Pentax Rainbow K-x

**NaClH2O** · 05-12-2010, 10:15 AM

Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire

Why is it you only hear these kinds of comments from Pentax owners?

Because this is who Pentax/Hoya are now marketing too. As someone said -

"Brilliant"

I don't want a Leica. I want a nice semi pro body that will handle a bit higher ISO like the other companies, with a shutter that wont cause a tsunami half way around the world every time you take a photo. I would also like it to be a move UP the chain, instead of sideways as going from a K20 to K 7 is to me, or downward going to the KX. If you want my money, if you want my support, do something to earn it, and no, painting a camera to look like a box of Lego's or a pack of Jolly Ranchers isn't cutting it.

Well, according to everything I've read the K-x handles high ISO as well as MANY cameras twice or three times it's price. And you can get it in black if you want it in black so that everybody will know that you are a SERIOUS photographer. I don't own one (yet) but if/when I get one, it won't be black. You see, I'm not a serious photographer, I much prefer to have fun creating. I'm not a professional, nor do I want to be considered as such. I own a K20D and when the K-7 came out I looked at the specs and realized it wasn't that big a step up and I passed on it. Believe it or not, Canon and Nikon owners do the same, not every camera is a massive step up, sometimes the improvements are incremental. I wouldn't say that the K-7 is a step sideways, there are many minor improvements over the K-20. I'm sure that if you decide to leave Pentax you will find the same situation elsewhere. Yes, both Canon and Nikon have stronger lens line ups in the larger MM ranges, if you want/need that, then go there. However Pentax does have a bevy of beautiful lenses, some of them quite old, that are as good as anything out there IQ wise. And guess what? They come in SERIOUS black!
Myself, I don't mind a bit of frivolity here and there, it makes my life go easier.

NaCl(SERIOUS is over rated)H2O

SteveM · 05-12-2010, 10:42 AM

I still can't believe they actually released a "Rainbow" camera, but I guess for the young market it might work.

Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire

I would also like it to be a move UP the chain, instead of sideways as going from a K20 to K 7 is to me

Probably a mute point now since there will most likely be a K-7 replacement in a few months, but I pulled out my K20d a number of weeks back and now that I am used to the K-7, it seemed clunky. I know that many say it is much the same as the K-7 (other than in the shadows), but IMO, it is better to a point where I just don't want to pick up the k20d anymore. I'd say spend some time using both cameras before you make up your mind based on the specs.

justtakingpics · 05-12-2010, 10:53 AM

Originally posted by thibs

+1 Really ...

I recently bought a red K-x. I didn't think it looked bad. That or the white. But others thought it looked like a toy and folks that might have considered the K-x decided to buy a Nikon or Canon because it looked traditional.

I'm new. I admit that. But I would have much rather seen something like a newer camera than a multi-colored one. What I really wish, however, is that they'd work on a way to get their devices in to big stores. Nikon, Canon, and Olympus have. Where I live in the USA, NO ONE sells Pentax DSLRs. They have them online at places like Best Buy but not in the stores. The others mentioned are right there to play with and buy immediately.

My initial reaction was to dislike it and not take Pentax seriously but they know who their market is and if they can sell more cameras what do I care.

Pablom · 05-12-2010, 11:01 AM

it appears that Pentax succeed at keeping the brand on the headlines. must be a hit in japan

Al_in_the_Shire · 05-12-2010, 11:03 AM

Quote:

However Pentax does have a bevy of beautiful lenses, some of them quite old, that are as good as anything out there IQ wise.

I totally agree. And I think Pentax has made some wonderful cameras.

It's sort of like when Chrysler bought Jeep. They never understood what made a Jeep a Jeep, and pretty much killed the brand. Hoya has no clue what made Pentax such a great camera. But here's a hint for them, it wasn't Jolly Rancher or Lego Robot camo.

gazonk · 05-12-2010, 11:14 AM

Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire

I totally agree. And I think Pentax has made some wonderful cameras.

It's sort of like when Chrysler bought Jeep. They never understood what made a Jeep a Jeep, and pretty much killed the brand. Hoya has no clue what made Pentax such a great camera. But here's a hint for them, it wasn't Jolly Rancher or Lego Robot camo.

