[jimr-pdx]

I used Pentax SLRs from 1982-99 but decided to go with something smaller. Wandered from 35mm compacts to digital for a few years, but in 2008 decided a big sensor was within reach. The Ritz salesman could not make my M40 pancake work with his Pentax model, and I stupidly believed him & after much research and test-imaging went with the Sony A200. (I should have chosen the Oly E500 but felt the anti-shake stuff was ideal for me, the E500 took the best images of anything in the store and came with 2 lenses!) I just missed the A700 selloff at Best Buy for just slightly more than the A200, enjoyed the Alpha and finally looked for an upgrade. Sony wasn't into that, they were reinventing themselves with the 5-series and entirely new ergonomics. Given the fact that I'd need to learn a new way to interact with a camera, I shifted home to Pentax with a refurb K100d. Bummer, I'd traded in the M40 pancake earlier on Alpha gear, after keeping it from my '90s kit all that time!

Once in Pentax land I tried to love the K-7 but couldn't. In my disappointment I retreated to K200d and micro-43 gear with Lumix G1, GH1 and GF2 passing through. Finally on 1/1/12 I picked up the K-5 that I still have, retrained myself to use my right eye, and the rest is.. history being written All the m43 gear is now gone.

My wife wants to learn about photography, and she feels we should have identical gear so she can see how we do things differently. We have matching Qs with 02 zooms, and when they went superclearance also two X-5s (she loves tilt screens!) I have a K-s1 on order, and when it arrives a lot of these small cameras could go (she likes the K-s1 look, tilt screen or no!!). One Q will remain though, as I hope to make it my astro-camera with 1¼" telescope adapter in hand.

I don't plan to seek out a FF Pentax (other than my ME 'SE'), but I have plenty of FF primes and zooms covering 17-300mm... just in case

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Last edited by jimr-pdx; 09-17-2014 at 08:48 AM.

[Biro]

Although I started in photography with a 100% manual Minolta SRT-200 in the mid-1970s, my first Pentax didn't come until 2008, when I purchased a brand-new K200D kit that included the DA* 16-50, 50-135, FZ360 flash and a battery grip. I had considered Canon and Nikon but found Pentax offered a much better balance of features and value - specifically weather resistance and less-expensive but very good lenses. The less-expensive lenses didn't last long. It was only about a year before the prices began to soar under Hoya's control. Still, I managed to collect a very full line-up of Pentax glass before the second round of price hikes made buying much more too expensive a proposition.

And it is that Pentax glass that keeps me around. Mind you, I still think Pentax DSLRs are excellent. I currently have a K-5 and K-5IIs but if I were starting from scratch today and didn't already have a large collection of K-mount lenses, I might very well skip traditional DSLRs completely and go all-mirrorless. Along the way, I also dabbled with the K-01 and the original Q but ended up selling both because I wasn't using them enough - not because I didn't like them. Both were a lot of fun. I still may pick up a Q7 on closeout because I still have both the OVF, Q-to-K-mount converter and four extra batteries.

Ironically, the Pentax lenses I use the least are the DA* 16-50 and 50-135. Too big and too heavy for my tastes, although neither has given me SDM trouble. The lenses I use the most: The DA Limiteds, the DA 12-24, the DA 18-250 (believe it or not) and the Sigma 30 f/1.4. I'm interested in the 16-85 and the 135-400, neither of which has hit the market yet, and I'd love a Pentax version of the Tamron 16-300 with WR. The final cost of the first two lenses will determine if I own them and the new superzoom may be wishful thinking. But my days of buying $1000 lenses are over.

[Eagle_Friends]

Bought a K-x back in 09, loved that little white camera and the image quality it produces. Felt lacking in control so I bought a K-5 in 2011. The extra control and increased ISO performance was very welcoming. Auto focus is still... alright, but the thing that annoyed me most was buffer write speed. I take 3-5 burst shots and have to sit through 5-10 seconds before I can preview them, it is really bad.

