Average age of Pentaxians

**boriscleto** · 03-20-2018, 07:26 PM

I was in the 8th grade when I got a K1000 in 1987. It was just before my birthday, so I was 13...

**Alex645** · 03-20-2018, 08:06 PM

Originally posted by stevebrot

I assume participation was not purely voluntary?
Steve

Participation? As in they chose to use Pentax vs. it was forced on them?

Iʻm sure the same statistics may look the same with any other brand for minors. I think this may be the case for FSLRs and older DSLRs, but 6 of the 11 are K50, KS2, or K70 users (12-17 year old) that listened to what I presented as pros and cons and chose or convinced their parents to choose a Pentax although it meant ordering online.

It is interesting to think of the non-camera brands that were given to us as youth, or coming from a family with a brand bias, and who, other than the "black sheep" jumps ship, when, and why?

**rod_grant** · 03-20-2018, 09:26 PM

Just added one to 70+
I've had SLR's since high school (Praktica then Konica) didn't get into Pentax (although in the Praktica years I always wanted one; damn $s!) until the Konica's meter became dodgy. MZ50 then *ist DS, K-5 and now KP.

Fcsnt54 · 03-21-2018, 12:56 AM

So far the poll sounds about right, with the brand skewing more to the later years then the younger years. I started shooting with pentax more because i wanted to move away from film and wanted something with similar controls(included aperture ring), simplistic in nature, great image quality, feel in the hands, and ruggedness. Also in that time i didnt know much about sensors, or as much as i know now as i continue to learn, and improve my technique/form. Which was one of many great things about this forum, the knowledge base that has many great tips of the trade. I do find myself drifting away from pentax land though(not completely cause i love my 645z), as my priorites and shooting habits change to what i need for the given situation.

MikeyBugs95 · 03-21-2018, 02:20 AM - **1 Like**

I'm 22. Started off this past August with a K-70 and the lowly 18-55. Now I have about 7 lenses that I use constantly and few that I'm dwindling down.

steve_k · 03-21-2018, 04:14 AM - **3 Likes**

I just got into DSLR’s a little over a year ago. I started looking at Canon and Nikon. Somewhere along the line in my search I learned about weather resistance and narrowed my search to only weather resistant cameras. This is how I discovered Pentax.

Once I decided that weather resistance was a must have. It narrowed my search significantly. Nikon and Canon were down to the 7200 and 80d as the full frames were just too expensive for a first time purchase. Every current Pentax model made my list including the K-1 even with it’s $2000 price tag made my list.

IMHO those of us on the older side of this poll I think tend to look at value. I know I do. I knew that Canon and Nikon were the most popular brands. But as I started comparing features and price Pentax kept coming to the top of my list as the most bang for the buck. I started trolling the different forums trying to glean some more insights on what to do. The Canon and Nikon forums were ok but when I found the Pentax forums I couldn’t believe how helpful the community was. That was the end of Canon and Nikon.

So to sum things up going with Pentax was a fairly well researched decision. The biggest negative I find is third party support. Which I didn’t take in to consideration at the time. I just sort of wish that Pentax could come out with some game changing tech. Then market it correctly and bring more people into the Pentax world. Then the third party support will come. But that is just wishful thinking on my part.

**RobA_Oz** · 03-21-2018, 04:39 AM

My introduction to the brand was through my father in the 1960s, when he bought himself a secondhand SV, complete with coupled lightmeter. At around the same time, I was studying optics in a Physics course at university, and we used Pentaxes for a variety of lab experiments. I bought an S3 when I started work in the early 1970s and followed up with a series of others, culminating in a K2DMD in the early 1980s and more recently an LX. I’ve had several other brands, including a briefly-owned Miranda, a Leica IIIf, a Minox 35EL, a Canon Digital Ixus and a Fujifilm X30, but my Pentaxes are my main interest, with the K-1 getting most of the attention, now.

**Alex645** · 03-21-2018, 06:21 AM - **2 Likes**

Keep in mind that this is a good representation of PF members only that like to enter polls.

