Why Pentax?

[Eriks]

Hi, I'm a photography rookie, and I realise that the cost of lenses will make me bound to the brand I choose to invest in now.

For some reason I have a good feeling for Pentax, but I cannot explain this rationally. So maybe you can help my decision by telling me:

Why Pentax?

Why I should choose Pentax instead of Canon or Nikon or any other brand?

Thanks

[Peter Zack]

That question is so broad that it's tough to answer.

First maybe you should outline what experience you have and what you'd like to shoot (at least at first but that may change over time).

The quick answer is value for money in both lenses and bodies. They are not for everyone but Pentax has always been known for some of the best glass in the business. That is the most important tool you'll buy. Bodies come and go but your glass choices can last a lifetime.

The bodies offer the best bang for the buck for most shooters. Not to say that the other brands don't have good cameras, they do. But as a package you can't find much better for value/quality. Backwards compatibility is also a big plus. Old glass will still work on the new gear with a little manual coaxing.

Tell us a little more about yourself and we'll try to help.

[Marc Langille]

They say a picture is worth something, so here you go! The first two images are taken with Pentax, the last with Canon:

Roadrunner and Sparrow images

You can look up other posts - taken with both systems, or go to mine or anyone's website to look at the images and decide for yourself.

BTW, the ergonomics on the camera makes it really easy to use. Someone who had never handled one before really liked the K10D's button layout. The weather sealed bodies (and lenses) are generally cheaper for Pentax than those options in other brands. I do a lot of wildlife photography, so the dusty/sandy environment I last shot in was Pentax = better peace of mind for the electronics, etc.

Cheers,
Marc

[paolojackson]

Originally Posted by Peter Zack

Tell us a little more about yourself and we'll try to help.

Great suggestion by Peter Zack. Buying to suit your needs is always a good way to look at things.

My thoughts:
Less than a year ago, I decided to jump into the dSLR market. I was sold on a Canon/Nikon just because that's all I'd ever known (with P&S). Doing more research I found the K10D which was offering rebates at the time . The price to perfomance ratio based on what I'd heard from happy Pentax owners, was another reason. And finally the glass. The limiteds are some of the best primes around, again for a good price.

IMHO, I would have probably learned to love any other camera, but I happened to go with Pentax and I haven't looked back since. I've got to use a D60, D200, and a D3. All good cameras, but the thing that struck me first was how it felt in my hands. The D3 is a monster but would never be in my budget. Like Marc said, the ergonomics/button layout is great.

I'm also starting to get into some of the older lenses that can be had for a low price. The backwards compatibility is another big selling point for the Pentax cameras.

To sum it all up...
-Bang for buck
-Lens selection (not the largest, but I haven't had problems finding what I want)
-Ergonomics

And remember this is coming from someone like yourself, a "photography rookie".

Hope that helps!

[innershell]

They are all good. I chose Pentax because all my friends have Nikons and Canon. I always go for the underdog in everything I buy. That's why Olympus was top on my list before I switched to Pentax because the 4:3 system scared me.

I always bought Mazda cars because it is the underdog of all the Japanese makes. Not so anymore, but it's just the way I am. I'm sure some of the guys here are the same too.

[Eriks]

Hi, thanks for your replies.

Peter, I have no limits to what I'd like to shoot. Though I think photography can teach me to better "see" people around me.

Marc, the Roadrunner and Sparrow photos are magnificent!
The weather sealed bodies are certainly a plus as I too spend time in the wild.

Paolo, the backwards compability is an attractive advantage. Thanks for letting me know.

Innershell, I know what you mean. I'm not quite there, always going for the underdog. I'm more likely to choose the brand that gives me the most. I mean "most" in a wide perspective. That is why I have my eyes on Pentax. You see, I sense that Canon and Nikon is just about photography, while Pentax is about photography the Pentax way.

And that, I assume, is an interresting extra dimension to the hobby.

[innershell]

I find that Pentax also gives you A LOT more control over the manual features of the camera that you don't get in comparably priced Canon or Nikon. This also means the Pentax is more complicated to use ... and I am a masochist.

