[MMVIII]

I'm one of those people on the other site.

There's really nothing wrong with the partnership, it's the pricing policy difference that galls. Evidently both lenses have the same list price, but Tokina is much more free with their discounts. As a practical matter, it means you're better off getting another camera than a Pentax if you want the lens.

The pricing policy ties nicely into your other comment. Pentax is keeping a tight grip to maintain their list prices, but usually that's done to keep the margins healthy for B&M stores. But Pentax doesn't have any.

Hm, this is getting interesting now, since the price of the Tokina is really as close as it can get and some preventive complains turned out to be premature the shere fact that there is a comparable product which might be at a certain point cheaper than the original seemt to be the target of dissatisfaction? Poor Ricoh, they really can not do it right ;-)

But being at that, an original product guarantees some additional things a third party may or may not fulfil. There will always be some gambling with reversely engineered mounts and communication protocols. Wasn't there something with the famous Sigma Art and some comeras not focussing correctly? Who do you approach in such cases? Do you send the camera and lens to Sigma? Nikon will probably just refuse to do anything about this fact...

And which camera model would give you the equivalent of a K1(II) with 36 Mpix and image stabilisation with this lens and offering full support for it? I'm speaking of real world use now, not polemics.

[ThorSanchez]

There are a lot of B&M stores over here that have Pentax. Just look at the Pentax site per country.

I live not terribly far from Washington DC and there is one authorized Pentax dealer within 150 miles of my house.

[alcstudios]

I live in the D/FW area and there is one store that carries DSLR products, several come up on the search but all the other ones are Theta only

Luckily the one store is 15 minutes from me, they are awesome to deal with but they do keep the Pentax stock pretty low.

[Larrymc]

Most days I live within 30 feet of my computer and can access reviews and specs then log into B&H, Adorama or Amazon and buy what I want!

[RonHendriks1966]

I live not terribly far from Washington DC and there is one authorized Pentax dealer within 150 miles of my house.

Lucky me then. Within that radius of 150 miles, 240 km, around my house there are 52 million people living and we do have some (even a lot) of shops......that sell Pentax.

Find Population on Map

[alcstudios]

Most days I live within 30 feet of my computer and can access reviews and specs then log into B&H, Adorama or Amazon and buy what I want!

That's true, I would definitely rather support my local mom and pop shop first, the shop in Arlington has the Pentax 70-200 in stock right now for $6 more than B&H or Adorama. I have had to buy online most of the time due to no local stock but at least they recognize the brand and I can get touchy/feely with some stuff.

[lsimpkins]

I live in the D/FW area and there is one store that carries DSLR products, several come up on the search but all the other ones are Theta only

Luckily the one store is 15 minutes from me, they are awesome to deal with but they do keep the Pentax stock pretty low.

Yes, you are lucky. I live about half way between New York City and Washington, D.C. Using the Authorized Ricoh Imaging Americas Dealers web locator, I see more than 60 "Dealers" within 100 miles. However, the closest that carries other than Theta products is more than 60 miles away. And that "Dealer" is a distributor that doesn't mention Pentax among its various brands and products such as fish finders and toilets for boats. And we actually have a couple of decent camera shops in the area.


So the good old USofA seems to be treated as a backwater. I know most of the reasons - Asia is the major market, carrying product is a two sided issue (dealers don't want to be stuck with unsold inventory), American buyers exhibit herd mentality, etc., but it is frustrating. Still keeping up the hope that things will improve.

[Dipsoid]

Most days I live within 30 feet of my computer and can access reviews and specs then log into B&H, Adorama or Amazon and buy what I want!

If my local Target didn't have a K-50 in stock, I would have never bought a K-3 from B&H. Being able to touch and feel is really important for me. The K-50 reassured me with it's wildly superior build quality to the Rebels and D3100's/D5300s it sat next to. Now, every authorized RI retailer location within 200 miles of me is "Theta Product Only" while my local camera store has every camera brand in stock to pick up and look at except Pentax. My local Best Buy even carries Fuji cameras now. 2014 me would have just bought a Nikon instead.

[ThorSanchez]

That's true, I would definitely rather support my local mom and pop shop first, the shop in Arlington has the Pentax 70-200 in stock right now for $6 more than B&H or Adorama. I have had to buy online most of the time due to no local stock but at least they recognize the brand and I can get touchy/feely with some stuff.

The only store within 200 miles of me, Dominion/Ace Camera is on the far side of the beltway, 54 miles away. And their website lists a new old stock K-7 for the low, low price of $1099. Although they do have a K-1ii for only $103 more than B&H. I considered going by a month ago when I was in the market for a 55-300 PLM but they don't have it in stock.

[Larrymc]

Well you just need to slide on over to the camera store and get intimate with that lens and support your local shop. Shops in my area are none existent.

[Dipsoid]

Well you just need to slide on over to the camera store and get intimate with that lens and support your local shop. Shops in my area are none existent.

I do that already, get all of my film developed there, buy most film there, and have bought a couple of lenses for my wife's Canon there. I would have bought all of my Pentax gear there if I could.

[Larrymc]

If my local Target didn't have a K-50 in stock, I would have never bought a K-3 from B&H. Being able to touch and feel is really important for me. The K-50 reassured me with it's wildly superior build quality to the Rebels and D3100's/D5300s it sat next to. Now, every authorized RI retailer location within 200 miles of me is "Theta Product Only" while my local camera store has every camera brand in stock to pick up and look at except Pentax. My local Best Buy even carries Fuji cameras now. 2014 me would have just bought a Nikon instead.

After handling both the big box store consumer Nikons and Canons and discovering that some of their Kit lens were not stabilized that made me look further. When I discovered that the K-50 had IBIS like my Panasonic FZ35 and at a more than competetive price point I decided on Pentax plus it was and is a brand that the masses don't have, right up my contrarian alley. My K-50 purchase led me to the K-3, I still own my K-50 also and I don't regret buying either.

[sculptor666]

After handling both the big box store consumer Nikons and Canons and discovering that some of their Kit lens were not stabilized that made me look further. When I discovered that the K-50 had IBIS like my Panasonic FZ35 and at a more than competetive price point I decided on Pentax plus it was and is a brand that the masses don't have, right up my contrarian alley. My K-50 purchase led me to the K-3, I still own my K-50 also and I don't regret buying either.

they should change the name of this website to contrarian alley

[Dipsoid]

After handling both the big box store consumer Nikons and Canons and discovering that some of their Kit lens were not stabilized that made me look further. When I discovered that the K-50 had IBIS like my Panasonic FZ35 and at a more than competetive price point I decided on Pentax plus it was and is a brand that the masses don't have, right up my contrarian alley. My K-50 purchase led me to the K-3, I still own my K-50 also and I don't regret buying either.

If I wasn't clear, I don't regret my purchase one tiny bit, I just lament that 2014 me would have never bought into Pentax if I had today's market, if I never had the chance to pick up and hold a Pentax, I probably would have just bought a Nikon.

[Larrymc]

they should change the name of this website to contrarian alley

Yep, my address is 100 Contrarian Way, Curmudgeonville