[aperturelabs]

The first camera I ever owned was a plastic Brownie 110 my mom gave me when I was a kid. My first SLR, though, was a Pentax MG I bought used for next to nothing. I learned a lot with that camera and even took a few photography classes at the local community college. I moved up to a K-M and dabbled in a makeshift darkroom in my apartment, processing film and hanging negs in the tub and setting up an enlarger in my office while taping up the windows. I had to tear the whole thing down and set it up again each time I used it.

Those were some fun times.

Later, when I went digital, I sold off my Pentax gear. A friend of mine convinced me to go Canon, so I bought a 10D and some 3rd party lenses. It was a great camera for it's time, but it was a huge adjustment going from a manual film camera to a DSLR. More importantly, I missed the tactile controls of the manual system and the simplicity of its interface. I'm a huge fan of what can be done with digital, don't get me wrong, but the Canon felt like a gadget first and a photographer's tool second.

Recently I sold my Canon gear and will soon be buying a Pentax DSLR - most likely a K50 given the ridiculous deals right now. I'm thinking about coupling it with a few Pentax KA primes (28mm, 50mm, and 50+mm macro) to do mostly portrait and conceptual work. The older primes would give me high quality while also making a transition to full frame easier if I decide to go that route in the future.

Spec sheets aside, Pentax has always had a firmer grasp on what a photographer's experience using a camera should be and that's what's drawing me back.

Suffice it to say I'm glad to be here.

[dansamy]

Welcome home!

[bertwert]

Welcome to the forum!

[UncleVanya]

Nice story. I went from a plastic 35mm won in a fund raising contest to a Yashica rangefinder to a Nikon and then moved to Pentax. I found no shortfall with Nikon at that time but inside ties to the Company made it the choice for me. The few times I have used other equipment I found Nikon was more logical and less confusing than Canon (true even in film era for me) so I am happy for you.

[Kerrowdown]

The older primes would give me high quality while also making a transition to full frame easier if I decide to go that route in the future

Welcome, you and many others here are just waiting to be able to make all that come true.

[Outis]

The Pentax is strong with this one!

[aperturelabs]

I went from a plastic 35mm won in a fund raising contest to a Yashica rangefinder to a Nikon and then moved to Pentax.

I never did go the rangefinder route, but was sorely tempted a few years back when the Voightlander Bessa R came out. I regret never picking one of those up. And thanks - I appreciate the sentiment. Nikons may be every bit as photographer-centric as Pentax, a fact that can only be helped by them being a dedicated Photography company. That said, I'll have to take your word for it as I don't have personal experience with them.

Oh, and if you're feeling nostalgic at all, I think my first camera was actually a Baby Brownie Special.

Welcome, you and many others here are just waiting to be able to make all that come true.

A camera that gives me superb image quality and conscious tactile control over the image making process? Yes, please! I'm looking forward to seeing how close Pentax/Ricoh comes to realizing this.

The Pentax is strong with this one!

Heh! This made me chuckle out loud!

[debakarma]

Welcome to the Forum. Good decision - your sticking to Pentax.

[kjphilippona]

Welcome from Alabama