Pah, were you there when the ME and MX were introduced? There were lots of party killers like you who kept whining about how small the cameras were and that they looked like toys and how outrageous it was that the ME was without manual mode. And that ridiculous 40mm pancake! Good grief, only small kids could operate that camera!

It's also not new that Pentax has like-them-or-hate-them special editions. IMHO the color special editions are much more fun than the super kitchy golden LX.

Al_in_the_Shire · 05-12-2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Pah, were you there when the ME and MX were introduced?

I bought my first Pentax camera -actually back then it was called I believe Asahi Pentax - in 1977 or 1978 in Iwakuni, Japan. It was a K1000. I think the ME came out before that so no, I was not around when all that fuss happened. Anyway, I don't remember it. I shot Pentax cameras until 1984 or so and then switched to a Mamiya 645 system. Still shoot it. I went digital 2 ? years ago with a Pentax K200d and then a K20d and now the KX.

The only other 35mm camera I ever owned was a Minolta for about a year. Don't even remember the model. I've always been a Pentax fan. I just bought another Pentax film camera a few weeks ago to use some of my older lens that I dug out of a trunk in the attic.

So no, I'm not a newbie at this. I like Pentax. I don't like what Hoya has done to the company though. I think it's a mistake to take it in the direction they are now, and if they don't start adding some cameras to the line up, they are going to lose people who are a little more serious about their photography, and who have a little more discretionary income to play with. Right now, based on what we see here today, I just don't see that happening. Hoya seems to be more interested in getting their cameras into Walmart than they are into camera shops or the hands of people who want something a little more sophisticated than a camera that looks like a toy.

It may be time to just go pick up a canikon and a 500mm prime for birds and stick to the 645 for my other work and let Pentax/Hoya go where ever the think it is they want to go and be done with it. I think, sadly, Pentax is dead. I don't care how many rainbow cameras they sell, they are going to have a tough time being taken seriously by the rest of the photography world.

MrPetkus · 05-12-2010, 12:49 PM - **1 Like**

I think someone else may have mentioned this but R&D is funded by sales. Market share is due in part to merit, consumer exposure, and brand recognition. Funky paint applications and other gimmicks keep Pentax in the news after the initial round of reviews and blogs have expired. Increased sales revenue will allow Pentax to spend more on R&D and take risks they otherwise wouldn't - for example, funding the development of high-end niche products (FF). Just as the Nikon Coolpix and Canon Powershot lineage provide the deep pockets required for next-generation D3s and Mark IVs.

Some folks look at this like a fall from grace for Pentax. This is just corporate darwinism. Leica purists are similarly grumbling over products like the V-LUX.

**NaClH2O** · 05-12-2010, 02:04 PM

Originally posted by MrPetkus

I think someone else may have mentioned this but R&D is funded by sales. Market share is due in part to merit, consumer exposure, and brand recognition. Funky paint applications and other gimmicks keep Pentax in the news after the initial round of reviews and blogs have expired. Increased sales revenue will allow Pentax to spend more on R&D and take risks they otherwise wouldn't - for example, funding the development of high-end niche products (FF). Just as the Nikon Coolpix and Canon Powershot lineage provide the deep pockets required for next-generation D3s and Mark IVs.

Some folks look at this like a fall from grace for Pentax. This is just corporate darwinism. Leica purists are similarly grumbling over products like the V-LUX.

Yep. Just like my favorite comix character...Eggs Ackley...And to be truthful not that much different than this:
Pentax K20D Titanium Limited Edition DSLR [K20D DSLR Gets More Desirable, Surely Not?] TFTS – Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities
Just as much over the top, but in a different way. Yet I don't recall posts of outrage over it.

NaCl( maybe SERIOUS photogs are impressed with Titanium)H2O

Grimlock · 05-12-2010, 02:30 PM

Am I not the only one who, upon looking at the picture of that special edition, thought the K-X assembly plant went completely f$%@$# bonkers one day and the Pentax higher-ups went "Eh, we'll say they're 'special editions' and get rid of 'em that way"?

gazonk · 05-12-2010, 02:51 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire

So no, I'm not a newbie at this. I like Pentax. I don't like what Hoya has done to the company though. I think it's a mistake to take it in the direction they are now, and if they don't start adding some cameras to the line up, they are going to lose people who are a little more serious about their photography, and who have a little more discretionary income to play with.

