[laurel.pruett]

What are the differences between these three brands? Is Pentax even a different brand or is it just this website?

[MarkJerling]

What are the differences between these three brands? Is Pentax even a different brand or is it just this website?

All three are completely different brands. Pentax is the coolest.

[bertwert]

They're different brands, like in the car world you have your Ford, Mercedes, Toyota, etc...

[rubenr]

What are the differences between these three brands? Is Pentax even a different brand or is it just this website?

Of course they are completely different brands, and there are many others like panasonic, olympus, fuji, sony, leica, hasselblad and others...

And like Mark wisely said:

Pentax is the coolest.

[Roadboat24]

Oh, Yes, Pentax is a different brand.

They all have their strong and weak points. And many things can be similar.

BUT Pentax is built for a photographer, To do Photography outside in the real world with rain and dust and knocks and bumps.
Yes, I'm bias.....

[UncleVanya]

It's far too much to address in one go. Pentax is a brand of Ricoh. Nikon and Canon are independent companies. Each has a niche, but Canon and Nikon and Sony are slugging it out. Pentax is a small player. All make Good cameras. ALL make Good lenses. 3rd party support is better with Nikon Canon and Sony

[Kaisas]

Pentax is unique, and u can't see around many ppl shooting with pentax.

[mikesbike]

What are the differences between these three brands? Is Pentax even a different brand or is it just this website?

I don't know where you are located, but all you have to do is a search on line to find products from each. On this forum we mainly tend to discuss interchangeable lens cameras, especially digital SLR cameras (DSLR having an optical viewfinder which allows viewing through the lens that is mounted on the camera body).

[clackers]

Canon and Nikon are the big two, Laurel. Sony is trying to challenge them. Pentax is a more niche brand, like Olympus, Fuji and Panasonic.

All these companies make good products, it really is a buyer's market.

[Alex645]

What are the differences between these three brands?

Pentax, Nikon, and Canon have more similarities than differences; but I'll try to summarize the main differences:

Canon is the most popular DSLR maker at the present time. Why? Aggressive marketing, support, and a robust network worldwide. If the camera, electronics, or big box store sells cameras, they will carry Canons. On the pro level, they grew with a reputation for one of the best auto focusing systems and thus are popular with sports photographers. Of the three brands, Canon's video capabilities has an edge on the other two. It should be noted that although all three companies have had entry thru pro level models, Canon has followed the auto industry practice of enticing new photographers with inexpensive, easily available, low-end cameras for youth with the scheme that the photographer would with each upgrade, upgrade to a better Canon.

Nikon is the second most popular DSLR maker presently. Their legacy goes back to a history of making tough high quality optics for military use, and then tough high quality cameras that were revered by war and wildlife photographers, especially from the 1950's thru the 80's. Their robust quality and high quality lenses have made Nikonians common from NASA to National Geographic. But almost the opposite of Canon, their strength was in the pro market and only started to feel the financial need to appeal more to the consumers and entry-level market around the 80's. Their pro and semi-pro level cameras and lenses are still amongst the best, but their entry-level offerings, like Canon, are toy-like compared to Pentax.

Pentax will be celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2019. Between the mass switch to smartphones for photography and the latest trend to Sony mirrorless cameras, it is remarkable that the Pentax system exists, but this is in part to many factors that makes it unique and special, relative to the two more popular brands above:

a) Legacy: You can't autofocus with a manual focus Pentax lens made in the 1960's, but you can still mount it on a brand new Pentax DSLR and shoot with it. If you ever find a photo online of the Beatles, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, etc, there is a good chance they're shooting with a Pentax film camera.

b) Loyalty: Most (not all) Canon and Nikon users will swear allegiance to their flag. But for many, a camera is just a camera and as soon as someone invents something faster or better, they will switch (albeit reluctantly due to the cost of replacing lenses). Pentaxians tend to be much more loyal, proud, and clan-like. This is good and bad, but if you see the world as a glass half full, it's COOL.

c) Value: Because Pentax is sold mostly online at a few select stores and does almost no marketing, the cost of the gear goes less to employees and the advertising world and more into the gear. All current models are weather-sealed with weather-sealed lenses as common and affordable. All have bigger, brighter pentaprism optical viewfinders; not smaller, darker pentamirrors or electronic viewfinders. You don't have to buy more expensive lenses with stabilizers or vibration reduction because shake reduction is built into every Pentax DSLR. Most offer features like dual-wheel controls that you'll only find on the higher end models from Canon and Nikon. The Pentax prime "limiteds" are a unique collection of small, excellent optics, without the abundant use of plastic found in the other brand lenses.

d) Innovation: There are some features like astro-tracer or pixel-shift that Pentax has pioneered.

e) Medium format: The other two have never offered a medium format film or digital sensor. The Pentax 645, 645N, and 645Nii film cameras are still used worldwide and their digital offspring, the 645D and now 645Z. Again, weather-sealed and not a delicate studio camera like other medium format brands.

f) Community: This forum is rare. Members from around the world, asking questions, posting photos, sharing solutions, etc.

