Are we really THAT rare?

kadajawi · 01-28-2014, 10:44 PM

Originally posted by BigDave

Again I started teaching my adult school class in photography. 15 students, one Pentax, MINE! All the rest were Canikons, one mirrorless advanced P&S, the rest DSLRs, all ASC-P.

And the search continues.....

Well, maybe seeing their teacher use Pentax will tell them something.

pezmaker · 02-03-2014, 09:19 AM

Encountered my just my second pentax in the wild on Saturday at an orchid gathering "Orchid Quest" here in Madison, WI. I didn't strike up any conversation with him, and I couldn't quite tell what he was shooting - I was starting to get creepy as I kept standing near him and oggling his gear... It had a more curvy "older" style like my K200D than the k7 and newer blocky style. I'm thinking it may have been a K10 or K20, but i just couldn't quite make out the labeling. Oh well...

I've also gone from knowing no other pentax shooters in real life, to having helped convince two long time friends into K-50 kits. It's looking up.

**k0og** · 02-03-2014, 10:27 AM - **1 Like**

My daughter is busy being a Pentax ambassador. She is shooting professionally part time, and here she caught me taking a picture of her while she was taking a picture at her daughter's (my granddaughter) third birthday party -- she's hamming it up! She loves her new red K50, and here it is fitted with a 28mm f2.8 "A" lens. I took this with my K100DS & Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 lens, ISO1600.

-Joe-

Multi-coated · 02-03-2014, 12:53 PM

Rare? :-)...... Try being who may be the only Samsung DSLR user in NA. Owning a GX20 has taught me that Canikonistas can be an unpleasant, intolerant sect. I'm only half kidding here. I once walked into a Canikon house of worship and immediately provoked an odd mix of pity and derision. It was pretty obvious which clerks were likely mean to special needs children while in grade school. I may have received a better reception walking into a mosque munching on a fried pork chop. :-)

I still really like the ancient GX20, but the K3 is little like my Kryptonite.......

Pepe Le Pew · 02-03-2014, 06:26 PM

We are just as rare as the Denver Bronco's winning the Super Bowl

I liked the half time show featuring Red Hot Peyton Manning;

"Give it away, give it away, give it away now!"

"I am!" - Peyton Manning

donfenix · 02-04-2014, 09:29 PM

Think of Operating Systems. 7.7% of computers in the world run OS X. 1.6% run Linux. The rest is Windows. What does that say about the quality or benefits of each OS? Now apply that to cameras. Also, remember Apple came back from the brink of extinction and reinvented itself through innovative ways beyond its personal computers and OS. I tend to think Pentax has the potential to do the same in the right hands because it has the right photographic DNA. Will it happen or will Pentax go extinct? Only time will tell...

**BigDave** · 02-07-2014, 12:17 PM

Hey, look at Sony now. They just announced their are dumping (selling) their PC business, they are loosing $$$ every quarter. But like Apple they have a heritage and if they act decisively, they can come back. I am suprised Sony has not come out with more cool products. It is as if their creative engineers have been sleeping! At least Pentax has tried to stay relevant for the most part. I still say, to be taken seriously, you need pros that use your stuff, and a FF sensor helps this along.

If they want to, why not just brand the 645D the FF camera and be done with it!?

kadajawi · 02-07-2014, 08:06 PM

Originally posted by BigDave

Hey, look at Sony now. They just announced their are dumping (selling) their PC business, they are loosing $$$ every quarter. But like Apple they have a heritage and if they act decisively, they can come back. I am suprised Sony has not come out with more cool products. It is as if their creative engineers have been sleeping! At least Pentax has tried to stay relevant for the most part. I still say, to be taken seriously, you need pros that use your stuff, and a FF sensor helps this along.

If they want to, why not just brand the 645D the FF camera and be done with it!?

Wait what? Sony no cool products? A7/A7R? Or that DLT tech? Also Sony has access to that amazing Olympus 5-axis stabiliser. They won't be so stupid not to use it for video. They have an imaging processor that is miles ahead of anything Pentax can dream of using. And they will use it everywhere.

