[normhead]

Urals !!


* Peanut Gallery...from my favourite 1950's Children's TV show, Howdy Doody. Now, Howdy was 'cool'.

All quiet in the peanut gallery!
I don't think you'll ever get it if you didn't watch the show.

[Proudmale]

I got into photography in my forties, so I suppose, yes, they can both be midlife crisis purchases!

I started in my mid 30's, then made the mistake of lending my original Pentax to my daughter for a class trip. The first trp she broke my original telephoto lens when my camera bag ended up at the bottom of everybody's backpack on the class trip. I ate that expense and bought a no name telephoto lens made by Access*Tempo. At least their name was good, but it was a significant step backwards from my Pentax Lens.

2 years later my daughter and my wife convinced me she had learned and my camera would be safe for a school trip from Colorado to England paid for by the students through numerous car washes, bake sales, pizza sales, etc. i.e. -- large contribution from Dad driving old car that was very clean. Then my daughter and my Pentax went to England. She shot numerous rolls of film that were to be developed in a photography class she was going to take where they wouldn't cost anything except for a significant class materials fee that is. When she got back she kept putting me off regarding my camera. Finally, after a week I demanded it and found that through some strange quirk of fate the insides of my camera was full of Sun Screen. Obviously, someone was trying to get back at her, but missed and hit my photo career.


With more kids in the pipeline I decided I just could not afford photography anymore, and went through a few years with disposable cameras. Finally, i crept into series of cheap Digital Cameras. Sci-Pix 1.5 MP, Concord 2.0 MP, Olympus 8 MP, GE X5 10 MP. Then, celebrating reaching 64 I bought me a K-3 and my wife a K-70. The old Pentax is waiting patiently on the shelf if my daughter ever wants to borrow a camera. .

[normhead]

I started in my mid 30's, then made the mistake of lending my original Pentax to my daughter for a class trip. The first trp she broke my original telephoto lens when my camera bag ended up at the bottom of everybody's backpack on the class trip. I ate that expense and bought a no name telephoto lens made by Access*Tempo. At least their name was good, but it was a significant step backwards from my Pentax Lens.

2 years later my daughter and my wife convinced me she had learned and my camera would be safe for a school trip from Colorado to England paid for by the students through numerous car washes, bake sales, pizza sales, etc. i.e. -- large contribution from Dad driving old car that was very clean. Then my daughter and my Pentax went to England. She shot numerous rolls of film that were to be developed in a photography class she was going to take where they wouldn't cost anything except for a significant class materials fee that is. When she got back she kept putting me off regarding my camera. Finally, after a week I demanded it and found that through some strange quirk of fate the insides of my camera was full of Sun Screen. Obviously, someone was trying to get back at her, but missed and hit my photo career.


With more kids in the pipeline I decided I just could not afford photography anymore, and went through a few years with disposable cameras. Finally, i crept into series of cheap Digital Cameras. Sci-Pix 1.5 MP, Concord 2.0 MP, Olympus 8 MP, GE X5 10 MP. Then, celebrating reaching 64 I bought me a K-3 and my wife a K-70. The old Pentax is waiting patiently on the shelf if my daughter ever wants to borrow a camera. .

I never found out what happened to my K-1000. My son borrowed it, turned up without it and never came clean. I have seen some images then with it. But none after his trip to the North West Territories.

[RobA_Oz]

Does anybody else remember the once popular brand Harley Davidson?

It’d be nice just to remember them, without frequently encountering their dischordant barking so often on the street.

Substitute Pentax for Harley and you can get the picture.

Analogies are always fraught. Harley-Davidson (Davidson was the engineer, but never gets the credit) developed the single crank-pin V-twin in order to save manufacturing cost, but at the price of engine efficiency. In that respect, they’re more like Canon, who cripple their non-premium models. I know some would say Pentax crippled the K-mount, but if they did so, it was to advance the technology, not cut the cost.

[Proudmale]

Urals !!