[noelpolar]

What are the differences between these three brands? Is Pentax even a different brand or is it just this website?

Canon and Nikon are mostly the same, every day kinda photo gear.

Generally speaking, Pentax is a brand mostly reserved for the coolest of the cool photographers. For this reason, it is kept off the shelfs of most photography stores, mostly not to offend the non cool majority of their everyday customers.

In addition, a store needs to be super cool in itself to even be eligable to stock Pentax equipment. This embarasses most stores, who will just deny any real knowledge of the brand.

[Fogel70]

What are the differences between these three brands? Is Pentax even a different brand or is it just this website?

The difference is that Pentax is only a brand. Nikon and Canon are manufacturers of cameras, while it is Ricoh that manufactures Pentax cameras today.
The thing is that Pentax has long only been a brand as it was Asahi that started to use Pentax as a brand on cameras and lenses and many other products, and the company was named Asahi up until 2004.

It was only during 4 years between 2004-2008 that the company was named Pentax. In 2008 Pentax was sold to Hoya, and Hoya sold Pentax brand to Ricoh 2011.
So many of us have products produced by four different companies, all with Pentax brand.

Canon and Nikon does not seem to be as popular by the manufacturers, as they have only been produced by one company each.

[officiousbystander]

Here's a big difference. I have a 2nd hand Nikon J1 with a 10-30mm lens with a manufacturing fault. It's a 2011 camera but in 2018 they'll provide a free service to fix the lens including pick up and re-delivery at their cost. Wouldn't it be nice if Pentax took the same level of responsibility for SDM failure or aperture block?

[beachgardener]

Hey, Pentax rules !!!

better value for money for sure.

[MarkJerling]

Pentax, Nikon, and Canon have more similarities than differences; but I'll try to summarize the main differences:

Canon is the most popular DSLR maker at the present time. Why? Aggressive marketing, support, and a robust network worldwide. If the camera, electronics, or big box store sells cameras, they will carry Canons. On the pro level, they grew with a reputation for one of the best auto focusing systems and thus are popular with sports photographers. Of the three brands, Canon's video capabilities has an edge on the other two. It should be noted that although all three companies have had entry thru pro level models, Canon has followed the auto industry practice of enticing new photographers with inexpensive, easily available, low-end cameras for youth with the scheme that the photographer would with each upgrade, upgrade to a better Canon.

Nikon is the second most popular DSLR maker presently. Their legacy goes back to a history of making tough high quality optics for military use, and then tough high quality cameras that were revered by war and wildlife photographers, especially from the 1950's thru the 80's. Their robust quality and high quality lenses have made Nikonians common from NASA to National Geographic. But almost the opposite of Canon, their strength was in the pro market and only started to feel the financial need to appeal more to the consumers and entry-level market around the 80's. Their pro and semi-pro level cameras and lenses are still amongst the best, but their entry-level offerings, like Canon, are toy-like compared to Pentax.

Pentax will be celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2019. Between the mass switch to smartphones for photography and the latest trend to Sony mirrorless cameras, it is remarkable that the Pentax system exists, but this is in part to many factors that makes it unique and special, relative to the two more popular brands above:

a) Legacy: You can't autofocus with a manual focus Pentax lens made in the 1960's, but you can still mount it on a brand new Pentax DSLR and shoot with it. If you ever find a photo online of the Beatles, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, etc, there is a good chance they're shooting with a Pentax film camera.

b) Loyalty: Most (not all) Canon and Nikon users will swear allegiance to their flag. But for many, a camera is just a camera and as soon as someone invents something faster or better, they will switch (albeit reluctantly due to the cost of replacing lenses). Pentaxians tend to be much more loyal, proud, and clan-like. This is good and bad, but if you see the world as a glass half full, it's COOL.

c) Value: Because Pentax is sold mostly online at a few select stores and does almost no marketing, the cost of the gear goes less to employees and the advertising world and more into the gear. All current models are weather-sealed with weather-sealed lenses as common and affordable. All have bigger, brighter pentaprism optical viewfinders; not smaller, darker pentamirrors or electronic viewfinders. You don't have to buy more expensive lenses with stabilizers or vibration reduction because shake reduction is built into every Pentax DSLR. Most offer features like dual-wheel controls that you'll only find on the higher end models from Canon and Nikon. The Pentax prime "limiteds" are a unique collection of small, excellent optics, without the abundant use of plastic found in the other brand lenses.

d) Innovation: There are some features like astro-tracer or pixel-shift that Pentax has pioneered.

e) Medium format: The other two have never offered a medium format film or digital sensor. The Pentax 645, 645N, and 645Nii film cameras are still used worldwide and their digital offspring, the 645D and now 645Z. Again, weather-sealed and not a delicate studio camera like other medium format brands.

f) Community: This forum is rare. Members from around the world, asking questions, posting photos, sharing solutions, etc.

Very well written!