There are many Pentax youth users that I know that couldnʻt be bothered with forums because "thatʻs for old people". Ask the same question on an Instagram site, and the demographics will change.

gkey · 03-21-2018, 06:41 AM

67 years old

normhead · 03-21-2018, 06:49 AM

Looking at the demographic served, I'd have to say Pentax is doomed. Especially since on my last trip to Niagara Falls, I saw so many Sony cameras. There's still a market for young people getting into DSLRs... only 18% under 40 for Pentax.

Maybe the forum is skewed by us old timers who have the time to come to the forum.

If not, Pentax is doomed.
I need a cross cultural reference study giving the average age of DSLR users in general to know if Pentax is doomed.

When I was under 40 with kids growing up etc. I owned my Program Plus and 2 lenses. A 50 ƒ2 and a Tamron 35-300 adaptal.

btnapa · 03-21-2018, 07:15 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by normhead

Maybe the forum is skewed by us old timers who have the to come to the forum.

If not, Pentax is doomed.

+1 Excellent points. I think it is a little bit of both. Let's face it, Pentax is great but the real cutting edge-high tech stuff is in a Sony or Fuji or Panasonic. Even Nikon and Canon are dinosaurs when it comes to tech. As you know tech rules. Kids are obsessed by it and we the old folk are struggling to keep up.

I know if there is glimmer of hope for Pentax, they have to reach out to the young and new photographers. I have talked to them (informally), on many occasions and they listened and tried but I think the effort was half-hearted and not consistent. It costs lot of money to do proper marketing and I am not sure if Pentax has the funds or is willing to spend it to be more visible. I keep remembering the old adage, "if you are not growing, you are dying," or something like that. Based on this logic, Pentax is dying a slow death. It is unfortunate but you cannot fight laws of the universe.

swanlefitte · 03-21-2018, 08:13 AM

Fortunately at the bottom it tells me i have already voted. We are just old its not from forgetting and voting multiple times.

normhead · 03-21-2018, 08:21 AM

Originally posted by swanlefitte

Fortunately at the bottom it tells me i have already voted. We are just old its not from forgetting and voting multiple times.

Well at least I'm still 10 years away from the last category. I'm enjoying my last year with a number as "low" as 6 in the 10s column.

**gofour3** · 03-21-2018, 09:26 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by IgorZ

I just walked into a store, told the guy I wanted a camera. He asked me if I was planning to use older lenses. I had no clue about anything, but it sounded like a good idea. He said my best bet was Pentax, and that's how I got into this game.

That's similar to how I ended up shooting Pentax.

I went into a local camera store to get my first SLR (previously used a Kodak Instamatic) and ended up with a Pentax KX, which was recommended by the clerk. The "K" Series had just come out earlier that summer and in 1975 Pentax k-mount was the one to get. The K2 was more than I could afford, as well as the faster lenses, so I ended up with the K28/3.5 & K55/1.8 and K135/3.5.

Phil.

IgorZ · 03-21-2018, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by gofour3

That's similar to how I ended up shooting Pentax.

I went into a local camera store to get my first SLR (previously used a Kodak Instamatic) and ended up with a Pentax KX, which was recommended by the clerk. The "K" Series had just come out earlier that summer and in 1975 Pentax k-mount was the one to get. The K2 was more than I could afford, as well as the faster lenses, so I ended up with the K28/3.5 & K55/1.8 and K135/3.5.

Phil.

Maybe it was the same camera store? I bought my first Pentax from Broadway (?) camera store, in Kitsilano, back when I was doing my MA at the UBC.