I'm older than 68 and been a motorcycle enthusiast since '65....and a Pentaxian since '68. I may not know 'cool'......but I still have two motorcycles, one a Japanese big single, the other an English vertical twin. Both vintage, one more vintage than the other. I've never had a HD and I've had a few motorcycles. I also have a fair selection of Pentax cameras from the late '60s to to the modern day.

Many motorcyclists...young, middle aged, older like the adventure motorcycles. The prime mover...sales. etc...currently... in this class ....are the BMW G/S series...both F and R models. My son has an F series G/S and I've taken it for a spin or two...very nice...quick, handles well, brakes well..but then after all, it is a Beemer.

A lot of riders who like the HD cruiser / dresser type bike have been shifting over to the Indian motorcycle, made by Polaris. Great looking bikes and some motorcyclists say that the modern Indian is out 'Harleying'....Harley Davidson. I wouldn't know, not having ridden any modern HD/Indian, but the new Indians look real good to my oldster eyes.

And I really love my Pentax K1...also my Ricoh GR....and I don't want to forget my Canon G12.

Just some observations from the Peanut Gallery *.

Les

* Peanut Gallery...from my favourite 1950's Children's TV show, Howdy Doody. Now, Howdy was 'cool'.

I never said I liked Harley, but outside of Triumph they were the main thing you would see back in the early 60s. My Uncle had a Beemer, but they were not that popular back then. Anybody who has ridden those 60s era Harley's should honestly report they got a BBQ on their right leg on long rides. That hot as H oil tank was right there, and it roasted your leg. I think that was one of the main reasons leggings became so popular among the riders.

As noted elsewhere I am a Suzie Q lover and will always love them.

My use of Harley was rather as a real life example of how a huge player in the motorcycle market through a series of collosal mistakes almost became an ex player in the motor cycle market. Does that remind anybody about how Pentax has taken a similar path through a series of mistakes?

[clackers]

The old Pentax is waiting patiently on the shelf if my daughter ever wants to borrow a camera. .

What a tale!

I'm sure you love your daughter very much but she seems to have the camera equivalent of what a gardener would call 'black thumb'.

[Proudmale]

Neither my K20D, nor my K-5 or K-3 ever leaked oil.

Does all of the Sun Screen that somebody put in my SF-10 I foolishly lent my daughter count? Must have been at least 6 ounces in there, permeating my shutter, etc? I have earmarked it for her in my will.

But getting back to my point on dealers, I live in Denver and there is only 1 authorized dealer within 100 miles. They do not sell Pentax Cameras, just service them and the lenses. Hope my lenses don't start leaking.

---------- Post added 06-27-19 at 05:31 PM ----------

What a tale!

I'm sure you love your daughter very much but she seems to have the camera equivalent of what a gardener would call 'black thumb'.

Hey, I love her enough to leave the camera to her in my will. Probably will give her the near new SF10 I got on Ebay earlier this month. The strap is still wrapped up and I cannot find any signs of use inside of it. It won't stay that way for long. I really want to take it out with me on my wheelchair and start shooting some of those rolls I missed out on shooting.

[lesmore49]

I never said I liked Harley, but outside of Triumph they were the main thing you would see back in the early 60s. My Uncle had a Beemer, but they were not that popular back then. Anybody who has ridden those 60s era Harley's should honestly report they got a BBQ on their right leg on long rides. That hot as H oil tank was right there, and it roasted your leg. I think that was one of the main reasons leggings became so popular among the riders.

As noted elsewhere I am a Suzie Q lover and will always love them.

My use of Harley was rather as a real life example of how a huge player in the motorcycle market through a series of collosal mistakes almost became an ex player in the motor cycle market. Does that remind anybody about how Pentax has taken a similar path through a series of mistakes?

I wasn't responding to your particular post and I don't disagree with what you have said. I think you're right.

Another example is the British bike industry back in the 1950's and 1960's. In the '50's BSA was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. British bikes like Triumph, BSA, Norton, Matchless, Ariel, AJS , Royal Enfield, Greeves were sought after throughout the world.