Sony knows the video market, their cameras are used in Hollywood. And the tech will trickle down. Pentax on the other hand doesn't know video. They only offer the bare minimum. And good stills... Any DSLR can do that. Pentax only has an edge in ergonomics. But Sony is not bad at that either.

Steven Chain · 02-07-2014, 08:33 PM

I'm an old fart living in an area with lots like me. We have a local photo guild and of the about 15 regulars, 3 of us have Pentax DSLR's. All three of us also have a collection of old Pentax glass and out collection of old glass influenced out choice to buy Pentax. In my case I did a lot of research and settled on Pentax because it's a great camera.

**woodywesty** · 02-08-2014, 08:45 AM

Originally posted by Steven Chain

I'm an old fart living in an area with lots like me. We have a local photo guild and of the about 15 regulars, 3 of us have Pentax DSLR's. All three of us also have a collection of old Pentax glass and out collection of old glass influenced out choice to buy Pentax. In my case I did a lot of research and settled on Pentax because it's a great camera.

Same with me except I don't have a photo guild around. Very happy with my new K3 but have a LOT to learn yet.

kadajawi · 02-08-2014, 09:27 AM

Been at an event today, and someone who looked like the official photographer, with a big flash on top of his camera, had a curiously red strap. It must have been a K-7 or K-5. Funny. There was also a Sony there, and that was it probably.

TheOtherRob · 02-10-2014, 03:13 AM - **3 Likes**

I was at my local camera store a few weeks ago picking up a couple of CR2s for a MZ60 I wanted to try out. But this story isn't about the MZ60, its about the sales pitch the assistant was giving a young woman and her dad about which DSLR she should sink yer holiday money into.

It came down to Canon and Nikon as far as the salesperson was concerned, and she had the young woman tossing up between a Cannon 650D and a Nikon 5100. That girl was walking out the shop with one of those cameras or the other, and that there is why retailers love the Canikon duopoly; the salesperson doesn't care so long as the customer walks out with something, and having the "choice" between Canon and Nikon makes the customer feel more in control of their decision. Any more options, and the customer is likely to just walk out the shop to "think about it"... and then spend their money elsewhere. A duopoly like Canikon is juuuuuuuust peachy for bigger retailers.

Needless to say when the sales person went out back to grab one more accessory that was vital for all new photographers, I sauntered over and suggested to the girl that she check out the K30 and twin lens kit on the bottom shelf (barely visible) that was going for about two thirds the price of the Canikons... and then I mentioned weather sealing and backwards compatibility. I think she got the message...

Rob

Pepe Le Pew · 02-10-2014, 06:25 PM

Originally posted by TheOtherRob

I was at my local camera store a few weeks ago picking up a couple of CR2s for a MZ60 I wanted to try out. But this story isn't about the MZ60, its about the sales pitch the assistant was giving a young woman and her dad about which DSLR she should sink yer holiday money into.

It came down to Canon and Nikon as far as the salesperson was concerned, and she had the young woman tossing up between a Cannon 650D and a Nikon 5100. That girl was walking out the shop with one of those cameras or the other, and that there is why retailers love the Canikon duopoly; the salesperson doesn't care so long as the customer walks out with something, and having the "choice" between Canon and Nikon makes the customer feel more in control of their decision. Any more options, and the customer is likely to just walk out the shop to "think about it"... and then spend their money elsewhere. A duopoly like Canikon is juuuuuuuust peachy for bigger retailers.

Needless to say when the sales person went out back to grab one more accessory that was vital for all new photographers, I sauntered over and suggested to the girl that she check out the K30 and twin lens kit on the bottom shelf (barely visible) that was going for about two thirds the price of the Canikons... and then I mentioned weather sealing and backwards compatibility. I think she got the message...

Rob

I hate those Preachy sobs......So did she buy the K-30?

Alizarine · 02-11-2014, 01:38 AM

Was at a photo/copier distributor event earlier today, featuring Konica-Minolta and Risograph machines. All "official" photographers were using Canikons of course, there could've been a Pentax if I brought mine - but since I'm a writer today and not a photographer, I left it at home.