Bought a Fuji X-T1 earlier this year, loving the camera. Loving the speed, the size, the control, and no more concern about buffering. I take a series of photos and I can review them instantaneously. I actually prefer the Pentax sensor and color rendition and DNG support for raw because I mainly post process in Photoshop, but Fuji's codec is getting better and better.

I am planing to stick with Pentax for at least another year as I use it mainly for hiking trip due to its superior built. Hopefully the FF rumors are true and we'll see a much improved camera by 2015. The K-3 is an incredible camera, but I don't feel the increase in performance justify an upgrade yet. Maybe a FF would, I do have FF glass.

[johnmflores]

Great responses so far everyone! I'm enjoying reading everyone's story without the rancor and debate. Let's keep it going!

[blackcloudbrew]

I think this is the third or fourth time a thread like this has been posted since 2009 (when I became a member of this forum). I think it is occasionally good to review/restate why we chose Pentax. Personally, my first SLR was a Minolta SRT-201 as I recall back in 1976, I loved that thing and used it for many years. Minolta always seemed to get it right. Time passed and so did cameras, converted to APS systems in the 1990's but I got my first digital camera a FujiFilm 3mp camera in 2003. In 2008 when I decided to upgrade, I found that well my old friend Minolta had gone the way of the dodo and that small collection of MD lenses I had were essentially useless to me anyway. Doing some research, I found that Pentax (a brand I remembered from the 1960's as being quite good) was still around and...their K10d was 1) in my price range, 2) 2 to 3 times less expensive than Canon or Nikon, and 3) weather resistant to boot. As I like to be out doing stuff, the combination of price/weather resistance did it for me and I bought in. There was a LOT I did not know about Pentax, DSLRs, lenses, yada, yada, yada. Soon afterwards, I began to discover that I had gotten a camera system that 1) felt good in my hand, 2) always seems to have the thing you want in a logical place, 3) I've loved the color produced by the cameras, and 4) opened up my eyes to the vast amount of good old quality lenses. I think to I sort like being that one 'Pentax Guy' in a bunch of photographers out on a photo meet up. I've found that I tend to always know more that most about my camera system than the typical Canon or Nikon shooter. As I've also gone back to b&w film, having older lenses is a big plus too.

Since 2008, I've added a K100ds (IR converted), K20d, K5, and now my silver K3 as well to the mix. I'm hooked and remain that way.

My longer term goals are either a 645d or 645z. I have to 645 film bodies and some nice A and FA lenses. I like medium format and every time I've had my hands on a 645d...well...I don't want to give it back. Someday!

[stillshot2]

I bought into Sony when I first got into photography because there was a really good deal on an entry level DSLR with 2 kit lenses. But when Sony turned to using pellicle mirrors and electronic viewfinders I tried the Sony a55 and ended up not liking it so much. I then sold off everything including some amazing Minolta glass and made the switch. I bought into Pentax because of the Pentaprism found in the K30, better ISO performance, in-camera-body image stabilization, and the fact that Pentax had the lenses I wanted for better prices. I was close to buying into Nikon, but in the end I guess I wanted to be different.

[ruggiex]

3 of us were looking into DSLR. 2 of them went with Canon per a photographer friend's suggestion because he shoots Canon, but for me K-x was far better in term of performance to price ratio. Plus, I was drawn to the white color body of K-x -- it was truly unique at the time. Fast forward to today, while Pentax no longer has as big price to performance advantage there's really nothing that I do with my hobby that I can't do with Pentax system. So there's simply no huge reason to switch. Lately I've been getting into taking star photos and there's simply no inexpensive replacement for OGPS-1.

I TA at a local school and have to help students with their cameras all the time. I find, ergonomically, Pentax just can't be beat. Sure there are things they can still improve such as adding more customization to firmware but the physical aspect of the camera, the button layouts just feel right. Other manufactures may decide to skip the grip on smaller cameras (i.e. Q) in favor of slicker look, Pentax doesn't. That is the kind of design philosophy I can get behind.