When I started riding in the mid '60's my dream bike was the '67 Triumph 650 TR6C Trophy...or the Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor, Series ll...or the Norton/Matchless 750 Scrambler. * I wasn't alone, many young guys in North America wanted these British performance bikes.

But by the late '60's/early '70's...pretty well all these long time English motorcycle manufacturers were on the ropes...or out of business.

HD wasn't doing too well either and was dicing with going out of business.

But, Japanese motorcycles were more reliable, faster, braked better, durable, didn't leak oil and more modern in design than the British/HD bikes...of that time...and when manufacturers focus on those things...generally they will sell more product. As a result, the Japanese bikes took over the market, new British bikes disappeared, HD almost went down the tubes.

Triumph started again in the '90's and has gone from success to success. They are reliable, durable, very appealing motorcycles and extremely competitive in the marketplace.

I've had Japanese, British and European motorcycles and although I like 'em all...because I'm an enthusiast...when it comes to spending hard earned dollars...most consumers will opt for a motorcycle that is reliable, durable...and of course something that appeals to them from a performance, looks, 'image' standpoint.

I would say the same thing for camera manufacturers.

I haven't discussed effective marketing...and that is always an important factor. I'll leave that for another time.

* I eventually did get a '67 Norton/Matchless 750 Scrambler...the Matchless version. I like it a lot, even though I do have to place an aluminum cake tin underneath the crankcase..to capture that old British bugaboo...dripping oil.

[clackers]

Hey, I love her enough to leave the camera to her in my will.

Very generous of you, Proudmale, I would have probably disinherited her by that stage!

[c.a.m]

through some strange quirk of fate the insides of my camera was full of Sun Screen.

Perhaps she didn't want to attach a UV filter. Many photographers don't use them.

- Craig

[Flyfishanywx]

HAHA try finding a PENTAX in the UK is hard to impossible, they Love their NIKCONs, and CANNONS (yes I know they are spelled wrong)!! I am not sure of the politics behind it, the British are some great photographers but don't like PENTAX??

[CNunez]

HAHA try finding a PENTAX in the UK is hard to impossible, they Love their NIKCONs, and CANNONS (yes I know they are spelled wrong)!! I am not sure of the politics behind it, the British are some great photographers but don't like PENTAX??

The marketing in many european countries are nonexistent unfortunately.

When I'm out shooting jobs I get a lot of people say "Wow, a Pentax! I haven't seen one of those in ages" It's a shame really. Pentax, Ricoh, needs to invest in marketing more. Even just social media. Make their bloody Instagram more active. There are tonnes of pentax shooters worldwide. They share pictures. The problem is, not a lot of professional photographers use Pentax cameras. So getting the nicer looking pictures can be hard to find. But I definitely feel that Pentax/Ricoh aren't doing their bit on Socia Media at the least.


Social Media isn't even expensive to work with as long as you're willing to do the work yourself.

[BigMackCam]

HAHA try finding a PENTAX in the UK is hard to impossible, they Love their NIKCONs, and CANNONS (yes I know they are spelled wrong)!! I am not sure of the politics behind it, the British are some great photographers but don't like PENTAX??

They (we ) certainly like Pentax enough to keep SRS Microsystems, WEX and several other major retailers stocking and selling Pentax gear. Sure, there are many more folks using other brands, but we've plenty of UK members here on the forums

[Wasp]

I like the analogy of the fallen heroes in the motorcycle industry. Not entirely accurate, but it makes a good point about complacent management.

Here is the single product that did the most damage to the Brits:



Norton, Triumph, BSA et al just didn't have the capital to bring out new models to match it. The buyers voted for four cylinder bikes with disc brakes and electric starters over twins with kick start and drum brakes that leaked oil by design.

[Larrymc]

Norton, Triumph, BSA et al just didn't have the capital to bring out new models to match it. The buyers voted for four cylinder bikes with disc brakes and electric starters over twins with kick start and drum brakes that leaked oil by design.

Well at least you knew you had oil in it when you were riding if it was leaking oil when you put it on the center stand.