[Blue]

I think it's more to do with lenses as in if you have a pro level camera no matter how old your more likely to have an array of pro lenses to match whereas if you have a k10d your more likely to have a hit lens and maybe a few primes ?

The same thing holds true for Canon and Nikon. They aren't specifically making a lens requirement but a body requirement.

[pentkon52]

For those who publish in magazines using a Pentax . . . how/where do you market your work? Via an agency or by approaching publishers with queries on your own?

.

I approach the magazines with photos/stories they may be interested in.
I send them small thumbnails and they pick 1-2 they may want, and i send in larger scale photos with a paragraph or two.

I have sent in istD photos, K10D photos, D1H, D2H and D200 photos. These range from 2.74 meg files to 10 meg files, from the camera. All I have ever been asked to do is size to some were around 4x6 and 300 dpi.

Dave

[dopeytree]

Any UK pros?

[ray94553]

First, a pro can get a great shot with a five dollar Kodak point and shoot from Walgreens if that's all there is to work with. It's not about the camera, it's always the eye behind the lens. What makes you a pro isn't how much training you've had but how well you use the tools placed in you hands.

I think most commercial photography school training programs teach from the Nikon or Canon platforms, so those who have gone to classes and seminars are "encouraged" to buy that equipment. I know that this is true for seminars offered by Calumet.

Take a look at photos taken with any 10mp full frame camera and a 14mp APS frame camera and tell me if you can tell which camera took which picture. I doubt anyone can argue a difference. If you like thae equipment you are using then you'll do a good job with it. If you don't like it then without delay find the one that fits.

[The_Lion]

I shoot professionally with Pentax: Sports (Soccer, Hockey...) and other things that are interesting for newspapers, photos for websites.

[Adam]

Thread moved to the Pro forum.

[GerryL]

First, a pro can get a great shot with a five dollar Kodak point and shoot from Walgreens if that's all there is to work with. It's not about the camera, it's always the eye behind the lens. What makes you a pro isn't how much training you've had but how well you use the tools placed in you hands.

I think most commercial photography school training programs teach from the Nikon or Canon platforms, so those who have gone to classes and seminars are "encouraged" to buy that equipment. I know that this is true for seminars offered by Calumet.

Take a look at photos taken with any 10mp full frame camera and a 14mp APS frame camera and tell me if you can tell which camera took which picture. I doubt anyone can argue a difference. If you like thae equipment you are using then you'll do a good job with it. If you don't like it then without delay find the one that fits.

Yes! It's all about the skill and not the equipment!
Artists have used different kinds of medium and equipment from the past to the present.
Bach, Mozart, Rembrant, Frank Lloyd Wright, etc..did not necessarily use very good equipment nor the best equipment.
They became famous because of their skill.
You can teach a lot of people how to draw and you can give them all regular pencils or even expensive ones, but eventually only a very small percentage of them "WILL BE ABLE TO DRAW."
If you are confident about your skill then you need not worry about the tool.
Go with what you are comfortable with.
Your skill will always shine in the end!
Good Luck!

[Sodbuster]

That is unfortunate about Getty. How widespread is this? I moved from bridge to dslr only because of the requirements for microstock. I take fine picks for personal use with a bridge camera. Eventually I'd want something better than the Kodak, of course, but it wasn't exactly urgent, except for hoping to pay for the hobby. Dreamstime rejected 80% of my sample purely due to lens and sensor quality of the z612 (the other 20% being things I can learn from). Am I being told that my experience with a K200d is going to be no better?

This is disturbing.

My question is how many major stock agencies (esp micro and mid) look at the exif and care at all what brand you used?

If only Getty is that stupid, then what Pentax needs to do (IMHO - like I'd know LOL) is come out with a full-frame, low noise/high ISO very high frame per second professional camera - call it the K2d or something, then there'd be the upgrade path, as opposed to having to see the posts in the marketplace forum entitled "I'm getting out, great bodies and lenses for sale."

[dantekgeek]

Here is the Getty camera requirements

gettyimages.com/contributors -

If you are shooting on a 35mm digital camera it must an approved camera from this list: Canon EOS: 1D(Mk1,2&3), 1DS(Mk1,2,2n&3) 5D, 30D and 40D; Nikon: D2X, D2Xs, D3, D200, D300 and the Leica M8. All medium format backs (e.g. backs by Phase One and Leaf etc) produce sufficiently high quality images to be accepted by us.

This is ridiculous. I was shooting along side a photographer from Getty for most of the week during CMJ this year, me with my K100D, him with his 20D, and I consistently got better shots than him (better technically, and I think better overall).

I've been in the process of polishing my portfolio to send to Getty, because shooting concerts in NYC, they really are the biggest agency, but this certainly puts a damper on things.