MILC has tempted me for its smaller size (but weight doesn't seem to change as drastically) and Fuji's philosophy feels similar to Pentax. I got an XM-1 to mess around. However, that area of technology is still moving very quickly and I have no interest to 'beta test' for them. I'll wait another 4-5 years to seriously consider having a MILC companion. By then, I think Ricoh/Pentax will have something but whether I stick with them is to be seen.

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Last edited by ruggiex; 09-17-2014 at 09:55 AM.

[monochrome]

In the late 60's and into the early 70's at my school the newspaper and yearbook used Spotmatics and Super-Tak's. My classmates' parents let them use their Canons and Nikons but my parents were stretched so I used the school cameras - and lusted after something newer.

My grandmother gave me a KX and K50/1.4 and ER Case kit in 1977 as a college graduation present.

I chose an MESuper / M50/1.4 / AF200S / ER boxed kit as a sales contest award from the spiff book in 1984. My business partner chose golf clubs, but when he saw mine his comment was, "Oh, you got the FAST lens!! Good choice!!"

Those cameras served me for many years, while my wife toted a succession of Canon, Minolta and Yashica PnS cameras that, frankly, were easier to use and did the job better than I was doing with fancy gear.

When my older daughter chose Photography as her required art elective the school supplied her an elderly K1000 and M50/2. I lent her my M50/1.4, her work was praised and she followed the path into and through college and into her career. During college she was accepted to an intensive 6 week B&W resident Winter-term course at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiqui, NM (think Ansel Adams landscapes) that required a fully-manual camera body. We had the KX CLA'ed and I bought a simple bag of lenses (m28, the m50, m100) on eBay, Y2, O2 and YG filters and a brick of TMAX and Tri-X. By the time she got back she had been proselytized, gave me back the Pentax and bought a Rebel.

I bought a second-hand Olympus E-20n to photograph all this stuff for sale on eBay - and promptly fell back in love with photography. So I sold the Oly and started buying, trying and selling every Pentax camera body and lens I could get my hands on that I had ever wanted but could never afford. When the K10D was released in a fit of personal lunacy I called Adorama and ordered one. Then an FA50/1.4, an FA35/2, a DA55~300 . . . . . . .

It has been a journey. I am familiar with Pentax. I know how to use Pentax, how to compensate for shortcomings and utilize strengths. I enjoy using my film lenses on digital bodies, but that happens less frequently now. I've started the process of letting the lusted-after lenses that I don't use but wanted to hold - letting those lenses go to another user and buying a replacement that I will use (FA43/1.9, for instance).

Harking back to my earlier days, I use the Q7 more than my SLR's and dSLR's combined and my wife uses her Q every day. When our Nikon friends look at our cameras - after all, they're our friends - they ask what we know that they don't (jerks just sneer). We say, "Nothing, really, they're all good now - we just like the way Pentax works and feels, and we have lenses."

That's about all.

[6BQ5]

I think we all bought into Pentax not because of the "WHAT", or the "HOW", but the "WHY". Everyone makes a great "WHAT". Sony, Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, etc all make great cameras. I would agree with the idea that there are no bad cameras nowadays. Even smartphone based cameras are very, very good. Everyone generally follows the same "HOW". Hire the best people who are passionate about photography and technology. Motivate them with a good salary and the joy of the work they do. The real differentiation is in the "WHY". We believe what Pentax believes. We believe in capturing still images in a variety of environments. We believe the camera should be with us. We believe in small. We believe in being able to use almost any lens we want (freedom, right?). We believe in standing out from the crowd and that inspires us to take images we probably wouldn't have taken otherwise.

I didn't come up with this idea. It comes from Simon Sinek, author of "Start With Why". He has some interesting ideas of why people buy into things. Google his name and check out some of his Youtube videos.

