[gp1806]

Honestly, I think the only area of interest that has bigger drama queens that whine about stuff more than photography are froums dedicated to audio equipment.

So True!

[Clicker]

"Adam will probably chuck me off after I start world war three here", I'm in total agreement with you OP lol

[torpesco]

However, many of you are so damn negative, so determined to find fault, so obsessed with this pathetic FF issue...

Determined to find fault? Are there really that many people who would drop $800 (CAD) on a camera body hoping there's something wrong with it? I shelled out for a nice lens to go with the body. I truly was not looking to find fault after buying it.

Can I expect perfection from an $800 camera body? No, and I know that. How could I when there's the K-5 for double the price, and other cameras even more expensive than that?

I came to the forum to get help. Why not just call Pentax first? I'm a novice. I wanted to see if others had an issue or if it was purely poor technique on my part. I'm glad other people posted because it helped me to better evaluate the issue, and whether it's just the way the camera is (and should be expected to be) or if it's a problem with a few cameras that can/should be repaired.

I have the experience of others behind my observations now. Why does it have to be a rigorous scientific test for you? I don't have access to a lab. I just need to know if it's something to send back to a service centre for them to test in their lab.

I'm now seriously considering other cameras when I get another job, I wonder how many others are.

Really? You called it "one of the best cameras produced not only by Pentax, but in the marketplace". It is a fantastic camera. It seems a few happen to have one specific issue that only shows up in one lighting condition. Fortunately Pentax has a warrantee to cover such things.

[stanjo]

It is an unfortunate truth that people usually only post when they feel that they've been wronged or that they've had a gear failure that someone else should pay for. It seems to be the current trend, anyway.

The problem is that modern marketing is so effective in hyping that it's impossible for a product to exceed expectations. It can either meet the hype (best case) or disappoint, but never exceed.
I haven't bought anything in the pas 10 years that exceeded the marketing hype. When I buy something that works as advertised, it's not something to brag about or be excited about - I only got what I paid for, so I'm quiet. Any problem with it, though, and I'm over the forums complaining.

Pentax, where is the product that EXCEEDS expectations?! Then you might read positive reviews on your forums instead of constant complaints.

[Abstract]

Welcome to the internet, actually this forum has less complaints then many.

[30v iPentax]

Minun mielestä turha ruikutaminenkaan ei edistä pentax kehitystyötä. Yleensä viat ja puutteet hoitaa huolto tai takuuhuolto. K-5 tahra ongelma on valmistajan vika. Itse olen käyttänyt Pentax yli 30 vuotta, eikä ikinä ole ollut ongelmia missään suhteessa.

[timh]

Really? Because I have frequented a lot of forums on a LOT of subjects. Yes, there are always more noisy unhappy people than noisy happy people. That's normal. But outside of photography blogs, I have NEVER seen a group of people as obsessed and impossible to please as photography forum dwellers.

It's normal, really. Forums themed around phones, enthusiast computing (hardware), gaming, politics, art & design... There's constant discontent. Just ignore it, there are always people who love complaining. I've been participating to a greater or lesser extent in these things since around 1996.

I still love my K200D and all my lenses and I will love my K5 in a few weeks.

[Etown]

Off course happy costumers are much less likely to post good comments. You wont see the majority of them on any forum and neither would I.
It was only after discovering a problem with my new camera that I started looking for answers.
I google "focus problem pentax" and bam.. signed up at Pentax.com.
After reading some post decided to return mine to the store and I'm confident that there will be a solution soon (which I will report here as well). A forum like this was extremely helpfull.

I will stick with Pentax, I bought the K100d super after thourough research 2 years ago and never had 1 complaint. I'm sure I will soon enjoy shooting with a splendid k-r.

[dragra]

Im a pro-user fairly new to Pentax, joined the club when the K-20D came out. Still in love with that beast, there is no camera out there that fits my hands and my photographic style better than K-20D. K-r is my second Pentax body, after a short flirt with the K-x. K-r is my new love.

Parallel (and before Pentax) I am using Canon EOS Fullframe. I don't like Canon UI and the overall feel of their cameras. I don't like the Canon IQ. I don't like the Canon EF lenses. Did I have any issues with Canon? Well, the mirror went loose on a 5D after 8K shots. Fell out and broke. Something that you don't expect on a 2K Euro body. Once on an important shoot with head executives and lots of people the EOS froze. After removing batt & card it begun to live again... It's been to service. Service men did not align the mirror right, about a third of the image was cut away and misaligned. Canon sucks. But I'm still using it, because the clients ask for it.

I am using Pentax for all my other work. It's my favourite system. Never had any issues with K-20D. After the K-r came out I was one of the early adopters. Wonderful little camera. Pure understatement. Technically a monster. No FF issue.

cheers,
d

[GrinMode]

I think that there are those who have legitimate concerns, are just objective, and calls a spade a spade.
Yup. The internet is where you can make the loudest noise these days.

I got my K-r on December, by then there already were complaints in the internet.

My only complaint is the lame top dial. Too easy to accidentally turn. But I knew it was designed that way since the K-x.

All I know is that I have focused in backlit subjects where the faces (foreground) are so dark I can't even tell if they are smiling using the OVF. With the AF assist lamp of course.

Frankly, I haven't done any serious tests for AF issues in tungsten light. What can I say? Ignorance is bliss

[StepOne]

Woody, in the end is everybody's choice what camera to buy or not. It is one's right to complain or share a negative. it is your brain the one who can put together things and decide.

You said many are so damn negative, so determined to find fault, ... that they are helping to KILL not only ther KR but Pentax as well.

i guess you are in the same boat here

One question still though, I appreciate the af noise, what about the shutter clunk on the KR which I beleive is loud?

