[que es tu]

I was thinking of this while driving into work today. I have noticed (or it may just be myimagination) that I seem to get lots of curious glances from otherphotographers who are using Canon or Nikon when I am out with my Pentaxgear. People also occasionally ask aboutPentax, or remember fondly when they used Pentax in the past. All this makes me feel like shooting Pentaxis like entering a kind of club or that Pentax users are unique or maybe just alittle odd!! So, does anyone else feellike Pentax marks us as different from the other photogs?? I certainly didn’t come to Pentax expectingto stand out, I just liked the glass pentaprism, 2 control wheels, and weathersealing. After I got here I started tonotice a curiosity form people that the “other” brands didn’t receive. So yeah, I feel like investing in Pentax is away to say “I march to a different drummer and don’t just do what the rest ofthe crowd is doing.” Does anyone elsefeel that Pentax sets you apart, or that there is a kind of exclusivity tobeing a Pentaxian? If so, do you likethat, or would you rather be more invisible?? I’m sure that any psychologists out there will have a field day with me,but I kind of like it!! Anyone else??

[luftfluss]

Different type of gear, same type of people.

[ehrwien]

I certainly didn’t come to Pentax expectingto stand out, I just liked the glass pentaprism, 2 control wheels, and weathersealing.

I must say it was mostly "bang for the buck" mentality when getting my K-S2 a few years ago while looking for a camera to one-up the Nikon 1 V1 I had had before. But I think what differentiates me from most others in that regard is that I value those things you listed among others which could be summarised under "ergonomics", while most people will just look at naked numbers that the marketing folks at Canon/Sony/Nikon like to slap on their offerings, like megapixels, fps, autofocus points and speed. And I only got here because when looking for a camera, I did my due diligence, I was thorough in researching what is available on the market and compare. I wouldn't have gotten a Pentax if I had gone to the photography section of the local electronics shops, because there weren't any Pentax cameras to be found. I think it was the release of the K-1 around the time that even put Pentax on my radar in the first place because all the magazines and YouTubers were reviewing it.

Further on I stumbled upon this very place, a great community of very knowledgable, helpful and mostly friendly people, which I think contributed greatly to me staying with Pentax, developing some kind of LBA/GAS that culminated in my purchase of the K-3 III a couple of months ago, which I probably wouldn't have gotten if I were in the position I was back when I got my K-S2.

If so, do you likethat, or would you rather be more invisible?

I don't think we could be more invisible if we tried, could we? I like it, and I like to ignore people talking badly about us or each other

[BigMackCam]

If we're truly different in any way, it's that we've become users of an ever more niche brand. Some (not all, but definitely some) of the bigger brand users tend to consider Pentax a bit of an oddity these days - they talk about its impending doom and/or wonder why anyone would continue to shoot with it instead of the alternatives (egged on by reviewers, bloggers and vloggers). We've naturally become a little tired and defensive of that, especially when the sentiments are passed on to some of our own members and result in doubts or jumping to other systems... and we've gained a bit of a reputation for that defensiveness. So maybe we're different in that respect. Otherwise, we're just photographers - mostly amateur, with a few pros - just like every other brand's user-base

I could do without the brand critique, negativity and doomsday predictions from other folks, and I prefer to be as invisible as possible. If someone asks me about my gear, I'll happily talk about it. Otherwise, I like to stay in the background. I don't even think about being a Pentax user. It's just the brand I've chosen and stuck with, because I like the cameras and lenses. I'm not a "proud Pentaxian", but I'm certainly a happy one. The equipment suits me well, and I see no need to change. PentaxForums is a BIG element of my satisfaction with the brand... Having access to such an excellent brand-specific independent support network and "club house" is a major reason why I've no desire to test the waters elsewhere. You can't buy this kind of support, knowledge-base and camaraderie...

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 01-10-2022 at 02:07 AM.

[que es tu]

Different type of gear, same type of people.

