[rawr]

Imaging Review's K-1 Field test review section is up.

Overall, a good effort.

Pentax K-1 Review: Now Shooting! - Field Test

As a small note, when the reviewer says of the viewfinder illumination:

Really, my only criticism of the function is that the red illumination is very brief -- perhaps a quarter to half a second at most -- and it's also quite dim. I'd have liked to see both the duration and brightness of the illumination available to the user to control, along with an option to have the viewfinder overlay illuminated whenever the metering system is active.

they clearly haven't discovered the 'press the AF mode button to briefly illuminate the viewfinder overlays' trick already well known on PF.

[pathdoc]

Fairly positive review - of course the author is a Pentax fan themselves, which helps. Interesting that he's also one of those who got to handle the MZ-D when it was just hatched, and who has a personal historical perspective.

(Man, they need to find a way to fire up that thing. A comparison against the K-1 is simply not fair, but perhaps they could shoot it against the *ist-D, or against the Contax camera which used the sensor it would have had, if they can find any!!)

[normhead]

Fairly positive review - of course the author is a Pentax fan themselves, which helps. Interesting that he's also one of those who got to handle the MZ-D when it was just hatched, and who has a personal historical perspective.

(Man, they need to find a way to fire up that thing. A comparison against the K-1 is simply not fair, but perhaps they could shoot it against the *ist-D, or against the Contax camera which used the sensor it would have had, if they can find any!!)

What is this "Pentax fan" thing. It seem to be pejorative term put up there by folks like tuco, as a way of discrediting people who actually have a history using Pentax equipment. It's insulting.

The implication is that if you have a history using Pentax equipment you are somehow biased. ( Because at least in their world view, no one could ever select Pentax equipment on merit. One can select Nikon equipment, or Canon equipment on merit or even Sony equipment on merit, you can select whatever their favourite camera is on merit, but to prefer Pentax equipment, you must be a "fan."

The fact that we have used Pentax equipment for long periods of time doesn't make us fans, it makes us users. It is just poor etiquette to accuse everyone who knows more about a system than you do of being a fan. I use Easting Hammers in my shop. I'm not an Easting Hammer fan. I drive a Toyota, because I like my Rav 4 and it meets my 4 dog physical requirements (just barely). I am not a Toyota fan.

For some people anyone who prefers a piece of equipment for purely practical reasons, is none the less fan. Well these fans could also be described as very intelligent people who chose the right piece of equipment for what they do. But not once have I heard one of these negative people say..

"The writer is a very intelligent person who weighed all the options and came to well founded conclusions and selected Pentax equipment based on it's suitability for his circumstances." No for some, if he's knows more than they do, is more articulate than they are, makes clear coherent points, and backs up his points with solid facts and research, the call him a fan.

Next they will tell you their full of holes, lacking any solid foundation in either the science or practice but reciting marketing hype from various camera manufacturers as if it were gospel, makes them unbiased.

I have never once seen someone who really knows their stuff call someone else a fan.

Because if you know your stuff, fanatics doesn't come into it. When you see some one using another system, I always ask what they like about that system. And the good ones always have their reasons, reasons, I can easily agree with. They may not be relevant to me, but the answer shows they know why they do what they do, and haven't just bought into the latest craze. Sure there are a lot of sheep who just buy on brand name, but my conversations with them are very quick.

So it's about time people started realizing, calling people "fans" when in fact they are "students of" or "accomplished users of" is pejorative.

I look at it as a sign of an undisciplined rush to declare others in some way less than oneself, as in "He's a fan, I'm knowledgeable" You might want to think about that when you call someone who has pretty much mastered a camera system, a "fan" unless you plan to elevate that person by describing yourself as an ignorant newb, just so it's clear who we should be listening to, based on accomplishments.

It may not have occurred to anyone on the forum, but while there might be a few pentax fans, especially since the full frame was released, but there are also Pentax guru's. I mention this because I've never heard the term used. Maybe it's an internet thing, but isn;t it odd, people will over and over say "oh don't trust what this or that person says he's a fanboy". The derogatory is acceptable. But I've never once heard someone say that guy is a Pentax guru or a Pentax genius. Everyone thinks their opinion is the one that matters. Which is true for them. Maybe not so much for the rest of us.

But to wrap up, the fact that you shoot some other brand, doesn't make you less biased. Bias inherently has nothing to do with selecting appropriate product. It doesn't mean you're more open minded. It can mean a couple of things, one, you've been influenced by that brands marketing hype, or two, that camera whatever brand it is, is the one most suited to your photographic preferences. That can be true of the owners of any brand. They can own that camera because it suits their needs.

But as a Pentax forum, this is a gathering place for people for whom Pentax cameras best suit their needs. And the guys that are front and centre for me, are the guys demonstrating what they can accomplish with Pentax gear. They help me get the most out of the most out of my gear. Those are the guys people come here for. Not the Nikon shooters, not the Sony shooters, not the Canon shooters. Some of these folks need to understand their place.

And people who are knowledgeable about Pentax gear need to be described as such, not called "fans."

[pathdoc]

It seem to be pejorative term

In this case I meant it in the sense of someone who's used Pentax, knows the ins and outs, and appears to have a genuine fondness for the brand despite its foibles - and God knows Pentax has had, and still does have, enough of them. If I wanted the best cameras on earth for professional use any time anywhere and cost no object, I would probably shoot Nikon - but all the things Nikon does better than Pentax I don't need, and all the things Pentax does better, I want.

[normhead]

In this case I meant it in the sense of someone who's used Pentax, knows the ins and outs, and appears to have a genuine fondness for the brand despite its foibles - and God knows Pentax has had, and still does have, enough of them. If I wanted the best cameras on earth for professional use any time anywhere and cost no object, I would probably shoot Nikon - but all the things Nikon does better than Pentax I don't need, and all the things Pentax does better, I want.

Although your use of the word fan triggered the diatribe, it wasn't aimed at you. But I seriously had a few folks in mind. They know who they are.

One of them actually told someone yesterday, not to listen me because in his opinion I wanted to sell Pentax cameras to other people (an outright lie) and considered himself to be an unbiased D750 user. Whilst clearly as a long time Pentax user I must be biased. As if a long time user in some way compromises your objectivity and as if flitting from brand to brand on various whims makes you somehow unbiased.

I put that in just in case the innocent think I might be targeting them. If you aren't that guy, this probably isn't about you. Most of us here would never attack a person's integrity for being user of any camera, no matte what it was.

Most of us are nice people.

However I have to say, the personal attack did bring a lot of issues into focus from that have been hanging just out of consciousness for a long time. That's why the diatribe.

[pathdoc]

in his opinion I wanted to sell Pentax cameras to other people (an outright lie) and considered himself to be an unbiased D750 user.

There seems to be a contradiction in terms here. If he's really an unbiased Nikonian, why should he care what you sell to others? But I think I'm preaching to the choir here.

[jpzk]

Imaging Review's K-1 Field test review section is up.

Overall, a good effort.

Pentax K-1 Review: Now Shooting! - Field Test

As a small note, when the reviewer says of the viewfinder illumination:


they clearly haven't discovered the 'press the AF mode button to briefly illuminate the viewfinder overlays' trick already well known on PF.

Time to post a comment at that site!