However, the Konica-Minolta official from Japan (the guy with the highest corporate position in the event) was using a Ricoh GR.

Originally posted by TheOtherRob

Any more options, and the customer is likely to just walk out the shop to "think about it"... and then spend their money elsewhere. A duopoly like Canikon is juuuuuuuust peachy for bigger retailers.

True. They're actually somewhat just telling the same with with Canikon models; it makes the buyers think they're actually "making a choice between cameras" when they're only choosing the BRAND.

Pentax comes along and gives them a REAL challenge of intellect as it presents buyers options the other two (or three, with Sony) don't have at the same price level. That's why I always believed first-timers who choose Pentax are almost always the ones who take camera purchases more seriously; hence more "enthusiast" even at entry-level.

To make matters specific think of this scene (like in the event you recounted in the retailer store) if Pentax were included as a third option:

sales rep: "Canon 650D has an 18MP sensor and 19 focus points... Nikon D5100 has tilting screen and many scene selections... while the Pentax K-30 has a pentaprism viewfinder and goes up to ISO25600.."

the last part of that sentence will sound like alien space mumbo-jumbo to many a first-time DSLR buyers I guess.

bluefoam · 02-11-2014, 02:33 AM - **1 Like**

In fairness, the selling point of Pentax for a novice photographer should be the weather resistance... It's a huge advantage... allot of the other benefits, like you said are numerical. WR is tangible - as is the design.

Most people want to think they are making their own decisions, but in reality they want assurance that they are making the right decision from their peers... So whether they choose an Nikanon or a Canikon, it doesn't matter, because the success of those brands are visible by the amount of people using them... Buying Pentax is a more educated decision & relies more on an individuals self confidence & security.

02-03-2014, 10:27 AM - 1 Like	#2673
k0og Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Rolla, Missouri Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 699	Not quite in the wild... My daughter is busy being a Pentax ambassador. She is shooting professionally part time, and here she caught me taking a picture of her while she was taking a picture at her daughter's (my granddaughter) third birthday party -- she's hamming it up! She loves her new red K50, and here it is fitted with a 28mm f2.8 "A" lens. I took this with my K100DS & Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 lens, ISO1600. -Joe-

02-07-2014, 08:06 PM	#2678
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	Originally posted by BigDave Hey, look at Sony now. They just announced their are dumping (selling) their PC business, they are loosing $$$ every quarter. But like Apple they have a heritage and if they act decisively, they can come back. I am suprised Sony has not come out with more cool products. It is as if their creative engineers have been sleeping! At least Pentax has tried to stay relevant for the most part. I still say, to be taken seriously, you need pros that use your stuff, and a FF sensor helps this along. If they want to, why not just brand the 645D the FF camera and be done with it!? Wait what? Sony no cool products? A7/A7R? Or that DLT tech? Also Sony has access to that amazing Olympus 5-axis stabiliser. They won't be so stupid not to use it for video. They have an imaging processor that is miles ahead of anything Pentax can dream of using. And they will use it everywhere. Sony knows the video market, their cameras are used in Hollywood. And the tech will trickle down. Pentax on the other hand doesn't know video. They only offer the bare minimum. And good stills... Any DSLR can do that. Pentax only has an edge in ergonomics. But Sony is not bad at that either. Last edited by kadajawi; 02-07-2014 at 08:13 PM.

