Ricoh acquires Pentax Imaging from Hoya

Hoya has agreed to sell the Imaging segment of Pentax to fellow camera manufacturer Ricoh in a move that sees two producers of some of the most innovative digital cameras on the market join forces. With the recent announcement of the Pentax Q system as well as the wealth of DSLRs being produced by Pentax it seems Ricoh are looking to move into the interchangeable market.

The change will be completed by the first of October, so it will remain to be seen if any major changes to either camera lineup will be made at next year’s PMA trade show in Las Vegas, where the coming year’s launches are traditionally unveiled. The sale is reportedly worth just under £80 million ($124 million), and won’t include the other Pentax-made products, such as DVD lenses.

With Pentax only recently releasing the Q system Ricoh has certainly bought into a company at the crux of a potentially exciting period, with the Compact System Camera market gaining some impressive new releases each month.

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