I have just bought (and sent back due to a fault!!) my first pentax. I'm now after my second (and hopefully working!) one
From what I have observed over the years, it's not the camera, it's the person behind it. I have lost count of how many people I have seen walking around with massive Nikons and Cannons at tourist sites, just pointing and clicking, then walking on. Makes me laugh. I've taken perfectly good photos using my old Fuji s5500 bridge camera that puts these people to shame. Still, would love to have a nice expensive camera (k3!!) but I'm not at that end of the market.
Anyone walking up to me and "talking cameras" makes me cringe. Luckily, with an old bridge camera, people who have bought the latest and greatest tend to ignore me. Gives me more time to take better photos than these people walking around with their latest toys slung over their necks with branded camera straps (argh!!)
I'm happy that these people don't buy pentax and inflate the prices to match their snobbery!