[LeDave]

Have you ever heard of Pentax before you even did research on cameras? Or have you always knew about it but never bought one because of a reason? What are your thoughts on Pentax before you even bought one?

The first time I was looking into buying a DSLR, it was either the K-2000/K-m or Nikon D40. I ended up going with the Pentax because I thought the lenses look cool with the green ring on it and that the Pentax DSLR bodies looked way cooler. Not even knowing a thing about ISO noise levels, AF speed and accuracy, and ergonomics at the time. I just wanted a DSLR and I thought they were all good.

I initially had no idea about Pentax until I did some research online, I only knew about two brands and that was Nikon and Canon. Now as time passed I appreciated Pentax more and more for their ergonomics though they lacked AF speed and accuracy as well as high ISO noise levels at the time they released the K-2000/K-m. I found out about it myself and took it pretty hard.

Over time I appreciate the ruggedness of the K2000, the plastic was hard and seemed like reinforced polycarbonate compared to the D40 which I held at the store who seemed really cheap with big gaps between the cracks on the body. The K2000/K-m was well closed together and looked almost sealed off with just lines going around the camera.

As the K-7 was released, it was probably the cheapest weather-sealed DSLR with magnesium alloy at the time, I bought that to replace the K2000/K-m and felt really bad to whoever I sold it to because it wasn't really a Pentax-feeling camera, it wasn't weather-sealed and it's high ISO noise levels was terrible, and the AF system just totally sucked. Sure the K-7 didn't improve that much on AF either but it's low ISO noise levels were amazing. I had bragging rights now knowing that the K-7 is weather-sealed and magnesium alloy, it even had an AF lamp which the K-2000/K-m did not possess, making it a lot easier to focus in low light settings.

Then time passed more and more with my K-7, I eventually ended up owning a DA* 50-135 f/2.8 and 16-50 f/2.8 and the 50-135 f/2.8 was one of the best lenses I had ever owned. I appreciated Pentax more than ever with these duo monsters. Then I heard about SDM problems, although never experienced it myself, I created the Pentax SDM Petition because of fear that my SDM would fail on me too, and for the sake of others who had their SDM fail on them. As scared as I was for the future of my DA*'s, I still loved them for their optical quality and build quality, although the 16-50 f/2.8 wasn't as sharp as my 50-135 f/2.8 at wider apertures, it was sharper when stopped down to f/7.1.

I slowly got depressed with my photography skills thinking that I would never improve. I was too much of a gearhead geek that seeks out quality ISO, AF, etc. That I ended up selling my equipment. Now 2 1/2 years later, I missed photography too much, I ended up going back to Pentax without looking at other brands at all. Just because my loyalty to Pentax is too strong, it's something about owning a Pentax that gives me a lot of pride and joy despite it being a underdog at the time I was shooting it. Now that the K-5 is out after I quit, I didn't know a thing about it besides it having the same body-frame as the K-7. I researched and found out that the K-5 possesses the best APS-C sensor for noise levels all across ISO range. Problem was I heard that The Nikon D7000 posses the same sensor (Although slightly worse than the K-5 sensor due to Pentax's genius collaboration with Sony), as well as more gadgets built-in such as dual SD card slots, replaceable screen protector built-in, potentially better AF system, and better for off camera flash with more flash choices. In the end I still went with the Pentax despite all of this. Why? Because Pentax is simply the one brand that Canon and Nikon cannot be compared to in terms of my own sight-seeing. I love Pentax and always will.

So tell us your story!

Oh and one more thing! Conor Doherty and Benjamin Kanarek inspired me to stay with Pentax. Although Conor Doherty stopped using Pentax not too long ago (He wanted a full frame he told me and now shoots a Canon 5DMK2), the majority of photos on his site were still taken with the K-7. Benjamin Kanarek is also simply the best, using his K-5 to shoot photos for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines, shows that a full frame is not needed if a APS-C is done just right.

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Last edited by LeDave; 07-05-2012 at 05:29 PM.