The K-x is the best thing that has happened to Pentax in years. Forget about the japanese toy versions for a while and look at all the press it gets because it's good. I just discovered a few hours ago that yet another online electronics store has started carrying Pentax because of the K-x.

When I bought my K10D 2 1/2 years ago, Pentax had the K100D Super and the K10D. Now they have the K-x, the K-7 and the 645D (in a few days), and we know for quite sure that upgrades are coming no later than September. Seems to me that they're going in the right direction.

wed7 · 05-12-2010, 02:52 PM

"And I thought owning the K-x was crazy"

**NaClH2O** · 05-12-2010, 06:06 PM

Originally posted by Grimlock

Am I not the only one who, upon looking at the picture of that special edition, thought the K-X assembly plant went completely f$%@$# bonkers one day and the Pentax higher-ups went "Eh, we'll say they're 'special editions' and get rid of 'em that way"?

No you're not. But maybe this is not a terrible bad thing? My point is that there is nothing "wrong" or "bad" about frivolity. Yeah, it's kinda ugly when looked at it from one angle, and whimsical and weird (in a good way) when looked at it from another. And as someone said above it's a GOOD camera! And it just so happens that it looks like it was put together by a bunch of deranged workers who were all color blind. Maybe it just appeals to my psychedelic youth.

NaCl(you don't have to buy it, but there is nothing "bad" about it)H2O

stanleyk · 05-12-2010, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by lithos

Not everyone thinks they're next Anal Adams.

You want a status symbol, buy a Leica.

+2!!!

stanleyk · 05-12-2010, 07:12 PM - **1 Like**

I showed this to three women I worked with who are much younger than me. They were dying to get one. So, I guess for every "I'm switching to Nikon" so I can be taken seriously person, there are probably quite a few lined up to buy something like this.

I think it looks pretty cool.

I bet it sells out pronto.

I'm 49 so I'm kind of "the camera body needs to be black or silver" fuddy duddy, but I'm guessing a lot young people really like the colors. Good for them. I'm boring.

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05-12-2010, 10:15 AM	#16
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire Why is it you only hear these kinds of comments from Pentax owners? Because this is who Pentax/Hoya are now marketing too. As someone said - "Brilliant" I don't want a Leica. I want a nice semi pro body that will handle a bit higher ISO like the other companies, with a shutter that wont cause a tsunami half way around the world every time you take a photo. I would also like it to be a move UP the chain, instead of sideways as going from a K20 to K 7 is to me, or downward going to the KX. If you want my money, if you want my support, do something to earn it, and no, painting a camera to look like a box of Lego's or a pack of Jolly Ranchers isn't cutting it. Well, according to everything I've read the K-x handles high ISO as well as MANY cameras twice or three times it's price. And you can get it in black if you want it in black so that everybody will know that you are a SERIOUS photographer. I don't own one (yet) but if/when I get one, it won't be black. You see, I'm not a serious photographer, I much prefer to have fun creating. I'm not a professional, nor do I want to be considered as such. I own a K20D and when the K-7 came out I looked at the specs and realized it wasn't that big a step up and I passed on it. Believe it or not, Canon and Nikon owners do the same, not every camera is a massive step up, sometimes the improvements are incremental. I wouldn't say that the K-7 is a step sideways, there are many minor improvements over the K-20. I'm sure that if you decide to leave Pentax you will find the same situation elsewhere. Yes, both Canon and Nikon have stronger lens line ups in the larger MM ranges, if you want/need that, then go there. However Pentax does have a bevy of beautiful lenses, some of them quite old, that are as good as anything out there IQ wise. And guess what? They come in SERIOUS black! Myself, I don't mind a bit of frivolity here and there, it makes my life go easier. NaCl(SERIOUS is over rated)H2O

05-12-2010, 10:42 AM	#17
SteveM Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,294	I still can't believe they actually released a "Rainbow" camera, but I guess for the young market it might work. Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire I would also like it to be a move UP the chain, instead of sideways as going from a K20 to K 7 is to me Probably a mute point now since there will most likely be a K-7 replacement in a few months, but I pulled out my K20d a number of weeks back and now that I am used to the K-7, it seemed clunky. I know that many say it is much the same as the K-7 (other than in the shadows), but IMO, it is better to a point where I just don't want to pick up the k20d anymore. I'd say spend some time using both cameras before you make up your mind based on the specs.

