[philbaum]

I think its a whole lot less frustrating not to be brand loyal. As an example, In 2010, IIRC, Sony came out with Nex cameras, namely the 3 and 5 models, that were equipped with tilting LCDs. I really wanted one of them tilting LCDs. When it became clear that Pentax not only wasn't interested in tilting LCDs or mirrorless APS models, i simply bought a Nex, and then one more ;-) After 4 years has gone by, Pentax finally equipped the 645Z with a tilting LCD and Nikon equipped the D750 with one as well. If there is a feature that you want, just go out and buy the camera model you want that has it. Once i had camera models from 2 different brands, i found myself to be less critical of individual manufacturers.

[MarkJerling]

I'm on my 7th Ford and my 4th Pentax! I'm afraind I'm brand loyal!

[interested_observer]

Brand loyalty is not (at least in my feeble mind) all about always getting/having the latest and/or the best (in gear). In photography its about taking images and when you have the need/want to upgrade, having the support from the manufacturer that the product line provides current capabilities. I doubt that I will ever leave Pentax, I don't need FF - and they are offering competitive products. Also, I really do not want to dump all my glass and get new - so I am stuck to a degree (by design). Just an pokey hobbyist - but I do feel like I have the capability, talent and skills for at least 10 really spectacular images in my life time.

On the flip side, the manufacturer should strive to keep their current customers. Maintaining their current customers is a lot cheaper than having to go out and capture new customers. So, its a matter of economics to them - in particular optimal marketing (or in Pentax's case very minimal marketing).

[philbaum]

I've owned other brands of cameras and jokes aside I don't feel at all guilty about it. Currently I am shooting M43 half the time with the Olympus E-P3. It's a great little camera. I love the versatility of M43, the small kit size, and so far I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the lenses I own. Does that mean I'm going to dump my K-30 and jump ship anytime soon? Heck no.

The smaller M43 camera fulfills a need that I have photographically speaking. It's very good for stealth photography, for making official type people who might not want me to take shots in a particular place not take the camera in my hand too seriously. It doesn't do everything my K-30 does as well, it's definitely not quite as good in terms of ergonomics, and it's definitely not weather resistant. But the E-P3 has it's uses and that's why I currently have two of them. The E-P3 will never, ever replace my K-30's though. It's just not going to happen. They just couldn't. Period.

I chose Pentax years ago over Nikon and Canon for several reasons, ergonomics, backward lens capacity, ease of use, quality of gear and I have had little reason to doubt my choice ever since. Yeah I am a brand loyalist, but in the end the camera you use is a tool and you have to pick the best tool for your needs. Would I ever completely sell out? No. I will always have a Pentax as my main camera. I like them way too much and am so comfortable using them to ever quit. But if I needed FF or needed a more sports oriented camera, for instance, then yes, I would go out and find the best Nikon for the job. I'm not oblivious to the fact that their are other camera brands in the world. I just choose to use Pentax as my main system. Other brands, they'll come and go. But my Pentax cameras I will definitely keep and use till either they finally give up the ghost or I feel like I need an upgrade to a newer Pentax.
....
FYI, my one teacher who has more money and gear than I can even mentally process (Walking into his storage room would make any gear aficionado weep...) who has top line cameras from just about every brand out there and who uses them all pretty much for work, he actually prefers his Pentax cameras when it comes to his personal work and his leisure shooting. So there you go, for all the hooplah about Leica, Nikon, Canon, etc, all of which he owns, he still shoots all the time with Pentax gear....

The first thing this guy ever taught me was that the camera is just a tool and he made sure that I could shoot well with anything from a pinhole camera to the latest DSLR's without so much as a blink of an eye. I can also do digital imaging with just about any software out there made for the job. Do I need to? Not really, but that versatility has served me well from time to time. I can pick up a Canon or a Nikon and head off to shoot no problem. I'd usually prefer to pick up a Pentax instead but if Nikon or Canon is what's needed for the job and I'm handed one and told to use it I won't balk.

Besides all I've mentioned above there is one good reason from brand loyalty that in the end decides it for me and that's money. I've built a very strong kit of Pentax gear over the years. Switching brands often means you have to start all over again. I just don't see the point of that unless you absolutely have to once you've begun to acquire a decent amount of gear from one brand. What's the point of shopping for gear from whomever if you already have a full kit of gear from a brand that basically works for you? The beauty of my Pentax kit is that not only can it be used together if I want I can actually use a lot of it on my Olympus cameras too. Or on a Nikon or a Canon for that matter if I so chose. All I'd need is an adapter and I'm ready to go. The other brands they have some of that adaptability, but not nearly enough for me, and that is why I am a Pentaxian above all.

The only thing I am loyal to is the result, the photograph. If Pentax can't give me what I need, then I use another brand-Nikon, Panasonic, even Ricoh!