View Poll Results: How old are you?
17 or less	1	0.33%
18-24	4	1.34%
25-31	22	7.36%
32-39	28	9.36%
40-49	55	18.39%
50-56	59	19.73%
57-64	71	23.75%
65-69	31	10.37%
70-79	27	9.03%
80+	1	0.33%
Voters: 299. You may not vote on this poll

03-21-2018, 06:49 AM	#25
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Looking at the demographic served, I'd have to say Pentax is doomed. Especially since on my last trip to Niagara Falls, I saw so many Sony cameras. There's still a market for young people getting into DSLRs... only 18% under 40 for Pentax. Maybe the forum is skewed by us old timers who have the time to come to the forum. If not, Pentax is doomed. I need a cross cultural reference study giving the average age of DSLR users in general to know if Pentax is doomed. When I was under 40 with kids growing up etc. I owned my Program Plus and 2 lenses. A 50 ƒ2 and a Tamron 35-300 adaptal. Last edited by normhead; 03-21-2018 at 07:22 AM.

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03-20-2018, 07:26 PM	#16
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	I was in the 8th grade when I got a K1000 in 1987. It was just before my birthday, so I was 13...

03-20-2018, 08:06 PM	#17
Alex645 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Kaneohe, HI Photos: Albums Posts: 3,526	Originally posted by stevebrot I assume participation was not purely voluntary? Steve Participation? As in they chose to use Pentax vs. it was forced on them? Iʻm sure the same statistics may look the same with any other brand for minors. I think this may be the case for FSLRs and older DSLRs, but 6 of the 11 are K50, KS2, or K70 users (12-17 year old) that listened to what I presented as pros and cons and chose or convinced their parents to choose a Pentax although it meant ordering online. It is interesting to think of the non-camera brands that were given to us as youth, or coming from a family with a brand bias, and who, other than the "black sheep" jumps ship, when, and why?

03-20-2018, 09:26 PM	#18
rod_grant Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wangaratta, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,951	Just added one to 70+ I've had SLR's since high school (Praktica then Konica) didn't get into Pentax (although in the Praktica years I always wanted one; damn $s!) until the Konica's meter became dodgy. MZ50 then *ist DS, K-5 and now KP.

03-21-2018, 12:56 AM	#19
Fcsnt54 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: California Posts: 621	So far the poll sounds about right, with the brand skewing more to the later years then the younger years. I started shooting with pentax more because i wanted to move away from film and wanted something with similar controls(included aperture ring), simplistic in nature, great image quality, feel in the hands, and ruggedness. Also in that time i didnt know much about sensors, or as much as i know now as i continue to learn, and improve my technique/form. Which was one of many great things about this forum, the knowledge base that has many great tips of the trade. I do find myself drifting away from pentax land though(not completely cause i love my 645z), as my priorites and shooting habits change to what i need for the given situation.

03-21-2018, 02:20 AM - 1 Like	#20
MikeyBugs95 Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,206	I'm 22. Started off this past August with a K-70 and the lowly 18-55. Now I have about 7 lenses that I use constantly and few that I'm dwindling down.

03-21-2018, 04:14 AM - 3 Likes	#21
steve_k Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Shelton, CT Photos: Albums Posts: 708	I just got into DSLR’s a little over a year ago. I started looking at Canon and Nikon. Somewhere along the line in my search I learned about weather resistance and narrowed my search to only weather resistant cameras. This is how I discovered Pentax. Once I decided that weather resistance was a must have. It narrowed my search significantly. Nikon and Canon were down to the 7200 and 80d as the full frames were just too expensive for a first time purchase. Every current Pentax model made my list including the K-1 even with it’s $2000 price tag made my list. IMHO those of us on the older side of this poll I think tend to look at value. I know I do. I knew that Canon and Nikon were the most popular brands. But as I started comparing features and price Pentax kept coming to the top of my list as the most bang for the buck. I started trolling the different forums trying to glean some more insights on what to do. The Canon and Nikon forums were ok but when I found the Pentax forums I couldn’t believe how helpful the community was. That was the end of Canon and Nikon. So to sum things up going with Pentax was a fairly well researched decision. The biggest negative I find is third party support. Which I didn’t take in to consideration at the time. I just sort of wish that Pentax could come out with some game changing tech. Then market it correctly and bring more people into the Pentax world. Then the third party support will come. But that is just wishful thinking on my part.

