[philippe]

Over here in Gent (Belgium) there is a shop storing all the DA Limiteds, some D FA's, the DA-L*'s zooms, the K-7, K20d (yes) a black K-X, a RED K-X, two models of the flashes and some accessories. Also some Sigma's and Tamron's in K mount. We are spoiled...

[lithos]

I must admit, I'm beginning to loathe the release of new Pentaxes.

The endless, high-pitched whining from the various "publications" grates no end.

[r0ckstarr]

We have a store called Fry's Electronics that has a Pentax Kx and K7 on display.

[kavolis]

Why nobody cares about pentax? IMO concidering pentax as a first DSLR or DSLR for an amateur or serious photo-hobbyist is a sign of pragmatic or non-emotionaly connected to brand person. IMO the rule of 80/20 fits perfectly here (80% goes with canikon only because it's canikon

Pentax is brand #4 if consider sales ir Europe I think. Except in my country - prices here for pentax are lower than in western Europe in most cases(and vice cersa with canon/nikon/sony)so pentax is #3 . Actually in most cases prices are the same as in US (what is quite surprising) maybe due to EU/$ rate or pentax distributor pricing politics here. Today I found only two lenses, which are significantly cheaper in US 15mm Ltd. is ~32% cheaper and 12-24mm is 37% cheaper (if not concidering 5-10% price difference - a loss of varanty is not worth such saving). A year ago such difference was normal with all lenses/cameras. But not today. So, here we care about pentax a lot

[shadmanaj]

So you would expect some interest from other groups, a couple of really
interesting cameras, good specs, solid offer.
Not a single thread about Pentax news can be found on dpreview Canon
or Nikon forum, nor other Canon forums I'm following.
Then comes the news no more Zeiss or Voigtlander lenses will be offered for Pentax.
What do Pentax have to do to attract some attention?
Without any new buyers it's gonna be hard to become sexy again...
Shouldn't they launch some big advertising right away? I have yet to see
another Pentax camera out there... I know they are a bit more popular in Europe,
but here - nothing, nada.
I'm sure I will pick up the new K-5, but I'm hesitant to spend much more
on the remaining Zeiss glass for example...

Canon and Nikon users are already only talking about their speculated updates.
Nikon D7000/ D90 replacement (K-5 sensor?)
Nikon D3xs / D4

"What do Pentax have to do to attract some attention?
Without any new buyers it's gonna be hard to become sexy again..." - for starters, I would like the K-5 advertised as a full proffesional unit, NOT a semipro. Then there's also an advertising campaign I want. On a completely related note, we need some normal looking guys with Pentax cameras, and we also need some very beautiful women at their side. It's bound to be viral.
Pentax Forums members should be cast as the guys.

[Blue]

Why not just wait until these products hit the market place before we expect a reputation from them? At the moment, all there is are leaked product photos and spec sheets. At least wait until the "unpacking" videos make it to YouTube...

Actually, the K-r and DA 35/2.4 AL is listed on the Pentax Imaging site. The plan to be selling them in mid-October.

Digital SLR Cameras - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site

smc PENTAX DA L 35mm F2.4 AL - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site

[gawan]

K-4?

. . . . . . . . . . . .

[psdigital]