05-12-2010, 10:53 AM	#18
justtakingpics Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 288	Originally posted by thibs +1 Really ... I recently bought a red K-x. I didn't think it looked bad. That or the white. But others thought it looked like a toy and folks that might have considered the K-x decided to buy a Nikon or Canon because it looked traditional. I'm new. I admit that. But I would have much rather seen something like a newer camera than a multi-colored one. What I really wish, however, is that they'd work on a way to get their devices in to big stores. Nikon, Canon, and Olympus have. Where I live in the USA, NO ONE sells Pentax DSLRs. They have them online at places like Best Buy but not in the stores. The others mentioned are right there to play with and buy immediately. My initial reaction was to dislike it and not take Pentax seriously but they know who their market is and if they can sell more cameras what do I care.

05-12-2010, 11:01 AM	#19
Pablom Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Usa Posts: 1,940	it appears that Pentax succeed at keeping the brand on the headlines. must be a hit in japan

05-12-2010, 11:03 AM	#20
Al_in_the_Shire Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: none of your business Posts: 96	Quote: However Pentax does have a bevy of beautiful lenses, some of them quite old, that are as good as anything out there IQ wise. I totally agree. And I think Pentax has made some wonderful cameras. It's sort of like when Chrysler bought Jeep. They never understood what made a Jeep a Jeep, and pretty much killed the brand. Hoya has no clue what made Pentax such a great camera. But here's a hint for them, it wasn't Jolly Rancher or Lego Robot camo.

05-12-2010, 11:14 AM	#21
gazonk Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Oslo area, Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,746	Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire I totally agree. And I think Pentax has made some wonderful cameras. It's sort of like when Chrysler bought Jeep. They never understood what made a Jeep a Jeep, and pretty much killed the brand. Hoya has no clue what made Pentax such a great camera. But here's a hint for them, it wasn't Jolly Rancher or Lego Robot camo. Pah, were you there when the ME and MX were introduced? There were lots of party killers like you who kept whining about how small the cameras were and that they looked like toys and how outrageous it was that the ME was without manual mode. And that ridiculous 40mm pancake! Good grief, only small kids could operate that camera! It's also not new that Pentax has like-them-or-hate-them special editions. IMHO the color special editions are much more fun than the super kitchy golden LX.

05-12-2010, 12:37 PM	#22
Al_in_the_Shire Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: none of your business Posts: 96	Quote: Pah, were you there when the ME and MX were introduced? I bought my first Pentax camera -actually back then it was called I believe Asahi Pentax - in 1977 or 1978 in Iwakuni, Japan. It was a K1000. I think the ME came out before that so no, I was not around when all that fuss happened. Anyway, I don't remember it. I shot Pentax cameras until 1984 or so and then switched to a Mamiya 645 system. Still shoot it. I went digital 2 ? years ago with a Pentax K200d and then a K20d and now the KX. The only other 35mm camera I ever owned was a Minolta for about a year. Don't even remember the model. I've always been a Pentax fan. I just bought another Pentax film camera a few weeks ago to use some of my older lens that I dug out of a trunk in the attic. So no, I'm not a newbie at this. I like Pentax. I don't like what Hoya has done to the company though. I think it's a mistake to take it in the direction they are now, and if they don't start adding some cameras to the line up, they are going to lose people who are a little more serious about their photography, and who have a little more discretionary income to play with. Right now, based on what we see here today, I just don't see that happening. Hoya seems to be more interested in getting their cameras into Walmart than they are into camera shops or the hands of people who want something a little more sophisticated than a camera that looks like a toy. It may be time to just go pick up a canikon and a 500mm prime for birds and stick to the 645 for my other work and let Pentax/Hoya go where ever the think it is they want to go and be done with it. I think, sadly, Pentax is dead. I don't care how many rainbow cameras they sell, they are going to have a tough time being taken seriously by the rest of the photography world.

05-12-2010, 12:49 PM - 1 Like	#23
MrPetkus Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 387	I think someone else may have mentioned this but R&D is funded by sales. Market share is due in part to merit, consumer exposure, and brand recognition. Funky paint applications and other gimmicks keep Pentax in the news after the initial round of reviews and blogs have expired. Increased sales revenue will allow Pentax to spend more on R&D and take risks they otherwise wouldn't - for example, funding the development of high-end niche products (FF). Just as the Nikon Coolpix and Canon Powershot lineage provide the deep pockets required for next-generation D3s and Mark IVs. Some folks look at this like a fall from grace for Pentax. This is just corporate darwinism. Leica purists are similarly grumbling over products like the V-LUX.

