[bdery]

Here goes :

WR
SR
compatibility with old lenses
ergonomics

Now that I know more, I also like

smaller bodies
better high ISO performances
better attention to details
fantastic small primes (and smaller lenses in general)

What I would love to see:

Better PTTL (multizones, faster sync)
Better AF tracking
Fa limiteds with DC and WR

Apart from that I'm a happy camper

[macdaddy50]

Mine are not unlike many already expressed. I started in 1971 w/a Spotmatic II purchased in Japan while in the military. Also bought a 28 and 135mm lens and all sorts of stuff. Back then as I remember it was Pentax, Nikon, Minolta, and maybe Canon. That camera served me well for close to 30 years. Bought a Nikon D3000 and had it for about 2 weeks in 2011 before I lost my job and had to return it. Never really got into it and to be honest had not seen a Pentax camera anywhere so didn't know they even existed. But the bug was still in me to get a good camera. Digital was the thing so there really wasn't any alternative. My wife had a Canon P&S and I hated it. She could use so I was happy!!! Then I stumbled on to Pentax again, how I don't quite remember but I did. Started reading and the more I read the more I liked. Was looking at the KR when low and behold the K-30 came out. Waited about 10 months before I pulled the trigger and though having purchased it sight unseen, I love it. I've gotten 3 more lenses....28MM 2.8, 50 1.4 and a 70-210. My only problem w/Pentax is market visibility. I have said it before, I believe if they put them out in the public eye, they couldn't keep up w/sales. I think there is that much difference, especially if they showed the color options, I think it would be a huge hit with the younger buyers. I love the looks and the feel and the pictures are fantastic. I also like the fact that I don't have to decide between 3 similar models within the same price group.....d3000,3100,3200 or d5000, 5100, 5200, & 5300. They are still selling those. I like that we have an entry level in the K500, a mid range in the k50 and now the K3 for the higher end. Just my thoughts.

[neil1]

Got a me super for my birthday in 1980. Then bought a K200 back in 2008 with a LBA, along with all the accs I could find and buy all from Pentax. My wife also uses a Z10 along with a RS1000.Last week took the plunge a got a K5ii with a grip. Now that's a nice piece of work. At last count I have invested about $10,000.00 this all according to my spouse, I think her calculator is not working.

I sure like the looks when a person is out and taking photo's. Everyone asks what kind of camera I use. Most people ask why not C&N. Best answer QUALITY, different. As you can see can not go back now.

[BrianR]

I jumped in when the k100d was new. Value, size, and in-body SR swayed me, Olympus was a close second. The backwards compatibility with old lenses was also a consideration, at least in part because I support that design philosophy (whenever it's practical) as a way of not kicking your customers in the pants just for fun.

I don't put as much of a premium on SR anymore, and the relative value compared to other brands seems to have diminished so I don't know if I'd choose differently today. Size advantage is still there, my most used lens is a DFA 100mm macro and the C/N equivalents are relatively monstrous.

When I bought into Pentax their lenses were very affordable.....They totally nerfed that advantage with the ginormous price increases,...

Totally agree here and wish I adopted a "Spend, spend spend" policy at the start.

[Canada_Rockies]

I bought a used original first production run Pentax in a pawn shop in Vancouver, BC in 1961. It was the nicest looking camera there. Then I, as most people do, bought a telephoto to fit it, and after that a wide angle. I used that camera, produced, I think, in 1957 until 1978, filling a cupboard with negatives and slides. The shutters pinholed from old age, and the most economical way to move up was a used KX. It came with an SMC-P 55/1.8, and I bought a Pentax M42-K mount adapter to use the other two lenses, the Takumar 135/3.5 preset and the Takumar 28/3.5 preset. A collector bought the older camera and the 55mm f/2.2 preset lens. A year or so later, I had saved up enough to trade the 135 preset for an M 135/3.5 as my children got into sports. And another year or so, and traded the preset 28 for an M 28/3.5. And so it goes. Now I'm using a K10D bought new in 2007 with DA 12-24, DA* 16-50 and DA* 50-135, thanks to a small inheritance from my father. The 50-135 failed, and I traded for a DA-L 55-300. What it boils down to is that I could gradually shift from the obsolete to the newer as money became available.

And, frankly, I have never seen the need for the latest and greatest (K-3 excepted of course!!) and can pursue my hobby without going bankrupt.

[Woolcott]

1. Lenses - I can't afford it yet, but my pennies are slowly building toward a 31mm! Even so, there's a huge range of K and M42 lenses out there which means I can almost always find something I want which also fits my price range.

2. I've always been a bit of a contrarian.

3. In-body SR!

[northcoastgreg]

I got a K1000 for Xmas many years ago and have stuck with the brand. In a sense, I've been unlucky. Unlike thsoe who are dissatisfied with Pentax for lack of fast glass and/or FF sensor, I prefer high quality compact slower lenses, and I'm an agnostic as to sensor size (APS-C is more than "good enough"). If you throw in the legacy glass, Pentax has more high quality choices at decent prices than anyone else. The Pentax system seems tailor made for landscape photography, which is not exactly the case with Nikon's or Canon's APS-C systems.

[Dice]

When I decided to go into digital, I considered initially Nikon because I had some legacy glass and thought it would be an inexpensive way to get into a system. After more research, I found that the K10 had the factors that were important-not too expensive, weather resistant body and lenses, and smallish (for backpacking/hiking). It was getting many good reviews at the time. I checked out the D200/D300 which would accept my legacy glass (with metering) but it was too expensive at the time. I've stuck with pentax since and have been mostly a happy camper. I am still here for the smallish, weather resistant bodies/lenses, image quality and currently have the K5 and a handful of pentax lenses.

[Kerrowdown]

Why Pentax

As I've said before here, sand killed my Nikons...

[ausmoose]

For me it's what you get for your money - weatherproofing and just about every other feature you could ask for - the only problem is the movie mode - not that I really care.

[colourful64]

Here we go again(sighs)
Because not it's not a canonika...

If this thread bores you.. feel free to skip right over it... not everyone has been on the site for years... and besides , noew comers may have a new perspective on why

---------- Post added 02-12-14 at 02:18 PM ----------

It is interesting that a few have stated they like to be different.. or a contraian... I too step outside the box... not an ipnone user but prefer android... that sort of thing .. I guess its a common ground

[dansamy]

For me it's what you get for your money - weatherproofing and just about every other feature you could ask for - the only problem is the movie mode - not that I really care.

If I wanted a video camera, I would buy one.

[OldNoob]

misinformed, purchase based on initial impression reviews that were not conducted over a long period of time. Didn't do enough research before i bought it.

[dansamy]

misinformed, purchase based on initial impression reviews that were not conducted over a long period of time. Didn't do enough research before i bought it.

I thought you liked your camera?

[Panteg]

Why not?