[TG10]

Hello Pentaxians!

My name is Taylor and i am currently doing a project on pentax! The school project basically involves me putting together a promotional event for pentax, and ultimately attract current pentax users to attend, as well as other brand users. I have to set up a series of events that would attract people to come, and these events have to be based around pentax's unique attributes. This is where you guys come into play!

i dabble a bit in photography but not enough, and i have never used pentax. So, i was wondering what are some unique qualities of pentax in comparison to its competitors. Our main competitors our nikon and cannon (mainly cause they appeal to a younger audience and can be cheaper) so what I'm really trying to figure out is what makes pentax truly different from cannon and nikon.

Also, if anyone wants to shine a light on some events that would attract them that would be great too. I really appreciate any insight you guys can give me, Thanks!

- TG

[aurele]

Pentax produce some "pancake" lenses (see the 21mm, 40mm, 70mm : Pentax DA Series Prime Lens Reviews and Specifications - Pentax Lens Reviews & Pentax Lens Database )

Pentax have the world record, to be the 1st to sell 10 millions SLR (1981) and so produced 300 Pentax LX gold edition. Also manufactured more than 24 million lenses.

The last other thing is the weather sealing of Pentax high End Body (k200D, k10D, k20D, k7, k5). Those body are resistant to dust, water, etc ...

[NaClH2O]

I'd say that what pentax is most noted for today is rugged cameras. As mentioned above many of the "upper end" pentax dslrs are weather and dust resistant. In addition there is a line of point and shoot cameras that are water proof, (up to 10M [33ft] in the newest WG model) dustproof, shock proof and crushproof. That's pretty impressive.
There is also a line of point and shoot cameras that you can make customized skins for, their appearance is limited only by your imagination.
The pentax "entry level" dslrs (K-x and K-r) come in a variety of colors. If you want a Canon or Nikon dslr you've got a choice of black, noir, or ebony. Pentax gives you the choice of a whole rainbow of colors and color combinations.
Check out the Pentax USA site for more ideas
be different

NaCl(not to mention a good line up of excellent, small, high quality primes)H2O

[bdery]

can be cheaper

Nope, owning a Canon or Nikon system is more expensive than oweing a Pentax system.

Here are the key qualities of the brand:

1-weather-sealed bodies for DSLR and water-proof compact cameras : Pentax can be efficiently marketed for people who love being outdoors. No other brand offers you so many lenses and bodies that can be used in the rain, snow, on the beach, without worries that the equipment will be damaged. Pentax is the only brand offering entry-level weather-resistant lenses

2-Ergonomics : the Pentax DSLR bodies are designed to TAKE PICTURES. When you read a Canon Rebel review, the reviewer always comments that after some time, the body gets uncomfortable to use. Pentax bodies are fantastic : buttons are well placed, you have access to most features intuitively, there are clever shooting modes not found on other bodies from other brands. The viewfinders are also generally better.

3-SR : called Image stabilisation by other brands. In short, with Canon or Nikon you have to purchase lenses that are optically stabilised, and these cost more, plus some lenses are just not available with image stabilisation. With Pentax, the stabilisation is in the body, so EVERY lens gets stabilised.

4-Older lenses : every lens ever manufactured for Pentax still works with Pentax bodies. No other brand offers this. It means if you have (or find, at a garage sale or anything) an old Pentax lens, you can still use it. This means you have access to inexpensive but fantastic lenses.

5-Limited lenses : these are often regarded as the best lenses ever manufactured. They are ludicrously small (a small Pentax DSLR body with a DA limited lens is smaller than some point-and-shoot cameras). They are optically amazing. They are expensive but not overly so.

5-Coatings : Pentax is recognised as the leader in optical coatings, other brands try to emulate the Pentax coatings. These improve the optical qualities of a lens.

6-General lenses qualities : there are no "bad" lenses in the current Pentax lineup. Even the inexpensive "kit lens" that every brand has is better with Pentax. The Canon and Nikon kit lenses make excellent doorstop (I'm barely exaggerating).

7-Regarding compact P&S, most brands are interchangeable, but like I said earlier Pentax has a great line of water/snow/dust/cold/shocks resistant compacts that perform very well while still being compact (the latter cannot be said of the Canon D10 competitor).

[TG10]

Thanks so much for your guys help! I'm getting some great stuff here. Lets keep this going! Anyone else have stuff to add?

