I compared to the cannon and others at the same price and my kx beat the cannon in every category accept one or two.

I also like that I can use a k lens form nearly 100 yrs ago ( i think ) on my k-x so I though I may be able to find gems on ebay for cheap.

It had a larger cmos ? censor than the others in the same price range.

Stuff like that.. .


jesse

[jford]

My first camera was a Zenit - a Soviet Spotmatic clone I purchased in about 1972. When it was stolen a few years later, I bought aK-1000 and used it for many, many years. I bought a used SF-10 about 10 years ago for the autofocussing as my eyesight was getting poor. About two years ago, I bought a K10D and love it. I just wish I had more time to shoot.

[Tonto]

I used to work for Sony so my first experience with DSLRs was with theirs- I was keen on an Alpha 200, 300 and lusted after the A700 which was out of my price range. Then they brought out their next range of smaller cameras which I just hated feel wise, the grip was horrible.
Sony then released the A500/550 and it was a contest between the 7 FPS and swivel screen of the A550 or the Pentaprism/Mangnesium WR body of the A700.
I was close to buying them till I saw a review of a K7 vs an A700 by a Sony user and it was better in everyway. Add to that the cost of lenses and the Pentax won the battle
After that I felt a K7 instore and it just fitted like a glove!
Its great as some of the pentax features I didn't really rate I actually use alot (live view, auto horizon correction/electronic level/TAv mode, green button) .
One thing I really miss from the Sonys are their excellent swivel screens and live view AF which would really put the icing on the cake. Hopefully next camera

[Ash]

My personal preference is not to have the swivel screen on the flagship models.
It's a more consumerist feature that should be reserved for entry-level models IMO.
None of the higher-end cameras in C&N have it, and it forms another point of design weakness not only in build and accidental knocking but in weather sealing.

The K-5 is very good, and would be even better with the inconsistencies ironed out. Then, K-7 users might find even more of a reason to upgrade.

[bjake]

Have used Pentax from the old Honeywell Pentax threw SP's and K1000's and kept all my old lens.Been using good digital cameras from 2002,mostly quit film.Decided to go DSLR as my point and shoot digital failed to do the job in low light,chose Pentax for low light performance,in body anti shake and a way to use my old prime lens and have been pleased that I chose Pentax.
Jake

[philippe]

In the beginning, I was a fierce Leica M5 shooter. When I needed a reflex camera, I went out looking for what could suit me. I tried them all and the LX, new at the time, was the only one that could enchant me!
Strangely enough, the optical rendition of the Pentax lenses was very close to the Leica ones, particularly the 'plastic' reproduction of the subject. All the others where to harsh, although sharper, but not what I wanted and could be used next to the 'Leica look'.
From then on, it was Pentax all the way. That's why I really do like the DA Ltd's, they are so close to the so called 'Leica Look', so why spending so much on a M9?
Ok, a M9 is a whole different system and a typical way of seeing and working, but then...

[JimD]

I started off with a Zorki 4, Russian copy of a Leica, in 1970. I wanted an slr and looked at a few different ones: but as the advert said back then ....... 'just hold a Pentax'.

That was enough. I bought a Spotmatic in 1971, followed by two MX's in 1977 - 78 ( which I still have along with 4 primes ).

When I changed to digital, very recently, I only had to choose which model. Not which make.

[Joyen]

Because Pentax is kind of a underdog in the dslr marked, I really think pentax hasn't got the recognizing they deserve. I like underdogs as they often turns out to be real winners in the long run. .
And the fact that Pentax gave me the best bang for the bucks. Another story is their fantastic primes, there isn't any other camerasystem who has such great lenses. Lightweight, solid constructed and sharp as a razor.

[Macario]

years and years agao (early nineties), I went to a camerastore to get a second-hand camera. The seller adviced me to get a Ricoh KR-5 super they had. As if I wanted to upgrade, I could go for Pentax and keep the lenses I got with the Ricoh.
Well, within a year I did upgrade to a ME-super, and stuck with pentax since

[Stone G.]

