which took over Pentax in 2008, predicts a 15.2% drop in Pentax sales for the first three months of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009.
