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07-21-2012, 11:36 AM   #1
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Has anyone ever wondered?

Im curious, has anyone ever wondered why it seems Pentax has become the 'bastard child' of the digital photo world, even though a lot of Pentax higher end glass competes with both canon and nikon.

Personally I'm not biased to any particular brand, I just want good solid quality that works. I actually started with mirrorless NEX series before upgrading to Pentax myself.

It is just interesting to me that when the brand PENTAX comes up in conversation, more often than not you hear, "ahh, when are you upgrading to Nikon?" Yet, the K-5 and the D7000 have virtually the same senor and insides.......both are great camera's lord knows Im happy with my K-5......

07-21-2012, 12:01 PM - 2 Likes   #2
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You know....it just doesn't matter what others think. The older I get the less concern I have for the biases of the "herd". I'm running out of time....actually, we all are......just try to find your "comfort zone" and then enjoy it! Pentax fits in my zone pretty nicely, as does my little X10, not much else matters to me...photographically.

Regards!

Mrs Rupert told me I would be happier with new boots...I'd look better, and "fit in" better as I went on my business about town. So...I got some new boots. Mrs Rupert lied. My old boots (which I dug out of the trash when she wasn't looking) are more comfortable, and look just fine for me...old and worn out like I am. You need to listen to yourself..... however, if you do want to listen to Mrs Rupert...I'll get you some gas for the lawnmower!

[IMG] [/IMG]

Edit: I just noticed, right at the top of this Forum it says Photographic Related Threads are not allowed here! Looks like you are getting the hang of "doing your own thing" faster than I imagined! Nice going...just keep it up, and you will stop worrying about Pentax, and worry more about getting a "Warning Letter".....like me! I have a ton of them, Otis makes little folding airplanes out of them...he has an entire fleet!

Last edited by Rupert; 07-21-2012 at 12:09 PM.
07-21-2012, 12:28 PM - 1 Like   #3
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I know several working professional photographers and they all have respect for Pentax products. 2 guys who work for area newspapers shoot with Nikons which are owned by the newspaper and one of them uses a Panasonic for his personal use. Another wedding photographer I know shoots with Sony. The others bought into Nikon or Canon DSLR systems before Pentax had anything to offer. The biggest problem with Pentax has been their marketing in the US or more correctly, their lack of it. Hopefully, that will change. A bigger problem is getting people with a sizeable investment in glass and other accessories to switch. While some will acknowledge that Pentax is making excellent products, they aren't going to switch. You won't hear the older guys who have been around a while putting down Pentax.
07-21-2012, 01:38 PM - 1 Like   #4
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I believe it actually goes back far before digital. At one time, Pentax was a major force in the film world. Then Nikon, soon followed by Canon developed a marketing strategy that Pentax ignored. What Nikon and Canon did was to makes sure pros got their hands on the latest offerings, often for free or on loan. People always imitate what professionals do, so when they saw pros using Nikons or Canons, that's what they bought. Pentax was left in the dust. Because of this, when digital became available, both Nikon and Canon had the resources to switch before Pentax, and they continued their same marketing strategy of getting them into the hands of professionals first.

07-22-2012, 09:34 PM   #5
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Rupert---I totally agree, and your right, I do tend to just be me no matter what. Things are usually happier that way =). My wonderful wife doesnt understand that either, lol. infact, she just went and bought me some new cloths, cause I havent 'shopped' in the better part of 6+ years, hahaha. To me, as long as Im comfortable, thats what matters. I just noticed the 'surprise' more often then not when people ask what I am shooting with now, and wondered if anyone else experienced the same sillyness. The best is when they see the photos it produces. hahahahaha

Reef/Tom---You know, if you put both your posts together that is probably the exact reason. I have met a few as well that go as far as saying they believe the higher end pentax glass beats canon's too. That said, canon just has the marketing in place as Tom was saying.......

I guess bottom line, i find the social aspect interesting. The competative nature for such things is fun to watch....
07-22-2012, 09:39 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by that1guy Quote
Im curious, has anyone ever wondered why it seems Pentax has become the 'bastard child' of the digital photo world, even though a lot of Pentax higher end glass competes with both canon and nikon.

Personally I'm not biased to any particular brand, I just want good solid quality that works. I actually started with mirrorless NEX series before upgrading to Pentax myself.

It is just interesting to me that when the brand PENTAX comes up in conversation, more often than not you hear, "ahh, when are you upgrading to Nikon?" Yet, the K-5 and the D7000 have virtually the same senor and insides.......both are great camera's lord knows Im happy with my K-5......
Tell them that the D7000 would be a downgrade. The only possible upgrade would be the D700 or D800. But those bodies are big relative to the K-5.

QuoteOriginally posted by Tom S. Quote
I believe it actually goes back far before digital. At one time, Pentax was a major force in the film world. Then Nikon, soon followed by Canon developed a marketing strategy that Pentax ignored. What Nikon and Canon did was to makes sure pros got their hands on the latest offerings, often for free or on loan. People always imitate what professionals do, so when they saw pros using Nikons or Canons, that's what they bought. Pentax was left in the dust. Because of this, when digital became available, both Nikon and Canon had the resources to switch before Pentax, and they continued their same marketing strategy of getting them into the hands of professionals first.
Canon and Nikon didn't know what an slr was until Pentax showed them. They were both copy-catting Leica and Contax rangefinders when the Asahiflex and then the "AP" showed up. Nikon adapted quickly but it took canon a long time to be taken completely serious.
07-23-2012, 01:10 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rupert Quote

Mrs Rupert told me I would be happier with new boots...I'd look better, and "fit in" better as I went on my business about town. So...I got some new boots. Mrs Rupert lied. My old boots (which I dug out of the trash when she wasn't looking) are more comfortable, and look just fine for me...old and worn out like I am. You need to listen to yourself..... however, if you do want to listen to Mrs Rupert...I'll get you some gas for the lawnmower!
Yeah, Rupert, those are THE boots. I recognise the type. I too had me some new ones recently, but that was because my feet got wet in the old ones. And with all the rain we have this summer, that was a bit too often too muddy socks for my liking. Useally I buy one pair of new walking shoes per 2 or 3 years. Yours seem to be rather beyond repair, but well, I don't think you often get your feet wet where you live ...