But the one feature I like about the K10/K20 cameras is that a lot of the controls are right on the camera body itself, without going through the menu system to change it. That's just a winner right there.

[Peter Zack]

funny you should put it that way. "the Pentax way" is an old advertising slogan they used about 25 years ago for a short while.

Well to shoot everything eh. Pentax does just about everything well but this is not the first (or second) choice for sports shooters. Those shooters are demanding high frame rates (over 6 Fps) and a faster AF system. The Pentax system is fast but oriented to accuracy and will do a little double check to be as sharp as possible. That makes it a little slower. For wildlife that's fine but maybe not for certain sporting events. If you need fast frame rates then shoot in Jpeg mode and the buffer can handle the shutter at 3Fps till the card is full (k10D/K20D).

As for bodies, that depends on what you can afford and your needs. The top is the K20D. Best image quality and highest resolution. Weather sealed body and best features with lots of customization. The next choices are the K10D (used) or the K200D (new) The K10 and 20 are somewhat simlar in that the body is setup the same way with 2 thumb wheels (aperture and shutter) where the K200 has one and toggles the function with button pushes. So the K10/20's will operate faster.

The K200D uses the same sensor as the K10D but has feature upgrades from that body.

So it boils down to needs and price.
You can get K10D's right here on the forums for around $500. K200D's are about $100 more I think but then you get a warranty. K20D's are around $1000.00

As for glass. if you are buying a new camera get it in kit form with the 18-55mm AL II version. A very good lens to start out with that is very cheap in a kit purchase. As for other lenses, that's a whole other thread.

[Kelvin Klein]

There is an interesting pentax advertisement. I hope this helps.

http://www.pentaxian.com/pdf/ads/PEN...usy_Poster.pdf

[wlank]

Originally Posted by Eriks

Hi, I'm a photography rookie...
Why Pentax?

Because Canon had never been heard of, and Nikon cost $125.00 more, so the choice was either the Pentax Spotmatic, or the Minolta SRT 101. That was 38 years ago. The Spotmatic light meter quit working after a mere 35 years (piece of junk) and it went on the shelf until I discovered this Forum. I was lurking here to get info on Digital SLRs. Had some bad luck. Learned of a Pentax magician name of Eric Hendrickson. He can fix any Spotmatic ever made (and cheap). Spotmatic is now in "Like New" condition.

Originally Posted by Eriks

Hi, I'm a photography rookie...
Why I should choose Pentax instead of Canon or Nikon or any other brand?

While lurking here, I learned that all my Spotmatic lenses (M42) could be used on any Pentax DSLR. Now there was a bonus for me. I got the K100D Super.
Now to your case. You're a photography rookie. Probably means you don't have a Spotmatic and some lenses. Or a K1000 or an LX or any other Pentax. So, your reason to go Pentax vs the others is not compelling. Be aware that if you really get into photography, your lenses are going to be a far larger investment than your camera body. Plus you could just catch this disease that seems prevalent here. I bought a K1000 recently, just because. Bought three Super Takumar lenses last week. Two of them (28mm/3.5 and 200mm/4.0) were perfect. The other one (35mm/2.0) listed as "Mint" is on the way to Eric (he repairs old lenses also). One of the inner elements was covered with something. I'm sure it will return in like new condition. As a trial, go over to Ebay and go to Cameras & Photo > Lenses & Filters >Lenses. Then do three searches for Canon, Nikon and Pentax. See what you think about the prices and availability.

There has been some very good advise preceding my post. Good luck whatever you decide.

[dave sz]

I got my k100d cause it was the cheapest at the time. The features and capability were there. It felt really good in my hands, not like a plastick toy. Once I started reading up on the lenses that work with the camera, I knew I made the right choice...

[Lowell Goudge]

I think as you stumble through the maze of options from canon, nikon, sony, pentax, olympus, fuji, and samsung (there have I got 'em all) you will probably find that for no other reason, pentax generally is one of the best values for the money.