[esrandall]

New to the arena, with the K-50 being my one and only DSLR (have since added an MX-1, and an ME Super). I started pouring myself into camera research and reviews back in December of last year, with me looking for a new hobby (PC gamer/builder/overclocker). As most of us know, it's tough to get your hands on a Pentax DSLR in any retail stores, so I started checking out the Canon and Nikon stuff. Everything I could afford felt funky in my hands. Either too small, too plasticky, or buttons in awkward spots. My best friend was a Pentax shooter, and I was always impressed with the pictures he made with his K-5. He's getting ready to retire, and transitioning back to photography as a full-time hobby, and we were both excited that my interests were leaning that way. He loaned me his backup kit (K10D + DA 18-55 + Tamron 70-300), along with the camera manual -- and told me to get shooting. Where I was so concerned about features and abilities, I was also careful to remember that ergonomics were huge. Being a PC gamer, and a gear-hound, I had amassed a collection of gaming mice that would make anybody you know cry for fiscal mercy. The common theme had been me trying something new...only to find out quickly that it didn't feel right in the hand...so it just sat in my "mouse corral"...collecting dust. Other than putting your hand on a mouse at Best Buy, there aren't really any places that allow you to try PC peripherals before you buy -- so be assured I was going to take full advantage of my buddy's generous offer. Turned out that the K10D felt great in my hands over the course of the couple weeks I used her. There is one local camera shop that sells Pentax within a 100+ miles of my location, so I went down and checked out a K-50. It was a little smaller, but felt just as right as the K10D -- lock and load, bust out the Visa.

Easily the best birthday present I've ever given myself. I've since added the ME Super and MX-1, more so out of brand loyalty/familiarity than anything else. The MX-1 feels decent in my hands, and the results are great, and the ME Super has been an inexpensive foray into the film world. Like a lot of Pentax folks, I feel the auto focus struggles sometimes, so I see a used K-3 in my future. That could also be the gear-hound in me talking

[odyseuss]

I got into digital photography with a Nikon D100. Upgraded to D200 shortly after its release in 2005. When I was using D100/D200,
I was not very happy with the color rendering of Nikon's JPEG engine. This is subjective, but Nikon's skin tone looks very "plastic"-like
at that time. And I often had trouble getting satisfying "green" in landscape works.

I got fed up with Nikon's color rendering issue and decided to jump the wagon. I switched to Canon, started with 5D, then 5D Mark II, and
finally Mark III. I also owned several L and non-L glasses along the way. Although I liked Canon's color rendition a lot, these gears still didn't
feel right to me. I like travel light. I typically bring one or two lenses with me. With a small bag, the full-frame gears still weights a lot. In around
2011, I started looking for alternatives to replace my Canon: the new system does not have to be in full-frame format, but it has to be light-weight.
I had tried Fujifilm's X100 for a while, and liked its design. But again, I didn't quite like Fuji's color interpretation.

Then one day I bumped into a couple pictures from my friend's flickr photo stream. Colors of these photos just hit the sweet spot of my taste:
natural and refreshing skin tone and, finally, green looks like green, and blue looks like blue. From the EXIFs, I know that my friend was using
a Pentax K-5. That, was my first encounter with Pentax.

I started researching Pentax's camera system, and found several advantages over my Canons: K-5's relatively small and light-weight form
factor, excellent color rendering, weather resistant body, and in-camera shake reduction. On top of that, Pentax's DA/FA limited lenses are
small (great!) and solid performers. On paper, Canon's 5D Mark III outperforms Pentax K-5 in almost every aspect. But I know I want a light,
small, and reliable camera that fits my photography style. So I decided to give Pentax a try, and in about 2012 I sold all my Canon gears and
became a Pentax user.

I can say that I am quite happy with my decision. Pentax may not be a major player in the DSLR market, and who knows if they will ever
enter the full-frame realm. But to me, Pentax wins because of the design philosophy behind its camera system: small and reliable. I am also
a big fan of the way Pentax sees colors. I hope they can stick with these traditions, and keep making good and small cameras and lenses.

