[troika]

I always have a great time in your Province. I used to come up frequently, but it's been too long. I had a list of things to cover in a few hours, got some work done on an instrument, caught up with a friend and made it to Broadway Camera on...well Broadway. But, it didn't make financial sense for me to buy while there for a number of reasons, including HST. It did give me some of what I needed to decide what to order and when.

Need to plan a trip back soon.

[acem]

I think Pentax in many ways is suffering from it's own success. They were a great optics company that made great film cameras. The real memory most people have of Pentax though is the K1000. It was my first REAL camera and I still have it (it still works). People still think of Pentax as that company that makes very reliable, simple, cheap SLRs. I know the ME, LX, etc were great cameras. Most people don't even know what medium format cameras are. The 6x7 and 645 were serious cameras for real professionals.

Pentax seemed to be slow to get into the DSLR market (IMO). I bought a used istD and am VERY HAPPY. I wish it had video but it is a 10 yr old camera... And Pentax is building a Pro Digital Camera, the 645D. I don't really think any of the full frame DLSR (35mm size) can compete with the 645D (however I may be wrong). The 645D will need a sensor upgrade soon I expect.

Just my opinions. Kinda like a rectum, everybody has one!

Thx-Ace

[gofour3]

I always have a great time in your Province. I used to come up frequently, but it's been too long. I had a list of things to cover in a few hours, got some work done on an instrument, caught up with a friend and made it to Broadway Camera on...well Broadway. But, it didn't make financial sense for me to buy while there for a number of reasons, including HST. It did give me some of what I needed to decide what to order and when.

Need to plan a trip back soon.

Glad you made it up here to check out some Pentax gear.

Next time you come to Vancouver check out Leo’s Camera downtown on Granville Street and Kerrisdale Cameras on 41st near Arbutus. Not only do they both sell new Pentax gear they also have a great used selection.

Phil.

[troika]

I got lost looking for Kerrisdale in Richmond, but knew I could find Broadway. Need to come up with my family and stay a while.

[Rondec]

I think the biggest problem for Pentax in general is just that they aren't "out there." Hard to know how nice a K5 or a K30 is, if you can't hold one. So much of Nikon and Canon's appeal is based on professionals using upper end cameras, most of which are completely out of reach of the general public. What soccer mom is going to go out and buy a D800 and 70-200 VR II? The reality is that they end up with a kit lens and a D5200 or, a Canon T2i -- cameras that are fine, but certainly have nothing on Pentax's offerings.

In general, the problem with lower end cameras is that the companies feel it necessary to protect upper end camera lines from the lower end bodies. This is why the K30 is limited to 3 exposures when doing exposure bracketing, or why the D600 has a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 second. In a sense, Pentax benefits somewhat, because they don't have as many bodies and so they don't have restrict features on the K30 as much as Nikon does on the D5200.

[Reliant K1000]

Kerrisdale was, and still is a great place for used Pentax gear. Bought my K1000 new there in the 70's and a few used lenses later on.

And, London Drugs were always pro-Pentax even in the film days - I remember in the 80's whilst "in between jobs" salivating on 2 lenses each the same price...a 500mm Vivitar mirror and a Vivitar ultra wide angle zoom (I think it was a 15-28mm) Both were only K only mount and $250 if memory serves. My friend bought the 500mm and since he passed away, I now have it as a treasured posession.

I know a former LD upper manager guy and he was a major reason they carried Pentax initially. (this was in the 80's) I think they kept up the good relations and just continued to carry their product line, and get preferred pricing so they can offer really lower prices in cameras.

Another one if you are ever in the area if you want used Pentax gear is Reid's PhotoSource in White Rock (bought my used Program+ there many years ago). They have a dwindling selection of Pentax and other brands lenses (mainly of the film era but I did see an early digital body - a K200D I think), and if you want a dedicated film flash, they're blowing out their old stock of Vivitar, and other brands. None that are superior to what I already have, so I didn't bite. For new, they sell the Q camera but won't do dSLRs anymore, as "London Drugs has that all sewn up" so they told me last week.