[interested_observer]

I agree with everything that has been said, and you have essentially received the vast majority of the main points for your project. There is one article that does come to mind that touches on the heart and sole of Pentax.....

• sm-02-05-02

The three Limited lenses the article refers to, are still being produced - the FA 31, 43 and 77 Limiteds, and are available for acquisition. To that end, the old Pentax mount - the M42, the lenses are sought after by the other brands for use on their cameras (with adapters).

Also, some background history also helps to understand Pentax...

• Digital Cameras and Accessories - Official PENTAX Imaging Web Site
• Pentax - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Pentax cameras - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Brief History of Pentax Cameras - Photoxels
• English
• History of the Pentax Fisheye Lens | eHow.com

[dmfw]

Hello Pentaxians!

My name is Taylor and i am currently doing a project on pentax! The school project basically involves me putting together a promotional event for pentax, and ultimately attract current pentax users to attend, as well as other brand users. I have to set up a series of events that would attract people to come, and these events have to be based around pentax's unique attributes. This is where you guys come into play!

Is this a High School or college project? If college, does it have a photo department that can help?

Speaking as a newer Pentax owner, I am nor aware of Pentax unique features, eg. that are not found on other cameras. I found three reasons that someone uses Pentax vs. others, is: owning existing lenses, the like the Pentax brand, or a friend uses the Pentax.

I would say that lower prices was Pentax's main advantage, but that is not so true now.

Also, the issue with "attracting" Pentax users is finding them. I live in a large city in the Texas, and I know of only one other person with a Pentax SLR.

How to attract a Pentax crowd. If you have a budget, food and a door prize, like a lens.

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Last edited by dmfw; 04-01-2011 at 05:45 PM.

[olivemike]

I'm new to this as well and the main thing that attracted me is that image stabilization is built into the camera body so you don't have to worry about buying (and paying more) for a lens to have that feature. I also love the fact the older lenses can be used with newer bodies.

[Nowhere Matt]

So basically you hope to be a spokesperson for a brand you have no experience with and very little personal knowledge?
I know well that this happens often in advertising, I just caution you against spreading the personal bias of others and any misinformation you may gather.
You should do a fair bit of fact checking once this forum gets you started.

Good luck. It is usually refreshing to hear someone say, "I've never even heard of Pentax before I bought my K something or other."

[interested_observer]

It sounds like a project for some type of marketing and/or advertising class. Pentax has restarted advertising to some extent, however with the lack of product available in brick and mortar stores, it is somewhat of a self defeating approach in my view. I would really like to see Pentax along side Canon and Nikon in someplace like Costco. dSLRs in my mind are still an item that potential customers like to touch and compare (and it would go to one of Pentax's strong suits - ergonomics). With out a physical presence, I am refreshingly surprised that Pentax's entry level dSLRs are doing as well as they are.

[Lowell Goudge]

Aside from all that has been said you might want to attract some users to show backwards compatibility

If this is in the Toronto area I would be willing to support it and bring current plus older stuff not just pentax but third party too

[TG10]

to dfmw: Yes it is a college project, though i am in an advertising program so i don't have a photo dept directly at my disposal, though i could probably talk to some people, so i'll look into it! Thanks for the suggestion!

to Nowhere Matt: I am in advertising, and yes I am not a pentax expert, though i assure you, I have done my research. I of coarse will look into any information I gather on here to make sure that it is reliable. My main goal of this forum is to gather information from those who already know a lot about pentax, cause after all, I'm consulting pentax users. And hey, you guys use them for a reason! This will give me some great insight into why people chose pentax, and i'll be able to play off of those strengths when creating my event. Thank you for your concern though! I appreciate you looking out.

Thanks again to everyone that is giving me info, it is helping me greatly and I sincerely appreciate it! Feel free anyone to add anything you wish.

- TG

[depths&heights]

I would really like to see Pentax along side Canon and Nikon in someplace like Costco. dSLRs in my mind are still an item that potential customers like to touch and compare (and it would go to one of Pentax's strong suits - ergonomics). With out a physical presence, I am refreshingly surprised that Pentax's entry level dSLRs are doing as well as they are.

Me too! When I was researching which direction I wanted to go, I really relied on reviews which described the "feel" of the Pentax (among all the other great features the other entry-levels did not have). I had "touched and compared" Nikon and Canon (and even a Sony), but took a chance and ordered a Pentax. Nevertheless, as promised, it was love at first touch, lol.