03-21-2018, 04:39 AM	#22
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,197	My introduction to the brand was through my father in the 1960s, when he bought himself a secondhand SV, complete with coupled lightmeter. At around the same time, I was studying optics in a Physics course at university, and we used Pentaxes for a variety of lab experiments. I bought an S3 when I started work in the early 1970s and followed up with a series of others, culminating in a K2DMD in the early 1980s and more recently an LX. I’ve had several other brands, including a briefly-owned Miranda, a Leica IIIf, a Minox 35EL, a Canon Digital Ixus and a Fujifilm X30, but my Pentaxes are my main interest, with the K-1 getting most of the attention, now.

03-21-2018, 06:21 AM - 2 Likes	#23
Alex645 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Kaneohe, HI Photos: Albums Posts: 3,526	Keep in mind that this is a good representation of PF members only that like to enter polls. There are many Pentax youth users that I know that couldnʻt be bothered with forums because "thatʻs for old people". Ask the same question on an Instagram site, and the demographics will change.

03-21-2018, 06:41 AM	#24
gkey Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Athens Posts: 109	67 years old

03-21-2018, 07:15 AM - 1 Like	#26
btnapa Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 1,615	Originally posted by normhead Maybe the forum is skewed by us old timers who have the to come to the forum. If not, Pentax is doomed. +1 Excellent points. I think it is a little bit of both. Let's face it, Pentax is great but the real cutting edge-high tech stuff is in a Sony or Fuji or Panasonic. Even Nikon and Canon are dinosaurs when it comes to tech. As you know tech rules. Kids are obsessed by it and we the old folk are struggling to keep up. I know if there is glimmer of hope for Pentax, they have to reach out to the young and new photographers. I have talked to them (informally), on many occasions and they listened and tried but I think the effort was half-hearted and not consistent. It costs lot of money to do proper marketing and I am not sure if Pentax has the funds or is willing to spend it to be more visible. I keep remembering the old adage, "if you are not growing, you are dying," or something like that. Based on this logic, Pentax is dying a slow death. It is unfortunate but you cannot fight laws of the universe.

03-21-2018, 08:13 AM	#27
swanlefitte Pentaxian Join Date: May 2015 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,068	Fortunately at the bottom it tells me i have already voted. We are just old its not from forgetting and voting multiple times.

03-21-2018, 08:21 AM	#28
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Originally posted by swanlefitte Fortunately at the bottom it tells me i have already voted. We are just old its not from forgetting and voting multiple times. Well at least I'm still 10 years away from the last category. I'm enjoying my last year with a number as "low" as 6 in the 10s column.

03-21-2018, 09:26 AM - 1 Like	#29
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,090	Originally posted by IgorZ I just walked into a store, told the guy I wanted a camera. He asked me if I was planning to use older lenses. I had no clue about anything, but it sounded like a good idea. He said my best bet was Pentax, and that's how I got into this game. That's similar to how I ended up shooting Pentax. I went into a local camera store to get my first SLR (previously used a Kodak Instamatic) and ended up with a Pentax KX, which was recommended by the clerk. The "K" Series had just come out earlier that summer and in 1975 Pentax k-mount was the one to get. The K2 was more than I could afford, as well as the faster lenses, so I ended up with the K28/3.5 & K55/1.8 and K135/3.5. Phil.

03-21-2018, 10:01 AM	#30
IgorZ Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,735	Originally posted by gofour3 That's similar to how I ended up shooting Pentax. I went into a local camera store to get my first SLR (previously used a Kodak Instamatic) and ended up with a Pentax KX, which was recommended by the clerk. The "K" Series had just come out earlier that summer and in 1975 Pentax k-mount was the one to get. The K2 was more than I could afford, as well as the faster lenses, so I ended up with the K28/3.5 & K55/1.8 and K135/3.5. Phil. Maybe it was the same camera store? I bought my first Pentax from Broadway (?) camera store, in Kitsilano, back when I was doing my MA at the UBC.