Fist i did not got the question, second loud compared to what?

GL finding the camera others want.

I bought my K-x based on web research (took 2 months as it was first DSLR), but I decided, not some post, either positive or negative.

[normhead]

Bottom line, read what people say for your amusement only. But look at the pictures they take. The pictures tell you what a camera can do. What some people need to realize is, if some people are doing something they want to do but can't... it's not the camera. Frustration with a camera is just as likely to be based on the habits of the person, as it is to be with the technical aspects of the camera.

" I went to my doctor and said 'when I raise my arm like this it hurts.' He said 'don't do that'." If you want your camera to do something you can't make it do, try and get someone who already does it to explain how they do it or "don't do that".

Or to put it another way.. "Never try to teach a pig to sing.. it wastes your time and it irritates the pig."

[ronsworks]

Compared to other forum I belong to this is the best I've seen and the way it's run is is great no B.S. . But if you or anyone else just what to raze a little hell I would say go some where else LONG LIVE PENTAX

[magkelly]

Since I practically go "OM" to the universe whenever pick up a Pentax camera I'm probably not one to justifiably comment here but I'm going to anyhow. It is my experience in life that no matter how good something is there's always someone ready to take it down or build it up contrary to whatever the real truth of the matter is.

It doesn't matter if the actually subject at hand is totally sublime or utterly dismal, whatever it is someone will always have to go against the crowd and bitch about it or praise it to the skies, in a spirit of utter perversity. Human nature, some people just live to be unhappy with everything it seems.

I look at practically any recent camera and I see a digital marvel. When you compare what digital cameras can do now to what they could do even 5 years ago it's amazing really. We live in an instant gratification world these days unfortunately and many people tend to want it ALL right NOW. They forget there have to be steps along the way sometimes.

Look at the very first Pentax digital cameras. Look at what a camera like the K-r can do now. Now tell me that Pentax hasn't come about a million miles in terms of technology since then! Sometimes making the best things means taking a serious of baby steps, now and again it means taking a great leap. But just because leaps can be made from time to time doesn't mean those baby steps aren't important. You can build a city in a month, sure, but it likely won't be there 100 years from now if you do.

I actually trust Pentax to know what it's doing. I've seen the quality of what they do and read enough about them, seen enough of their cameras by now to know they usually pay pretty careful attention to how they do it. I don't think I've never seen them actually bring out any camera that didn't yield some improvement over the last edition.They've been in business for how long now? Sold how many cameras? Seems to me by now they might just know what they are doing most of the time. It's not like they are some fly by night camera maker here and gone in a day.

I've seen old Pentax cameras that have supposedly survived the muck and heat of the war in Vietnam. I've seen pictures and heard stories here of how their cameras have survived the sand and war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I really don't think that there's anyone alive who could really convince me that Pentax cameras are just inferior junk at this point. I don't actually expect their cameras to be perfect. Almost nothing in this world is truly perfect, but you know what I happen to think that most of their gear comes pretty darned close to it! No, their cameras are not not all full frame wonders, 100% compatible with doing high end sports photography but really WHO CARES if they are really, really good at what they do? The 10% of the people they're missing who actually need that maybe, but definitely not me.

I'm proud to be a Pentaxian and I don't particularly care whether or not anyone likes that really. I certainly tend to trust Pentax and their years of experience over someone's online opinion that's for sure particularly since many of the people bitchin usually end up admitting they are not even Pentax people to begin with.

How many negative comments have we read on here from people who openly admit they're more into buying another camera brand than Pentax? How many of them go on to buy another brand's camera, and how many of them I wonder end up on other forums just like this one for their new cameras complaining there too? I'd be willing to bet it's a sizable number.

In the end with many complainers you know it's not even about Pentax really. It's about making waves, and getting a rise out of as many people as possible. If they can't do it here, then there's always someone else. They come here because they know that most Pentax people love their cameras, because actually we're a pretty feisty and loyal bunch when it comes to "our" brand. Because we like being "different" and that's just not comfortable for those who don't like that quality in people much.

This attitude it's something I've run into many times in my life. Don't conform 100% to popular opinion and inevitably you've got everybody trying to make you. It doesn't matter if the popular opinion is right. It's what you're supposed to do, be like, buy etc. Goodness help you if you don't!

Well, my answer to that kind of thing is usually very simple. "F-that!" Fact, I don't choose to do too many things because of the opinions of others. I do my technical research but then I tend to decide for myself what I think is right and what I need to do. Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong, but at least I've made the decision and not let other people do it for me.

Anybody who's even glanced at the stats for the latest Pentax cameras can see that they are excellent machines all round and a pretty good buy for the money besides. If you have specific needs that require much more then obviously Pentax isn't where you need to be spending your money. But if you like probably 90% of the people out there using a DSLR today then you could probably do a lot worse than to spend the $$$ you have on a Pentax DSLR and a few of their lenses. The way I see it? If you don't want to do that it's your business, but me I think Pentax is a pretty good way to go.

I caught a lot of flack from some of the photo people I know locally for buying my *ist. Not too many of them got my choice, but I'm truly happy I did go with a Pentax in the end. I think I made the right choice, for me, and I'm prepared to stand by that and continue making it. I don't know that every camera I'll ever use from now on will be a Pentax. I do like other brands actually, old Yashicas for instance, but I do have a feeling that there will always be a Pentax or three in my kit and you likely won't hear me complaining too much about them either.

[bigal1000]

To many posters that don't know what they are doing is the real proplem.You will see the exact kind of FF/RR proplems on the Canon forumns.