When I die, if people talk more about the cameras that I owned than the photos that I took then I failed as a photographer.

The above quotes pretty much says it all. I would add that there seems to be a transition that occurs with an experienced photographer. A newbie tends to buy everything in sight that he or she can afford. The enthusiast or professional has more experience and style - tends to buy only that which is needed to do the job, paying attention to portability and other factors.

[mariakruse]

If you buy only m42, MF lenses, then brand loyalty is less of an issue!

This thread reminds me of a post from Gordon Lewis' now inactive, Shutterfinger blog:

Shutterfinger: What Your Choice of Camera Says About You

Cheers,
Lou

And what's wrong with day-glow red cameras?
maria

---------- Post added 11-08-14 at 11:15 AM ----------

Brand loyalty is not (at least in my feeble mind) all about always getting/having the latest and/or the best (in gear). In photography its about taking images and when you have the need/want to upgrade, having the support from the manufacturer that the product line provides current capabilities. I doubt that I will ever leave Pentax, I don't need FF - and they are offering competitive products. Also, I really do not want to dump all my glass and get new - so I am stuck to a degree (by design). Just an pokey hobbyist - but I do feel like I have the capability, talent and skills for at least 10 really spectacular images in my life time.

On the flip side, the manufacturer should strive to keep their current customers. Maintaining their current customers is a lot cheaper than having to go out and capture new customers. So, its a matter of economics to them - in particular optimal marketing (or in Pentax's case very minimal marketing).

I really like my Pentax cameras, better than any others I have tried, but their customer service needs a great deal of improvement.
maria

[tim60]

I don't understand such a thing like brand loyalty.

If Canon of Nikon brought out a K-mount DSLR I would have to look at it, but since their current range cannot suit my current set of lens they are not worth bothering with. Simple choice for them!


If I was looking for a P&S brand does not matter since it is a stand alone product.

[monochrome]

Interesting viewpoint, but I just don't care what the writer thinks - or anyone else, for that matter. I have what I have, I like what I like and I chose what I chose. Someone else' reasoning isn't my reason.

[tim60]

You can probably see I like the things I have and find they work for me. I have no desire to change and certainly cannot afford a total change of system from one to another replacing all the parts of my system I have collected over decades.

[kadajawi]

Because my son lost our Panasonic Lumix P&S camera almost two weeks ago, I've been shopping for a replacement. It's mostly for my wife, but I've been doing the research and we've been to a couple of stores to see what she likes. As we all know it's mostly C & N brand cameras in the stores. I would buy a Ricoh or Pentax if it was close to what I'm looking for price-wise. I'm turned off by the idea of buying a C or N camera just because they don't need another sale.

This got me feeling bad for new folks looking to jump into a DSLR or other system beyond the P&S line. I'm sure there are many people who care more about getting the right camera than the name above the lens. How many folks come home with a camera and think, "is that all there is to choose from?" or "is this (C or N) really the best one or is there a store I missed that sells other cameras?"

It's easy for me to buy a camera... I'm stupid loyal to Pentax because it's all I've owned so why stop now. All this dead end shopping makes me want to give up and settle for the cell phone pics... I wonder how many people give up when the only two brands in the stores don't meet their camera needs.

I disagree. For entry level point & shoots I prefer Canon, they usually have the strongest offerings, higher end Sony and Panasonic are pretty awesome (LX100... a GH4, with a great and flexible lens, in a tiny body, at a, for what is offered, extremely reasonable price. How on earth did they do that?!). DSLRs I like Pentax... been with Pentax for 6 years now (before that a point & shoot from Canon, and before that a Nikon FM2 that unfortunately stopped working). However Pentax is doing everything to alienate me, so that now I am probably going to leave the brand. They are stagnating, and unless they get their act together and at least show some effort I'll be gone once my camera gives up (and not to full frame...).


I do still smile a bit every time I see a Pentax on the street (rarely happens), and I would LIKE to recommend the brand to others, though sadly I can't these days.

[MarkJerling]

I disagree. For entry level point & shoots I prefer Canon, they usually have the strongest offerings, higher end Sony and Panasonic are pretty awesome (LX100... a GH4, with a great and flexible lens, in a tiny body, at a, for what is offered, extremely reasonable price. How on earth did they do that?!). DSLRs I like Pentax... been with Pentax for 6 years now (before that a point & shoot from Canon, and before that a Nikon FM2 that unfortunately stopped working). However Pentax is doing everything to alienate me, so that now I am probably going to leave the brand. They are stagnating, and unless they get their act together and at least show some effort I'll be gone once my camera gives up (and not to full frame...).


I do still smile a bit every time I see a Pentax on the street (rarely happens), and I would LIKE to recommend the brand to others, though sadly I can't these days.