07-28-2012, 08:13 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tom S. Quote
What Nikon and Canon did was to makes sure pros got their hands on the latest offerings, often for free or on loan. People always imitate what professionals do, so when they saw pros using Nikons or Canons, that's what they bought. Pentax was left in the dust
This is a big part of what happened, but it's not the entire story. Nikon and Canon not only got products into pros hands, they made the kind of products the pros wanted. Nikon always made a better system camera than Pentax. Nikon also had a big advantage with its bayonet mount, which was more convenient to use then the Pentax screw-mount, and which had the additional advantage of locking their consumers into their product line, since their lenses couldn't be used with any other camera brand. Canon did an excellent job of getting a head start with two of the most important technologies to transform SLR photography: auto-focus and digital. Marketing won't work just by itself. You got to deliver the goods. And Canon and NIkon make better system cameras than Pentax. The have better AF, better flash, better support, more lenses, more accessories. It makes a lot more sense for pros to go with these systems (assuming the pros have deep pockets).

It also has to be admitted that Pentax made a number of poor decisions between 1985 and 2005, when they have appeared to have lost a substantial portion of their base. They were two years late to the AF party and even later to the DSLR party. One of Pentax's major innovations in the nineties, the powerzoom, was gimmicky and didn't provide any sort of competitive advantage over Canon and Nikon. They still made some great prime lenses, often better than equivalent offerings from Canon and Nikon, but the market was becoming dominated by zooms, and hardly anyone seemed to notice that Pentax "king of primes" among the Japanese lens makers.

They've continued to repeat some of their old mistakes. Releasing the K200D without a WR kit lens was not very smart. And then releasing a WR kit lens without a lower end WR camera body to go with it continued the error. Finally, with the release of K30, they've gotten it right. With their small market share, they need to avoid such errors. Hopefully, this floundering about without any kind of coherent, integrated strategy will not continue under Ricoh's leadership.
07-29-2012, 05:19 AM   #9
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Pentax fits a niche.

They produce affordable pro quality equip that is built well and produces. In addition they sometime offer features the big guys may not offer in a similar priced item. Pentax's probelm is their items are not available on demand sometimes. Pro's can't fool round waiting weeks or months to get something.
07-29-2012, 09:52 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by PentaxMom Felua Quote
Yours seem to be rather beyond repair, but well, I don't think you often get your feet wet where you live ...
That's why they make Gorilla tape. FYI, we used the stuff in the shower to hold up a cracking wall? In three years we've never had to replace it. It's not pretty but a piece stuck over a hole in a pair of shoes or boots will keep you dry. The only reason I ever throw out good shoes is because the soles are shot and they can't be repaired anymore. Not that I wear them most of the time. I'm a major walking in barefoot kind of person and I'm mostly indoors so I don't have to put shoes on unless I go out, but throwing out a good pair is just not something I do. I toss the Walmart sneaks quite often because they're cheaper to replace than to fix but my good boots and stuff I just fix.
07-30-2012, 04:38 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by magkelly Quote
That's why they make Gorilla tape. FYI, we used the stuff in the shower to hold up a cracking wall? In three years we've never had to replace it. It's not pretty but a piece stuck over a hole in a pair of shoes or boots will keep you dry. The only reason I ever throw out good shoes is because the soles are shot and they can't be repaired anymore. Not that I wear them most of the time. I'm a major walking in barefoot kind of person and I'm mostly indoors so I don't have to put shoes on unless I go out, but throwing out a good pair is just not something I do. I toss the Walmart sneaks quite often because they're cheaper to replace than to fix but my good boots and stuff I just fix.
Is Gorilla tape like duck(ed) tape?

I am not so sure about taping my shoes. After walking I usually race on to the supermarket for grocery shopping. Wouldn't look so great. Could keep another pair of shoes at hand in the car of course (it is drive to where I walk and park and go). But I also need the good grip of the profile of the soles. It is no fun to slip down in the mud.
Cann't go walking barefoot outdoors where I am. It is already hard enough to keep the ticks from my legs. Risky business.
07-30-2012, 09:29 AM   #12
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Gorilla tape is basically duct tape on steroids. It will hold up and seal just about anything, even stuff that duct tape can't. Not that duct tape can't seal almost anything it's great stuff, but Gorilla tape is like this thicker, super bad version of duct tape. I keep both around. Can't hardly do without them.
08-01-2012, 02:17 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by magkelly Quote
Gorilla tape is basically duct tape on steroids. It will hold up and seal just about anything, even stuff that duct tape can't. Not that duct tape can't seal almost anything it's great stuff, but Gorilla tape is like this thicker, super bad version of duct tape. I keep both around. Can't hardly do without them.
Thanks for the info, think I'll try to get me a roll too.
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