Hmm. You mean we’re all kinda nerdy??:lol

[ffking]

If you don't appreciate paragraphs on the development of the mount pointer of lens special sites (D-FA 21mm Ltd) you might not be different enough for Pentax - but you'd be missing something

[Flanoman]

Pentax is for photography, just like all brands
Pentax just happen to have a rich history with optics
Pentax is what it is, or was , relatively bargain entry to professional gear
Ricoh have now changed that direction and it will be niche for sure
Pentax will become the preserve of the few but they the few ,will pay and gladly so
When all is said and done the optical viewfinder will be their saviour, so to speak and digital viewfinders will tire
Pentax will have that and just like the resurgence of film with youngsters with older 35mm cameras

[bwgv001]

I did have old Pentax gear rom "film days" and continued to buy Pentax. When getting my first digital it was also very affordable.

[filmmaster]

There are alot of things that create a problem for Pentax on the current market.

1. The in body system of moving the sensor around to fight camera shake, its not considered the optimum ideal as if that mechanism dies, you need to replace the body. In lens stabalizers you send in the lens, the factory swaps out the unit and sends it back.

2. Pentaprism is considered "trash" these days because it is OLD technology.

3. the lens mount has stayed the same for what, 60 years? And the modern digital pentax cameras are supposedly able to ttl with the old lenses still.. While with canon and Nikon, you loose TTL metering and have to go to live view mode via the rear view screen and flipping the mirror out of the way.

4. Alot of folks on photo forums despise the k1000 for its cult status as a desired, ultimate "entry level film camera for a first year film photography student".

5. The overall attitude of the pentax forum is completely different... if someone shows a picture of their pentax with a shoulder strap that DOESNT have the pentax logo on it, they have no issues from the other members. On some other photography forums, if you show a picture of your nikon with a canon shoulder strap on it, canon made really comfy straps in the 2000;s, you can easily have your post deleted.

[Alex645]

So, does anyone else feel like Pentax marks us as different from the other photogs?? Does anyone else feel that Pentax sets you apart, or that there is a kind of exclusivity to being a Pentaxian? If so, do you like that, or would you rather be more invisible??

When it comes to shooting my Pentax 645, I feel the medium format sets it apart from 35mm. Also Hasselblad, Rollei, Mamiya, Bronica, and Fujifilm were more expensive MF alternatives that were less field-friendly and more studio oriented.

For digital, unlike Canikony as the default, Pentax users were much more likely to have gone out of their way to choose, commit to, and use a Pentax. It doesn't mean Canikony users didn't also do their own research make their intentional choices, but because of the rarity of Pentax, the user either had to have truly understood the perks or wanted to be a nonconformist.

[bob5050]

Different type of gear, same type of people.

I tend to disagree. You can become a Canon/Nikon/Sony user by accident, just because that's what the nearest box store had on the shelf. But Pentax you have to research and discover. It's not a 'default' choice. That, in itself, tends to filter the user base and make it distinctive.
traveler

[jgnfld]

... or wanted to be a nonconformist.

A TRUE noncorformist doesn't want to be noncorformist so much as simply is noncomformist!

[35mmfilmfan]

I tend to greet fellow Pentax users with 'Doctor Livingstone, I presume ?' - most of them appreciate it. I use Pentax because I like it - simple as that.

[Digitalis]

Also Hasselblad, Rollei, Mamiya, Bronica, and Fujifilm were more expensive MF alternatives that were less field-friendly and more studio oriented.

Funny how that persists, I consider the 645Z to be a superb field camera. The Leica S2 and Phase one cameras are better in the studio with their leaf shutter lenses.

[normhead]

Most of the photographers I actually talk to are familiar with their cameras and know why their brand of choice suits them. Pentax shooters are no different. The only difference being that Pentax shooters refused to listen to the big brand marketing and made a somewhat independent decision. Where as I know many shooters, who bought on brand reputation rather than thier actual needs. In fact I'v talked to many who's expressed reason for buying the camera they did was based on attributes available in higher end models that they will never buy.

If you bought Pentax, you didn't listen to the idiots at DPR, you don't pay much attention to mass marketing campaigns, you are petty decent t figuring out what you need, and where you can get it for a decent price. I guess that makes us different from 95% of people who buy cameras. Most simply don't care to do independent evaluation. They go with masses.