With respect, but I don't think you can accuse Pentax for not showing "some effort".
Here's why:

• There's the superb 645Z.
• The K-3, a multi award winning DSLR!
• Several very good waterproof options in the WG series.
• We know Rikoh's working on a FF camera. (Confirmed)
• New lenses are being released.
• Canon is not ahead of the curve - sorry!
• Then there's the Q - great little camera.

It sounds like you have already made up your mind, so best of luck with your new brand!

[kadajawi]

With respect, but I don't think you can accuse Pentax for not showing "some effort".
Here's why:

• There's the superb 645Z.
• The K-3, a multi award winning DSLR!
• Several very good waterproof options in the WG series.
• We know Rikoh's working on a FF camera. (Confirmed)
• New lenses are being released.
• Canon is not ahead of the curve - sorry!
• Then there's the Q - great little camera.

It sounds like you have already made up your mind, so best of luck with your new brand!

* The 645Z is not what I need, and way above budget.
* The K-3 is a step forward in terms of stills, but for me a big step backwards in terms of video. For stills the K-5 almost completely satisfies me, and so would probably most other of the better cameras --> the differentiator is video, and Pentax is very disappointing there and shows that they don't listen to customer feedback. At all.
* If you want waterproof, why not go with the Nikon AW1? A water proof interchangeable lens camera with a 1" sensor.
* FF isn't interesting to me... a K-5/3 is as big and heavy as I'd ever be willing to go.
* Canon is seriously lagging behind on DSLRs and mirrorless. I'm talking about Samsung. They are offering a pro level body with an APS-C sensor that is far more advanced than any other APS-C sensor on the market, a really fast processor, good stills and video capabilities, and all of that in a small, light weight and weather sealed body. Hopefully they haven't screwed up...

[Clavius]

* The 645Z is not what I need, and way above budget.
* The K-3 is a step forward in terms of stills, but for me a big step backwards in terms of video. For stills the K-5 almost completely satisfies me, and so would probably most other of the better cameras --> the differentiator is video, and Pentax is very disappointing there and shows that they don't listen to customer feedback. At all.
* If you want waterproof, why not go with the Nikon AW1? A water proof interchangeable lens camera with a 1" sensor.
* FF isn't interesting to me... a K-5/3 is as big and heavy as I'd ever be willing to go.
* Canon is seriously lagging behind on DSLRs and mirrorless. I'm talking about Samsung. They are offering a pro level body with an APS-C sensor that is far more advanced than any other APS-C sensor on the market, a really fast processor, good stills and video capabilities, and all of that in a small, light weight and weather sealed body. Hopefully they haven't screwed up...

I don't see that Samsung camera you're referring to as any kind of threat for any other system untill they have some kind of lens line out.

[kadajawi]

I don't see that Samsung camera you're referring to as any kind of threat for any other system untill they have some kind of lens line out.

I need something like an 18-55, maybe a bit wider, something like a 80-200, and a 50mm. Then I'm happy. Maybe an ultra wide angle, but if I really need one I have a panoramic head that allows me to go even further. I can understand how others need more lenses, but for me that's pretty much it.


What's more worrying is that WR lenses are rather expensive. And the lens line-up will surely come. Besides, I can always use almost any other lens ever made on the Samsung through an adapter, and while I wouldn't have AF, the camera will probably have a very good MF assistance system to make manual focusing really easy (it's rather hard on a Pentax thanks to the OVF).

[Wired]

Theres brand loyality, theres hoping, but then there is also getting the right tool for the right job.

I run K, F, Q, and 645 (for film only) mounts, and I choose the correct system for the job. This does mean I run two different brands. Heck, if I didn't have other gear priorities I would probably still have my m4/3 system as well. While some can say it's silly and stupid to be supporting multiple camera systems, I on the other hand see the advantages of shooting with multiple systems.

In a perfect world...

645 for fashion and studio portraits
D800 for fashion, portraits, and landscapes
K3 for live bands, and secondary camera for fashion and portraits (can't leave the FA77 at home!)
GH4 for video work (that audio grip.... and 4k video, yes please!)
OMD EM5 for street (tiltiy screen, small lenses)
Q for travel and family gatherings

But the wife and toddler say that won't happen anytime soon...


Each system has benifits and cons, even within the same brand. Canon point and shoots I love and adore, but I can't stand how the DSLR's handle egronomically wise. The Pentax K system is all about stupendous primes. Panasonic seems to be targeting video creators. Leica seem to be targeting people with way too much money. Sony can't figure out what they are doing...

[kadajawi]

Sony seems to be trying a throw everything at a wall and see what sticks approach... they are really creative and innovative, but do lack some consistency, which is a problem in terms of lenses and giving customers reassurance that their mount/camera will be properly supported a few years down the road.