At the end of the day, no matter what you choose, the image quality will be excellent, the lenses will do everything you need and there will be accessories to do all the additional stuff you want.

Regardless of what others say, even here, where they are pretty honest about their selections, whatt ever decision you make, within all the constraints you have will be the best chioce for you.

As for me, I bought into the pentax system over 25 years ago. 3 film bodies, 2 Digital ones, and 14 lenses later virtually everything can be used from earliest to latest in any permiation or combination. Canon and nikon can't do that.

You are correct in assuming that what ever system you get now you are somewhat bound to, it is just too bad that others, specifically Canon and to a lesser extent Nikon are not bound to you, and have abandoned legacy users in the past (Canon twice in fact)

While pro's can afford this, and since they use the equipment more may actually NEED to replace it, amatures and semi professional's cant continually replace all thier lenses. It is a really big hit financially to have to replace things because they are obsolete, because they rapidly loose thier resale value due to that same obselescence. Just walk into any camera store and look at the junk bin of old canon and nikon stuff.

[hwblanks]

I don't know about Nikon, but one thing I have against Canon is the fact that they discontinued the FD mount without coming up with some sort of adapter that would make the FD lenses work on the EOS bodies.

Keep in mind that when Pentax started producing film SLRs way back in the dark ages, the lenses were the screwmount type. Later on, they switched to the K-mount, which is the same mount that's still used today. Unlike Canon, Pentax actually came up with an adapter that will allow you to mount the old screwmount lenses on to K-mount bodies, both film and digital.

When Pentax came out with their digital SLRs, they made sure that all of their lenses could be used, both old and modern. To me, this indicates that they've got a whole different mindset than Canon, in that by making their DSLRs compatible with virtually all Pentax lenses produced, it opens up DSLR ownership to people who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

Knowing that each and every lens I would want to put on my camera is stablized is a good feeling. It's nice not to have to worry about whether the lens I want is stablized. It's nice to know that I don't have to pay a small fortune just to have stablized lenses.

HTH,
Heather

[Mike Cash]

Originally Posted by Eriks

Paolo, the backwards compability is an attractive advantage. Thanks for letting me know.

Check out this thread to see what some of us are doing with lenses between 35 and 50 years old. A few on old film bodies, but the vast bulk of them on modern Pentax DSLRs.

I do most of my shooting at work, and in my truck right now are a brand-new Pentax K20D digital and a 35 year old Spotmatic ESII. Thanks to a very simple and very inexpensive (about $30) adapter on the digital, they swap lenses like teenage twins swap sweaters. Backwards compatibility means I have a bag full of excellent prime lenses, all but one of which cost me between $20 and $70 each...and they perform superbly on the K20D.

We like them because they're cheap, but we love them because they're superb.

Take a look at a crop of what a "kit" lens from the early 1970s can do with the K20D...and keep in mind that this is not a macro photo...and the lens cost me twenty bucks.

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

Pentax K20D
SMC Takumar 55/1.8

Need a better reason to choose Pentax? I didn't.

[Kei]

I am sure the usual in-body SR, weather sealing, old lens compatibility and etc has been mentioned multiple times before my post I completely agree but not going to repeat the same thing over.

I am a rookie with a tight budget, photography is a newly acquired money-burning hobby. Having no old lens and no previous brand preference its a fair game for all when I was researching on different dSLRs.

Looking back to why choosing Pentax, I think it is because everything that has been mentioned before. Not one or two features alone but all of them being put into the same camera body. This makes Pentax cameras the most versatile and long-lasting.

The second reason is that I believe even tho in-lens SR may(?) work better (as claimed by C/N); in-body SR will be the better solution in the long run and I vote with my money. I also thought of the scenario if SR technology improves (ie: gives extra 2-stop advantage than current SR):

1) In-lens stabilization - C & N will make a new line of IS/VR lens with the improved technology and I have to replace each lens if I want to take advantage of it.

2) In-body stabilization - replace camera body, which I will be doing in 3-5 years regardless.


IMHO Pentax may not be the most popular brand but to me it is the most logical choice.