[normhead]

I'd been shooting with my dads 2 1/4 Ricoflex, Model VI. I turned up at Ryerson for my first day in Photo Arts and did the tour... this was 1967. They had Spotmatics you could sign out. I had my own SV before the end of the year. I had to buy a light meter for the studio class with the 8 x 10 (super duper so far beyond FF you can't even imagine it) cameras, so I figured, "why pay for the built in light meter, I just dropped $75 on one?". I've owned a number of other cameras including a Mamiya 645, but I've always had at least one Pentax on the go. So just for the young folk... no built in light meter, screw mount, 55 1.8 lens, no auto exposure, no auto-focus, no auto anything. You read your light meter, you set your aperture and then your shutter speed, you focus using your split screen, a bugger in low light.. you release your manual shutter and advance your film. And if you want 5 frames per second, you practice advancing the film holding down the shutter release button while holding the camera steady.. for a very long time until you get it right.

Ya I know... front focus is a bitch.

[slackercruster]

I got one by chance in the 70's Bot a used screw mount for $75. Was OK, thought it was a decent cheap cam. I had Nikon, Hassy, Mayaya, etc. Sold out of all cams. Re-bot 2 Pentax K1000's in the 80's. Then this year went into all Pentax dslr stuff in the lower 6 - 12 mp range. Just bot a K-01.

[magkelly]

Until 2000 the only camera I'd ever held in my hands was my parents old 110 and 35mm pocket cams when I was a kid at Disney. I bought a Fuji P& S 1.5MP pocket camera at a pawn shop in 2000 for $50, then a year or so after that a Fuji 4MP. A couple of years later I upgraded that one to a S7000 and I had that for several years until I actually started studying photography with a teacher and I got my first Pentax film SLR, a Spotmatic off of Freecycle. It came with a 50mm Takumar and a 105mm Takumar and I bought a Vivitar 75-230mm lens at Goodwill later for it. Later some guy on CL gave me a Rikenon M42 135mm and that was basically my whole kit for a while until I bought a couple of Yashica cameras at Goodwill and got a bunch of lenses with those.

About that time someone gave me a CLA'd SPII, my Queenie, and not too long after I got my *ist DL and a Tamron 28-200 lens off a guy on CL. At that point I also acquired a P3 and some more K mount lenses. With my *ist in hand I handed off my S7000 to a kid I knew. The *ist died unfortunately but it was replaced by a K-x and a few more film SLR's of various types not just Pentax. At this point I can't keep up with my film bodies hardly and I love my K-x but I'm working as a photographer now and I'm ready to get me a K-30 too. I could use a bit of WR and so forth at this point but I'm keeping the K-x as my backup body.

There are a lot of cameras I like. I'm a Pentaxian by choice but I also like Yashica, Nikon, Minolta, and Sears-Ricoh/Chinon stuff. I have a Canon AE-1 but I admittedly never use it. No lenses and I'm just not into it. It's in the trade/sell box, with some Pentax bodies I don't particularly like and or need, shrug. I went for a Pentax DSLR because of my Spottie and my SPII, because I loved those cameras from the first moment I ever held them. Also because both of my teachers like Pentax cameras and use them. Not exclusively, both of them have Nikon, Canon and other cameras besides, but both of them using them personally and professionally with confidence having them around that gave me a chance to really look at their various cameras and see what would work for me.

I like Nikon DSLR's too actually and who knows one day I might even own one. I'm not crazy about Canon though from what I've seen. I feel the same way about their DSLR's as I do about the AE-1. They're just not for me. Ultimately, I'm not a camera snob. Whatever works with someone is fine by me. A camera is a tool. That's it. My favorite tools, the ones I enjoy using the most are Pentax, but I could still pick up a Nikon or a Canon and get the job done if I had to. But that first Spottie? That camera definitely set me on the road to full Pentaxian status.

When something is that right, it's just right, and from that first SLR Pentax has just felt absolutely right for me. It's a total no-brainer me and my Pentax gear. I may use other cameras in my lifetime, but I will always have a Pentax or two as my favorite and main cameras and I won't ever sell them off to get something else. I don't even question that at this point. It's a fact. If I ever sell off anything Pentax it's just to get more Pentax gear. That's it.

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Last edited by magkelly; 07-05-2012 at 06:19 PM.

[lammie200]

I was looking for a dSLR for years before I decided to get a K-5. One of my brothers works for Canon and he kept getting me the flyers for employee and family pricing. I was always very unimpressed with the offerings. Usually very small discounts on discontinued models. Couldn't pull the trigger on a Canon and since the G9 that I had needed repair, I became more and more turned off by Canon. I considered Nikon briefly, but the features and pricing for the K-5 seemed to trump everything that Nikon had on the market at the time. That and the fact that many pieces of legacy glass work well on Pentax convinced me. (I also had a Nikon FM, and as far as I knew, the few lenses that I had wouldn't work on a newer Nikon body.) I bought a K-r as a back up and essentially be my point and shoot. For better of for worse, I use both the K-5 and K-r in Av or M modes most of the time. I learned a lot about photography when I was a kid and I have always wanted to hold onto as much control as I could.