I started out as a Canon user in the 80's. I switched to Nikon in the 90's but always had my eye on a Pentax 6x7. I wanted one really bad but never was in the position financially to buy it. My career changed and I ended up putting photography on the back burner for a while. When digital came along, my interest came back and I wanted to put my photography degree to use again. I went with Fuji because I already had the Nikon glass. I had the S2 camera and it was great for the time and what I was doing. Now I am at the position of switching systems and have bought a Sony a700 and a few lenses. Since I switched to Sony, I have been watching Pentax closely. I haven't invested a lot into Sony yet but I do like my camera. If Pentax releases something soon that really suits my needs, I would switch in a minute. I almost did it with the K-7 but the rumours started flying about a replacement. The K-7 has almost all the features I need but I've heard about the ISO issue and I am hoping that will be fixed in the new models. My question is- Is the K-5 the replacement for the K-7 or will there be a K-8?
I like the look of the Pentax line and the prices aren't really that bad compared to others. The fact that there are several prime lenses is one thing that attracts me to Pentax. The weatherproofing and in body stabilization is also a plus. One thing that is VERY important is the ability to adjust for back/front focus. Other lines don't offer this except for their higher priced models. To have this in a camera like the K-7 is awesome! Pentax users should be proud of their cameras and spread the word to the rest of the world. They have a lot to offer.
Although I really like my Sony, I will probably buy a Pentax within the next year. I'm just trying to decide which model I want. I may end up keeping my current camera system too. Variety is a plus! BTW I'm not a fanboy of any brand. I think they all have something good to offer. It just depends on what you need in a system and who has it when you need it.
Do you think there is another camera coming after the K-5? Like a K-8? The only reason I'm asking is because the Number of the model is less K-5 instead of K-8 but the specs look like it is an upgrade to the K-7. I just wanted to verify that the 5 is an upgrade for the 7.

[zackspeed]

K-4?

. . . . . . . . . . . .

yes...he knows more than we all together

[Blue]

K-4?

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Follow the link to Pentax Imaging and you see it was a typo, the 4 is above the r on the keyboard.

[Class A]

Although I really like my Sony, I will probably buy a Pentax within the next year.

What are your reasons to switch from Sony to Pentax? Surely there are some good reasons to do it but I could also think of reasons for switching from Pentax to Sony.

I'm curious in your personal motivation.

[gawan]

Follow the link to Pentax Imaging and you see it was a typo, the 4 is above the r on the keyboard.

I thought so. They have obviously corrected that before I went to the linked page

[wlachan]

I think the truth is that Pentax have not made unique enough products to grab any attention from the general public. We can praise how competitive existing Pentax products are, but to the outside world, they are just another pedestrian products. Panasonic has a short history of making cameras, but people will notice when they released unique products with proper marketing. Olympus was the underdog like Pentax and had a much empty gap between the OM-4 and E-1, but they have better recognition than Pentax today by serious photographers. They must have done something right? So the Pentax management has to ask themselves, what they have been doing wrong the last 2 decades for the decline.

[AGWoodard]

or starters, I would like the K-5 advertised as a full proffesional unit, NOT a semipro

Then you are going to need to support that camera with a Professional Service Center, lens rentals, and more than a 28 lens line up.

Pentax is capitalizing on the social networking market. Smart. Very smart. No one else is doing it with as much flare as Pentax.

But painting cameras fancy colors does nothing to attract the advanced amateur, semi pro, or pro photographer. To be honest, I don't think Pentax even cares. They are selling a crap load of pink Kx's and making money. The bottom line is the bottom line. They market to the under 30 crowd that has a credit card and can afford a 600 buck camera painted in a fancy color. They are not catering or advertising to the people who can afford a $2,000 or more camera.

That's why, I think, you are seeing the third party lens makers dropping the K mount. No one is going to go to the party with a camera bag full of len's. They are going to take their purple Kx and kit 18-55 and tomorrow they will update their face book pages with what they got. Maybe send some photos via E mail to friends.

Which brings us back to the K5. Is it a Pro Camera? From a company that is interested in supporting Professional Photographers?

I think the answer is obvious. There's a lot more to claiming you have a pro camera body than specs.

[Brangdon]

Not a single thread about Pentax news can be found on dpreview Canon or Nikon forum, nor other Canon forums I'm following.

What about non-branded forums?

In the UK although the magazines seem to cater for what they think most of their readers use, Pentax does get some mentions based on merit. For example, the K-x won this recent comparison:
Budget DSLR Cameras ? reghardware

I see the new camera and lens got covered by photographyblog.

Does this forum react when Canon or Nikon make an announcement, or does it wait until more hard data is available?