[dmfw]

Let me share my story of why it's frustrating to be Pentax owner. I broke my flash and need to replace it quickly. I called around to several stores in my area but no one sold a flash that was Pentax compatible. In fact, many of the stores did not even have any Pentax equipment. I ended up purchasing the flash online and had to pay for next day shipping.

Also, I need to rent a specialized lens for my camera but, you guessed it, none of the stores rented Pentax compatible lenses.

I am planning to purchase a new camera within the next three months and am having a great struggle over purchasing a new Pentax camera. Unfortunately, I think that I need to move to Canon or Nikon so that I will not have compatibility issues in the future. This is not a knock on the Pentax brand but a acknowledgment of the harsh reality of today's photographic market.

[voyager13]

I think the biggest problem for Pentax in general is just that they aren't "out there.

I think that pretty much sums up the answer to the original question IMO.

[Eulogy]

I think that pretty much sums up the answer to the original question IMO.

Indeed. I was going to buy a D7000 or a 7D(How can one resist the pro service network?) until I laid hands on the K-5. The store owner even told me "You don't want to hold that, you'll end up buying it". Walked out of the store with a K-5 not 10 minutes later. (This was after feeling that the D7000 feels cheap, and the 7D was awkward to use...to say the least)

[Ash]

Indeed. I was going to buy a D7000 or a 7D(How can one resist the pro service network?) until I laid hands on the K-5. The store owner even told me "You don't want to hold that, you'll end up buying it". Walked out of the store with a K-5 not 10 minutes later. (This was after feeling that the D7000 feels cheap, and the 7D was awkward to use...to say the least)

That's perhaps the best plug in the fewest words I've heard for any piece of equipment. That sales person knew a good thing beyond what was being pushed with aggressive marketing.

[Eulogy]

That's perhaps the best plug in the fewest words I've heard for any piece of equipment. That sales person knew a good thing beyond what was being pushed with aggressive marketing.

Yeah, but I live in a town where Pentax has more shelf space at this pro shop than Nikon, and Canon is on par, but not put on display as much. Might be due to NBCCD(New Brunswick College of Craft and Design), the photography instructor there uses a K-5(I held it! Took a wretched photo with a 50 Macro too..I HATE 50mm on APS-C for general photography /ramble), he recommends using what people like, but I think seeing a Pentax in the hands of their instructor has some degree of sway. Not to mention, the pro shop is one of the oldest in North America, so they retained loads of Pentax users when digital came 'round. (They still do development there, at quite reasonable rates. Up to 8x10 I think...)

[stepmac]

Those of us who were in the Peanut Gallery recall when it was Pentax and little else. Their early SLR's were all the rage in the 50's and 60's and we all owned one, then two and on and on. I guess it's my recollection of those days that keeps me coming back to Pentax. Yes, I own a Canon system too and a slew of their lenses and I like them, but Pentax still has my soul and I hope they stay around.

I too have noticed that I seldom see a serious photographer (Never) use a P-tax and I often wonder why. I keep using mine tho and when I see someone else using one too, we wink at eachother.

[monochrome]

when I see someone else using one too, we wink at eachother

Yeah, that's fun isn't it?

[tahoejeepmom]

Pentax has not always been at the back of the camera race. my local camera store sells pentax and they have been selling well. The owner likes pentax and use to shoot with them but switch to nikon. This owner did not speak highly of new canons. He like nikon and pentax.

The Twenty Most Popular 35mm Photo Cameras in History
The Twenty Most Popular 35mm Photo Cameras in History

I think pentax now with Ricoh behind them can make a come back. They are stepping up their game. only time will tell if they can make a full come back.

What about poor Minolta They were big back in the 80s I think it was.

[voyager13]

What about poor Minolta They were big back in the 80s I think it was.

Minolta had good in the 80's, now they are taken over by Sony. Hence there lenses can be used on Sony cameras AFAIK.