[Medium FormatPro]

Couldn't pull the trigger on a Canon and since the G9 that I had needed repair, I became more and more turned off by Canon

Canon has some widespread issues with items such as the G9, the current G1X, and the entire 5d model line.


Which is a bit suprising. considering the cost of the Canon cameras one would think that they would have better build quality. considering a 5d retails for over 2k... In even moderate use it about falls apart. Major issues with the mirror and mechanism. Even the Pentax K-5 has significantly better weather/water seals.

[dadipentak]

As much as I was attracted to photography, I just couldn't get serious involved with it until the digital era (no way I was going to do developing.) By 2007, I felt digital had sufficiently matured and was ready to take the plunge so I started researching (on-line) and concluded that the K100D was the best choice for me. In-camera SR and compatibility with legacy lenses were key factors. I had no idea about the dynamics of the photographic market and--given my advanced age--I'd grown up with the understanding that Pentax gear was highly respected. I think the fact that I did all my research on-line was an important factor in this: I'm sure if I'd visited the local camera stores &/or "asked around" among photographers, I'd have been steered to canikon. I'm really glad it worked out the way it did--I'm having a ball.

[lammie200]

...I'm sure if I'd visited the local camera stores &/or "asked around" among photographers, I'd have been steered to canikon...

That is ironic for me. When I bought my first digital camera in the mid 90's a guy in the camera shop steered me towards Pentax. It was a small 3.1 mp Optio with a metal body. Years later when I went back to see about a Pentax dSLR I was told that they stopped carrying Pentax. Too many issues to maintain a Pentax authorized dealership and "problems with some lenses." Of course he tried to sell me a Canon.

[filmamigo]

Started as a kid with my Dad's black Spotmatic F. Took it with me to film school, where it was respected/accepted by the teachers. They always told kids who didn't know what to buy to get a K1000. Those teachers were the first to tell me the K1000 is basically a Spot F with bayonet mount.

Eventually around 2005 I bought my own autofocus SLR. By this point I was as steeped in Nikon marketing as everyone else, so I bought an F80. I was not happy with that camera (it had issues) and wanted to try digital. After considering the Canon and Nikon offerings, I found a store that carried Pentax. I bought an *ist DL because it felt great in the hand, had super IQ and was even cheaper than the Nikons. I've dabbled with Nikons since, especially enjoying the handling of a D200. But the IQ always seemed better on the Pentax. I now have a K5 and am always super pleased by the images it can create.

[Julie]

I honestly had no clue what a "Pentax" was... It was back in 2010 that I started to consider moving up from the Kodak P&S and onto a DSLR. I wasn't so keen on Paypal/Ebay or shopping online in general back then, so I was limited to the Canon, Nikon, and Sony cameras that most of the stores around here carried. One day I walked into CompUSA (called TigerDirect back then) and a little white DSLR caught my eye- the Pentax K-x. I went online, looked it up, read reviews, it looked like a great camera- but I still wasn't sold on it. A few weeks later, I was cleaning out the garage and getting things ready for our garage sale and found a camera case with a Pentax K1000 and some manual lenses that my mom had gotten from some rich people she baby-sat for in the 80's. Doing some more research, I found out about the backwards lens compatibility. After we had that garage sale and after my graduation, I had some cash to buy myself a Pentax. I stormed into the store with $540 cash in hand and was told that they only had white and red kits in stock, not the black that I wanted... I had no choice but to order it online from their website and a few days after I had placed my order, I get an email telling me that the item is out of stock/on back-order and that I could either wait (waiting time unknown) or be credited with $540 in store credit. I chose to wait... and wait I did- order was placed on JUNE 15 and I didn't get the camera until JULY 29. (crazy, I know!) During that time I brought a Canon T1i, for some reason, I just didn't like it, so it was returned within a week. When I finally got my Pentax, I was very happy and I loved it.

