On 21st December 2006, Pentax announced that it is to merger with Hoya, Japan's largest optical glass maker. In reality Pentax will be merged into Hoya, however it appears that the Pentax name will continue and indeed Pentax will continue to make digital cameras. Hoya is a well known name in the photographic industry, particularly with its filters and of course the lens elements that it makes for other manufacturers. Full details of the press release can be found here:
http://www.pentaximaging.com/footer/news_media_article?ArticleId=6.
It is without doubt that Pentax has struggled in the face of increasing competition from the likes of Canon, Nikon and Sony. As recently as January 2006 (Konica) Minolta fell to the increasing market pressure and transferred its camera operations to Sony. Sony has since launched an SLR offering but it has not really made a significant impression todate in the digital SLR market and certainly not dented the dominance of Canon and Nikon.

I doubt if we have seen the end of the consolidation in the camera marketplace. Fujifilm, Sigma, Panasonic, Samsung and Olympus remain independent in the market, but it is difficult to see them standing alone and producing any significant inroads in market share. Which one will be next? Difficult to say, but 2007 may well see further shakeups in the main players. The loss of independent camera makers is regrettable, many have a fine ancestry and heritage that will be lost. Above all it isn't particularly healthy for the market to be dominated by such a small number of increasingly strong players.