[ppppsssstttt]

I've always had different branded cameras. Panasonic, Fuji, Canon. All compact or bridge cameras. Pentax dSLR was introduced to me by a friend who was using it with some older film lenses. I really liked the feel of the build quality and ergonomics. I also try to think about longevity, so the idea of AA's was appealing -- specially made lithium ions will be hard to find years down the road. I picked up the K100D at Best Buy when they were clearing out. The buy first, think later mentality usually gets me in trouble. I played with some of the entry level CaNikon dSLRs and just didn't like the feel of them. I upgraded to a K10D, picked up a battery grip, focusing screen, and a couple of old lenses. The extra buttons and heft of battery grip was "cool" to me for a second, then I didn't want the weight at all.

The green button paired with prime lenses is what's keeping me with Pentax. I sold the K10D and have the K-01 paired with the Q now. On par with the Photokina interview, I like compactness. Also on par with the interview, I like the "characteristic" of not using a run of the mill black CaNikon. I just never want to enter the pissing contest of "ooo what model CaNikon are you using" and focus on picture taking. Actually, I even had matte black tape over the Pentax label when I had the K10D, not because I'm ashamed of the brand, but because I always avoided and deferred questions on what model I'm using.

[derekkite]

I finally have hit the stage in life where I have the money and opportunity to pursue a hobby that I've always wanted but could never afford in the film era. I started with a canon bridge camera gotten through a promotion, moved to Olympus E-420 and honed my skills. I was looking to buy better lenses but was hesitant to invest in a mount that has disappeared. The K-5 was getting attention at the time, so I bought it and a couple kit lenses. It was an amazing leap into a camera that forced me to hone my technique. It did exactly what I told it to do. After a time I was getting the odd shot that was decent. I learned to manually focus long lenses, learned how to process images post. The advantage to being a bit out of the mainstream is that you have to learn to do things that other platforms do for you. From time to time I drool over other offerings especially in long lenses, but there are options available to me that I will pursue when I can afford to. In the mean time I hone my skills. The K-3 was a major improvement and has opened up opportunities that I didn't pursue with the K-5. I have a collection of wider lenses and am exploring other aspects of the craft that are equally challenging and equally satisfying. I don't feel like I'm lacking anything in hardware; in fact the K-3 combined with the lenses I have leave ample opportunity for growth.

The handling, the weather resistance makes my Pentax gear available whereever and whenever I am.

[ZombieArmy]

Perfect! And wow, if MILCs ever really hit off, then Pentax with their lust for compactness, mobility and innovation will surely join the race with one of the best entries... Remember that was 2008.

Do people forget the Q exists? Smallest MILC system with a great range of uses. Certainly more innovative than the MILCs we see today that aren't Sony or Panasonic.

Anyways my reason for investing in Pentax was purely objective, and that was the cost to power ratio. Me being a poor as dirt college student wanted to get a well specced camera for about 300 dollars or less, seems silly right? Well the k-01 at the time really fit the bill, and now I'm thinking in a few months of selling that and getting the k-5 IIs for even more versatility.

Another reason was that my dad bought a K-r, keeping the same mount I felt would also be an advantage but not a priority. Worked out anyways.

However if my needs ever really change with a camera and Pentax can't deliver, I don't think I'd hesitate to swap systems, but I doubt that'd happen any time soon.

[jrpower10]

Started shooting Pentax as a kid, because that's what my father had. Had one brief interlude with Canon in the late nineties. I didn't have a camera at the time, wanted one, working overseas, and all I could get during my brief home leave was a Canon EOS (a la Andre Agassi). Went back to Pentax when I went digital with the K10, largely because by then my father had gone strictly point & shoot (he was in his 80's) and he gave me a pretty nice collection of glass and a film body. BTW, don't regret it a bit, although I was tempted by the D800.