02-11-2014, 01:38 AM	#2684
Alizarine Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Manila Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,185	Was at a photo/copier distributor event earlier today, featuring Konica-Minolta and Risograph machines. All "official" photographers were using Canikons of course, there could've been a Pentax if I brought mine - but since I'm a writer today and not a photographer, I left it at home. However, the Konica-Minolta official from Japan (the guy with the highest corporate position in the event) was using a Ricoh GR. Originally posted by TheOtherRob Any more options, and the customer is likely to just walk out the shop to "think about it"... and then spend their money elsewhere. A duopoly like Canikon is juuuuuuuust peachy for bigger retailers. True. They're actually somewhat just telling the same with with Canikon models; it makes the buyers think they're actually "making a choice between cameras" when they're only choosing the BRAND. Pentax comes along and gives them a REAL challenge of intellect as it presents buyers options the other two (or three, with Sony) don't have at the same price level. That's why I always believed first-timers who choose Pentax are almost always the ones who take camera purchases more seriously; hence more "enthusiast" even at entry-level. To make matters specific think of this scene (like in the event you recounted in the retailer store) if Pentax were included as a third option: sales rep: "Canon 650D has an 18MP sensor and 19 focus points... Nikon D5100 has tilting screen and many scene selections... while the Pentax K-30 has a pentaprism viewfinder and goes up to ISO25600.." the last part of that sentence will sound like alien space mumbo-jumbo to many a first-time DSLR buyers I guess. Last edited by Alizarine; 02-11-2014 at 01:47 AM.

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01-28-2014, 10:44 PM	#2671
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	Originally posted by BigDave Again I started teaching my adult school class in photography. 15 students, one Pentax, MINE! All the rest were Canikons, one mirrorless advanced P&S, the rest DSLRs, all ASC-P. And the search continues..... Well, maybe seeing their teacher use Pentax will tell them something.

02-03-2014, 09:19 AM	#2672
pezmaker Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Madison, WI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 276	Encountered my just my second pentax in the wild on Saturday at an orchid gathering "Orchid Quest" here in Madison, WI. I didn't strike up any conversation with him, and I couldn't quite tell what he was shooting - I was starting to get creepy as I kept standing near him and oggling his gear... It had a more curvy "older" style like my K200D than the k7 and newer blocky style. I'm thinking it may have been a K10 or K20, but i just couldn't quite make out the labeling. Oh well... I've also gone from knowing no other pentax shooters in real life, to having helped convince two long time friends into K-50 kits. It's looking up.

02-03-2014, 12:53 PM	#2674
Multi-coated Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Photos: Albums Posts: 95	Rare? :-)...... Try being who may be the only Samsung DSLR user in NA. Owning a GX20 has taught me that Canikonistas can be an unpleasant, intolerant sect. I'm only half kidding here. I once walked into a Canikon house of worship and immediately provoked an odd mix of pity and derision. It was pretty obvious which clerks were likely mean to special needs children while in grade school. I may have received a better reception walking into a mosque munching on a fried pork chop. :-) I still really like the ancient GX20, but the K3 is little like my Kryptonite.......

02-03-2014, 06:26 PM	#2675
Pepe Le Pew Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Photos: Albums Posts: 591	We are just as rare as the Denver Bronco's winning the Super Bowl I liked the half time show featuring Red Hot Peyton Manning; "Give it away, give it away, give it away now!" "I am!" - Peyton Manning

02-04-2014, 09:29 PM	#2676
donfenix Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Los Angeles Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 77	Think of Operating Systems. 7.7% of computers in the world run OS X. 1.6% run Linux. The rest is Windows. What does that say about the quality or benefits of each OS? Now apply that to cameras. Also, remember Apple came back from the brink of extinction and reinvented itself through innovative ways beyond its personal computers and OS. I tend to think Pentax has the potential to do the same in the right hands because it has the right photographic DNA. Will it happen or will Pentax go extinct? Only time will tell...

02-07-2014, 12:17 PM	#2677
BigDave Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Hudson Valley, NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,626	Hey, look at Sony now. They just announced their are dumping (selling) their PC business, they are loosing $$$ every quarter. But like Apple they have a heritage and if they act decisively, they can come back. I am suprised Sony has not come out with more cool products. It is as if their creative engineers have been sleeping! At least Pentax has tried to stay relevant for the most part. I still say, to be taken seriously, you need pros that use your stuff, and a FF sensor helps this along. If they want to, why not just brand the 645D the FF camera and be done with it!?

