[JackFromAdelaide]

I just read the new review of DSLR cameras in the Australian Choice magazine this month. As usual it is a flock of Canikons and a few other ring ins. I subscribe so I can see the paywall content and they did review the K3. However they gave it a mediocre review.

I am just wondering, for those of you who live in other countries than Australia. Do your consumer magazines consistently ignore Pentax as well? This can't help the profile of the camera since your average punter will usually buy the top camera on the list and not even look at the others.

I notice that even DPReview has given the K3 a mighty thumbs up!

[RockvilleBob]

My sense is that magazines anywhere in the world need advertising.
He who has the gold makes the rules.
Nikon and Canon spend a lot on advertising. I am not sure how Pentax's advertising rates compared to those two but I would guess a small percentage.
I sense DPReview was humiliated into finally putting out a review of the K-3

[rbefly]

Hello Jack, welcome to the Forum!
I'd say the American print mags are generally fair but often short and incomplete, in their coverage of Pentax DSLR's.
However, the online reviews worldwide are another story entirely; https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/243394-k-3-reviews-so-far.html
With a couple of exceptions, they're all in praise of the K-3 and several describe it as the best APS-C DSLR available. Comparable and even superior to, the Canon 70D and the Nikon D7100, at least in several/most areas of performance.
Which must be countered by their product's lack of store on-shelf presence, little advertising and small userbase.
With just a couple camera/lens introductions each year, they can't (and shouldn't) try to compete with C/N's constant upgrading and headline-grabbing.
So, generally, any good publicity helps, but it's still an uphill battle!
Ron

[OregonJim]

In the late '70s to early '80s, I recall Pentax and Nikon being the 'big two', with Canon having a smaller presence, behind even Minolta and Olympus. All of the local camera stores carried the full Pentax K-line prominently, with Nikon's F-series right next to them. Anything else was on the back shelf (except maybe the OM-1). I wish it were the same today - alas, the culture has changed. Today, marketing is king. There are too many people who don't have the desire to do their own research, because we're now in a spoon-fed culture. When they want to buy a big-ticket item, they log onto Facebook and ask "What's the best (insert-your-product-here)?". Whoever answers first determines what they buy. Or, they let Google search do the work for them. If something doesn't show up in the top 3 hits, they don't even consider it. Those who spend the most money to get their name into the general populations's consciousness, win. In many ways, things were much better before the Internet.

[photolady95]

Thread moved to appropriate forum, i.e., General Photography. General Talk is for non photography discussions only.

[SpecialK]

Much depends on how/what you are reviewing. If you think a rotating LCD is good, then Canon +, Pentax -.

[arnold]

I just read the new review of DSLR cameras in the Australian Choice magazine this month.

These magazines are consumer magazines, and carry their share of bias, ignorance and incompetence. It is best to read them as just an opinion, keeping an enquiring mind. I put little weight in their final conclusions, but read what facts they have in order to make up my own mind.

[Susinok]

I saw a K-3 review in Shutterbug. I read the K50 Review in Popular Photography (The red camera made the cover!) I know many of the magazines have been talking about the 675Z coming up. So the reviews do exist. What I do not see is adds for Pentax cameras.

[Sigmund]

Choice is a member organisation and the magazine is funded by member fees or public article purchases.

The review was done by some euro crowd.

Frankly I find it odd to mix camera types in a review. In my book quality is about fitness for purpose; mix the purposes and you have to run with mixed criteria for assessment. And there was a huge list of data items.