Guess I'm stuck approaching Retna or smaller agencies

[Sodbuster]

BTW, My first batch to Yay was 100% accepted. Images which Dreamstime had rejected for glass/sensor reasons. I guess I got too discouraged too quickly by Dreamstime. Still, I am eager for spring and more opportunities to work with my K200d. I do need to learn this 'darkroom' business though, that is completely new to me.

[RioRico]

I've a brother-in-law who makes his living shooting weddings, graduations and other school events, corporate gatherings, etc. In his film days he used Bronica... because he got a good deal. A few years ago he inherited a large Minolta 35mm system, and now he shoots Sony dSLRs. His choices were based both on quality, and finances. His clients never seem to care much about the visible logos.

Many moons ago I was a software engineer with a major insurance firm. When time came to buy new mainframes or mini networks, our purchasing managers always followed the sacred rule: NOBODY EVER GOT FIRED FOR BUYING IBM. It didn't matter what goodies Amdahl, Hitachi, DEC, etc had to offer, or the verifiable price/performance curves of the gear - they always bought IBM.

I wonder - in large journalistic organizations, those papers and magazines etc with photo staffs, who makes the decisions as to what photo gear to buy? Individual staff photographers, or Directors of Photography? I'd guess the latter. How many of these corporate purchasers think, NOBODY EVER GOT FIRED FOR BUYING CANON/NIKON ?? I'd guess, all of them. But maybe I'm wrong, as usual.

[GossesPhoto]

100 % of my income is generated by my Pentax K10D. I am a commercial photographer who was quite excited years ago when the K10D became available. The k20D is soon to be a member of my arsenal. The ONLY time shooting professionally with a Pentax has been an issue for me is when another pro asks what I shoot. Plain and simple.

[Ben Hunt]

this really aggravates me, Canikons giving flack to me about my camera choice. I am by no means a Pro photog but do get some moneys every now and then from newspapers event organizers and portraits, but now it’s still just an hobby, but everyone now and then you get a real evil (naughty bad word) Canikon and I think it’s a problem that is spawned form when they first started to click away. Kind of goes back to the age old question of evil by nature or environment. In this case by environment. When this happens I just laugh at them, because they are ignorant and what they know is very little, even for there own make let alone others like Pentax, and it’s really quite sad that they don’t know what the hell they are talking or doing, (using a 10-25mm ef-s lense on a 5DMIII) then whining about why do I have dark corners? Or when it stars to rain and they all start to pack up and put everything under cover because they don’t want to get there stuff ruined in the rain only to find out “you know your 50d is weather-sealed?”

anyway I digress, here have a look at this place…http://www.raffles.edu.au/dmdocuments/EquipmentCosts_BAPhotov1.pdf

“You will need to purchase the following items before starting the first PH major subject.

1. A Digital SLR camera capable of FULL MANUAL operation (minimum of 10 mega pixels). As a
guide, the following are examples of affordable semi- professional cameras that we recommend:

Nikon- D90 | Canon- 50D | Sony- A700 | Fuji- S5 Pro

You should be able to get a package (including a good quality lens and camera), approximately
between $1500- $2500.”

WHAT? What about the K200D, K10D,20D?? all are 10mp or higher (K20D) with better build IQ and glass IMHO.

see it’s from who they learn off and what they tell them. I just can’t understand the deep-seeded hatred in some Canikons towards Pentax and others.

I’ll stop now but just wanna say in sum up, Never met an bad (tempered/personality) pentax user, but have met plenty of Cankons that are…

Sorry for it being a bit of a long post

have a good one!!

[WMBP]

see it’s from who they learn off and what they tell them. I just can’t understand the deep-seeded hatred in some Canikons towards Pentax and others. ...

Ben,

Canon users have no animosity toward Pentax. They are only dimly aware that Pentax exists. They would look down at Pentax, if they noticed. In the minds of Canon users, Canon has no competition. Nikon users know more than Canon users do - at least Nikon users realize they're competing with Canon - but don't pay much attention to anything else. I don't even blame Canon and Nikon users for sticking with Canon or Nikon or for being ignorant of the alternatives. Once you've invested a little bit in lenses, why would you switch?

If you're an Olympus user, you know you've got some interesting technology in your hands, but you do have to wonder if it will ever really catch on. Ditto for Fuji. The problem for us Pentax users is that Pentax cameras don't have the interesting, innovative technology that gets mags and web sites to write articles. Pentax has the disadvantage of simply being really good in a somewhat traditional and boring way - boring to all the gear-heads who drive marketing.

Will

[Ash]

Well said Will.
Summarises Pentax to a tee.
...take it or leave it...