02-07-2014, 08:33 PM	#2679
Steven Chain Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 27	I'm an old fart living in an area with lots like me. We have a local photo guild and of the about 15 regulars, 3 of us have Pentax DSLR's. All three of us also have a collection of old Pentax glass and out collection of old glass influenced out choice to buy Pentax. In my case I did a lot of research and settled on Pentax because it's a great camera.

02-08-2014, 08:45 AM	#2680
woodywesty Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Northern Wisconsin Posts: 725	Originally posted by Steven Chain I'm an old fart living in an area with lots like me. We have a local photo guild and of the about 15 regulars, 3 of us have Pentax DSLR's. All three of us also have a collection of old Pentax glass and out collection of old glass influenced out choice to buy Pentax. In my case I did a lot of research and settled on Pentax because it's a great camera. Same with me except I don't have a photo guild around. Very happy with my new K3 but have a LOT to learn yet.

02-08-2014, 09:27 AM	#2681
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	Been at an event today, and someone who looked like the official photographer, with a big flash on top of his camera, had a curiously red strap. It must have been a K-7 or K-5. Funny. There was also a Sony there, and that was it probably.

02-10-2014, 03:13 AM - 3 Likes	#2682
TheOtherRob Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Queensland Photos: Albums Posts: 45	I was at my local camera store a few weeks ago picking up a couple of CR2s for a MZ60 I wanted to try out. But this story isn't about the MZ60, its about the sales pitch the assistant was giving a young woman and her dad about which DSLR she should sink yer holiday money into. It came down to Canon and Nikon as far as the salesperson was concerned, and she had the young woman tossing up between a Cannon 650D and a Nikon 5100. That girl was walking out the shop with one of those cameras or the other, and that there is why retailers love the Canikon duopoly; the salesperson doesn't care so long as the customer walks out with something, and having the "choice" between Canon and Nikon makes the customer feel more in control of their decision. Any more options, and the customer is likely to just walk out the shop to "think about it"... and then spend their money elsewhere. A duopoly like Canikon is juuuuuuuust peachy for bigger retailers. Needless to say when the sales person went out back to grab one more accessory that was vital for all new photographers, I sauntered over and suggested to the girl that she check out the K30 and twin lens kit on the bottom shelf (barely visible) that was going for about two thirds the price of the Canikons... and then I mentioned weather sealing and backwards compatibility. I think she got the message... Rob

02-10-2014, 06:25 PM	#2683
Pepe Le Pew Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Photos: Albums Posts: 591	Originally posted by TheOtherRob I was at my local camera store a few weeks ago picking up a couple of CR2s for a MZ60 I wanted to try out. But this story isn't about the MZ60, its about the sales pitch the assistant was giving a young woman and her dad about which DSLR she should sink yer holiday money into. It came down to Canon and Nikon as far as the salesperson was concerned, and she had the young woman tossing up between a Cannon 650D and a Nikon 5100. That girl was walking out the shop with one of those cameras or the other, and that there is why retailers love the Canikon duopoly; the salesperson doesn't care so long as the customer walks out with something, and having the "choice" between Canon and Nikon makes the customer feel more in control of their decision. Any more options, and the customer is likely to just walk out the shop to "think about it"... and then spend their money elsewhere. A duopoly like Canikon is juuuuuuuust peachy for bigger retailers. Needless to say when the sales person went out back to grab one more accessory that was vital for all new photographers, I sauntered over and suggested to the girl that she check out the K30 and twin lens kit on the bottom shelf (barely visible) that was going for about two thirds the price of the Canikons... and then I mentioned weather sealing and backwards compatibility. I think she got the message... Rob I hate those Preachy sobs......So did she buy the K-30?

02-11-2014, 02:33 AM - 1 Like	#2685
bluefoam Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 115	In fairness, the selling point of Pentax for a novice photographer should be the weather resistance... It's a huge advantage... allot of the other benefits, like you said are numerical. WR is tangible - as is the design. Most people want to think they are making their own decisions, but in reality they want assurance that they are making the right decision from their peers... So whether they choose an Nikanon or a Canikon, it doesn't matter, because the success of those brands are visible by the amount of people using them... Buying Pentax is a more educated decision & relies more on an individuals self confidence & security.