I chose Pentax in 1982 because of my interest in astrophotography. All I needed was a camera with a completely mechanical shutter (that was before the days of Li-ion batteries); a bulb setting; option for cable relase (Pentax, how could you remove that feature from your never entry level DSLRs?) - and then mechanical quality & reliability!

The choice was easy then. All reviews would lead you to the K1000 and I still have that camera and all of my K-mount lenses from then.

The experiences with that gear and the backward compatibility to all K-mount lenses (THANK YOU PENTAX!) made my choice easy when I finally went for my first DSLR in 2009.

[eddie1960]

I've chosen pentax a couple of times, in my youth i had a spotmatic, after a Zenit. I moved to nikon F due to a great opportunity , sold it a few years on, shot mostly polaroid for 8 years or so, then bought a canon , which was a great camera, when that was stolen, cann had moved to the new lens system and i was less than happy with them. I worked at a dealer so I went to the MZ5 which to me at the time most replicated the feel of my old MF cameras. I stay now because I have the lenses and I still like the functionality better than anything i've tried (nikon is a close second)

[ardentartichoke]

had a k7 and kit lens, very happy with it. but when it came to choosing better zooms and primes i thought about switching to canon/nikon because of the wider selection and more info/reviews available.
but then i found this forum the incredibly helpful feedback i received here is a reason why i stuck with pentax. besides this, of course there's the fact that pentax makes great quality stuff!

[Francis]

I chose Pentax because I was sick of seeing everyone using Canon or Nikon. At the same time, did as good a comparison as I could on various sites between the different cameras, in the context of price vs review. I think Pentax came out well. So, got my K7 with a DA 17-70 SDM. Still experimenting, learning, etc, but already hopelessly gear obsessed. Looking for a longer zoom lens, thinking of the DA 18-135. Either that or trading my K7 in and adding cash for a K5.

[Alan Clogwyn]

Hunting for wide angle lenses for My OM, no matter what focal length I wanted there always seemed to be a plethora of lenses available for Pentax K mount, but never any in OM mount, not only that but they always went for less money than the OM equivalent. So I decided to go for a similarly specced Pentax SLR to go with the wide angle lens I wanted, and the result is my Super A and Vivitar S1 19-35mm lens.

I miss the proper spot meter and 1/3 ev steps possible with my OM2SP, but the fact that I now have access to the shots I want to take more than makes up for it.

(I oculd have got a Canon, but lets face it Canon lenses have always been rather pants, and the bodies aren't especially inspiring, Nikons still cost a fortune on account of digital shooters wanting the lenses and we all know how Pentax make good glass....)

[northcoastgreg]

While I did not exactly choose Pentax (it was chosen for me by my parents, who gave me a K1000 for Xmas), I have never come across any compelling reason to switch brands, and yet I have come across compelling reasons not to switch. The K1000 was considered a student or beginner's camera, not comparable to Nikon cameras, which were regarded as the "gold" standard. Yet on a trip to Lake Powell in 1980, my lowly K1000, with the inglorious M 28/2.8 lens, out performed my uncle's expensive Nikon camera, with its costly, flare prone zoom lens. Ten years later I had a similar experience with canon camera, which I used in conjuction with my K1000 to shoot stills on a professional video production. The color stills taken with the Canon all suffered from lens flare (for which I was blamed), while the black & white stills taken with the K1000 were flawless. Imagine my surprise when, years later, I discovered that my old M 50/2 and M 28/2.8 lenses which had outperformed expensive Nikon and Canon glass were among the least distinguished SMC lenses that Pentax ever made in those focal ranges, and that Pentax made even better lenses, which could be purchased at bargain prices on the internet! In light of this, I have never felt any desire to shoot with anything else, and have thus chosen to stay with Pentax. And even though, undoubtedly, Nikon and Canon have improved the flare-resistence of their glass, I don't find their lenses producing quite as striking color rendition as I can draw from my best Pentax glass.