Originally posted by igowerf Wow, that's pretty cool.
I've started to see more Pentax dSLRs on tourists lately. Just this last weekend, I saw two people carrying K100D/K110Ds around in Chicago. The weekend before, I spotted a woman in San Francisco with a K1x0D also. That's not too bad considering that I don't see too many people carrying around a dSLR.
The K10D is now #6 on that list, still the only dSLR.
Another thing to note is that Canon or Nikon cronies can't just claim, "oh, Pentax only offers one, newer dSLR and we have 2-3."
The K100D (and K110D) are also out, and many, many people are buying those -- including myself, I have the K100D (my first ever SLR, period).
The average Japanese consumer tends to be more affluent in technology, or at least less allergic to cost, than the average American consumer.
So I wouldn't be surprised if the best selling Pentax model in the US is the more entry-level K100D, especially with the current rebate offers.
I.e., I got the K100D plus DA 50-200mm (which completes a good, total zoom range with the DA 18-55mm) for around $500 after that $150 combo rebate.
After all, I was going to drop $400+ on a "bridge" or "near-dSLR" superzoom "Point'n Shoot" until I realized the obviousness of the truth.
I still wouldn't have any better image quality, I still wouldn't be able to ripple off multiple-fps, etc... and I was far better off putting the money towards a dSLR.
The Pentax K100D -- especially with the DA 50-200mm $150 rebate offer (making the lens well under $100 additional) -- sold me completely.
I don't think I'm the only American out there who realized this either.