05-12-2010, 02:04 PM	#24
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Originally posted by MrPetkus I think someone else may have mentioned this but R&D is funded by sales. Market share is due in part to merit, consumer exposure, and brand recognition. Funky paint applications and other gimmicks keep Pentax in the news after the initial round of reviews and blogs have expired. Increased sales revenue will allow Pentax to spend more on R&D and take risks they otherwise wouldn't - for example, funding the development of high-end niche products (FF). Just as the Nikon Coolpix and Canon Powershot lineage provide the deep pockets required for next-generation D3s and Mark IVs. Some folks look at this like a fall from grace for Pentax. This is just corporate darwinism. Leica purists are similarly grumbling over products like the V-LUX. Yep. Just like my favorite comix character...Eggs Ackley...And to be truthful not that much different than this: Pentax K20D Titanium Limited Edition DSLR [K20D DSLR Gets More Desirable, Surely Not?] TFTS – Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities Just as much over the top, but in a different way. Yet I don't recall posts of outrage over it. NaCl( maybe SERIOUS photogs are impressed with Titanium)H2O

05-12-2010, 02:30 PM	#25
Grimlock Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 115	Am I not the only one who, upon looking at the picture of that special edition, thought the K-X assembly plant went completely f$%@$# bonkers one day and the Pentax higher-ups went "Eh, we'll say they're 'special editions' and get rid of 'em that way"?

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05-12-2010, 02:51 PM - 1 Like	#26
gazonk Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Oslo area, Norway Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,746	Originally posted by Al_in_the_Shire So no, I'm not a newbie at this. I like Pentax. I don't like what Hoya has done to the company though. I think it's a mistake to take it in the direction they are now, and if they don't start adding some cameras to the line up, they are going to lose people who are a little more serious about their photography, and who have a little more discretionary income to play with. The K-x is the best thing that has happened to Pentax in years. Forget about the japanese toy versions for a while and look at all the press it gets because it's good. I just discovered a few hours ago that yet another online electronics store has started carrying Pentax because of the K-x. When I bought my K10D 2 1/2 years ago, Pentax had the K100D Super and the K10D. Now they have the K-x, the K-7 and the 645D (in a few days), and we know for quite sure that upgrades are coming no later than September. Seems to me that they're going in the right direction.

05-12-2010, 02:52 PM	#27
wed7 Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Manila, Philippines Posts: 1,421	"And I thought owning the K-x was crazy"

05-12-2010, 06:06 PM	#28
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Originally posted by Grimlock Am I not the only one who, upon looking at the picture of that special edition, thought the K-X assembly plant went completely f$%@$# bonkers one day and the Pentax higher-ups went "Eh, we'll say they're 'special editions' and get rid of 'em that way"? No you're not. But maybe this is not a terrible bad thing? My point is that there is nothing "wrong" or "bad" about frivolity. Yeah, it's kinda ugly when looked at it from one angle, and whimsical and weird (in a good way) when looked at it from another. And as someone said above it's a GOOD camera! And it just so happens that it looks like it was put together by a bunch of deranged workers who were all color blind. Maybe it just appeals to my psychedelic youth. NaCl(you don't have to buy it, but there is nothing "bad" about it)H2O

05-12-2010, 07:07 PM	#29
stanleyk Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Taylor, Texas Posts: 1,018	Originally posted by lithos Not everyone thinks they're next Anal Adams. You want a status symbol, buy a Leica. +2!!!

05-12-2010, 07:12 PM - 1 Like	#30
stanleyk Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Taylor, Texas Posts: 1,018	I showed this to three women I worked with who are much younger than me. They were dying to get one. So, I guess for every "I'm switching to Nikon" so I can be taken seriously person, there are probably quite a few lined up to buy something like this. I think it looks pretty cool. I bet it sells out pronto. I'm 49 so I'm kind of "the camera body needs to be black or silver" fuddy duddy, but I'm guessing a lot young people really like the colors. Good for them. I'm boring.