About a year and a half later, someone on CL had a used K-7 for sale. CBA took over and it and sold the K-x and used it to buy the K-7. Since then I've also had the chance to own a K-r, ist DS, K-5, and K20d and none of them have disappointed me and I am still happy with my Pentax. I will probably not need a full-frame camera (at least not for some time) or need to buy brand new equipment (I'm perfectly fine with used- and with Pentax's compatibility, I've got even more to choose from), so it looks like I'll be sticking around with the brand for awhile.

[Tonto]

I knew the name- mostly from Binoculars and the K1000 although at the time I didn't know the model.
I didn't really click again with the brand when I saw a cool digital camera I was interested in 2000. It wasn't untill 3 years ago when I started researching DSLRs to buy that I came across Pentax again- it was mostly through magazine and internet reviews that it got my attention. It was with a Sony DSLR Forum review of the K7 vs the Alpha 700 that sealed the deal as I had alot of exposure to the Sonys when I worked there. I could have easily ended up with a A500/550 but I loved the WR/Mg Alloy body/Pentaprism/0.9 MP LCD that was shared with the A700.
Funny as I never considered Canon/Nikon at all, I think I was sold on the SR on the sensor.

[RobA_Oz]

I'd been shooting with my dads 2 1/4 Ricoflex, Model VI. I turned up at Ryerson for my first day in Photo Arts and did the tour... this was 1967. They had Spotmatics you could sign out. I had my own SV before the end of the year...

Snap! 1967 for me, too, but in a university physics class on optics, where they used what I think were S3 Pentaxes, though they might have been Spotmatics - my memory isn't clear on that point. I learned to develop 35mm B&W film in that class.

Shortly after, my father bought a used SV with a pentaprism-mounted light meter and a 50/1.8 lens. I inherited that, along with his Tamron twin-tele, but not before I'd already bought an S3 - the SV went to my eldest, who may still have it (I must ask) but the Tamron was sold to fund a 135/2.5 in the early 1970s.

There followed a SP-F, an ES, an ESII and a K2DMD, along with a multitude of lenses, most of which I still have, though I regret selling the ESes. I thought about a Canon when they released their first budget DSLR, but the flimsy build put me right off, so the *istD was a natural progression (and so much better built than that first Canon - where the hell did they lose their way after that?)

I guess you could say that Pentaxes are a fixture in our household, especially when I look at the cabinet full of lenses, now.

[jtkratzer]

Didn't really have any. I got my first Pentax when I was 17 as a gift and I'm now on my third.

Before I even started looking for a digital SLR, I almost ruled Pentax out. The weather seals on the K-5 were a big plus and it competes very well against the Nikon/Canon stuff I was looking at.

I don't seem to end up with the crowd on most things - when most diesel trucks are V8s, I drive a straight six Cummins with a 5 speed. My car is diesel. I don't hunt with a .30-06 or larger or even a .308 or .270. I reload a .260 Remington and love it. I never owned a crotch rocket motorcycle...I ride a naked twin.

I guess Pentax fits well with the rest of my hobbies/stuff.

[LFLee]

My sony P&S camera shoot great photos but after 2 yrs, the battery no longer hold charge and.... the non-oem replacement battery cost like 1/5 of the camera. I am real angry and told myself I am going to buy camera with AA batteries only.
Well.... K200 is the only DSLR with AA batteries at that time, so I bought it.
I wish K5 have AA batteries option (not through battery grip) like K-r, K-30.

[boriscleto]

My first SLR was a K1000, that was in 1987 or 88. Memory is getting kind of fuzzy. Before that I had a Kodak Disk and a Vivitar 35mm P&S. There wasn't much thought that went into the purchase of the K1000, it was just the cheapest SLR you could get locally. IIRC there were some cheaper SLRs available from the New York sellers.

A few years ago I had a Panasonic FZ8 and wasn't happy with it. My uncle had a D80 so I started looking at the Nikons available at the time. The D90 was out of my price range and the D5000/D3000 didn't have everything I wanted. So, looking at the K1000 on the shelf, I looked up Pentax on DPReview. They didn't have a review of the K-x, but other sites did. It met my requirements better than the D5000 and it was less expensive. The only downside was having to buy it without trying it first, none of the camera stores in CNY have carried Pentax for years.

Edit: This was my introduction to Pentax...

Amazon.com: How to Select & Use Pentax SLR Cameras: A Complete Handbook For SF1N - SF10 - P3N - LX - K1000 (9780895867605): Carl Shipman: Books