Originally posted by Trey45 In my small camera club I am now the only Pentax user, we had one other but she moved. A new member was asking about DSLR's one meeting. She was shooting a point and shoot Canon of older vintage. I showed her my Pentax K-S2 that I had with me. She was VERY interested in it, the sensor size, the features, the weight, the articulated screen, the price of them was a key feature she was very attracted to. Others showed her their canikons and sony cameras, but she kept coming back to the Pentax! I thought for certain she was going to buy one for herself.
The next meeting we had she shows up with a Nikon. She couldn't find a Pentax at any store she went to, only canikons and Sony.
as you correctly note, it is very hard to go to a brick and mortar store or a box store and find Pentax equipment here in the US
if you are lucky, you might find "experienced" Pentax gear
so you are dependent on the internet and even if you are willing to try that route, you have " no hands " on experience
I know of only one way to cure that - Rentals
I have used LensRental.com which I believe is out of Tennessee to rent gear and get "hands on" experience before spending the big $$$$$. [ Bonus, sometimes those businesses will sell their "experienced" equipment and apply the rental fees to the purchase price ]
Perhaps we should start mentioning that option to those we meet who want to discover Pentax