[eddie1960]

they still make fast 50's just not cheap ones. the FA 50 f1.4 is still around and well built unlike the cheap canon offering (which truly feels like a piece of junk IMHO) - canon does have a competing 1.4 at 459 so same range as the Pentax
the 35 2.4 is $195 here, and the cheap Canon 50 1.8 is 129. the Pentax feels better built there is a cost to that. And the Fa50 used to be in the 200 range but they jacked the price a couple of years back
a da 50 f1.8-2 along the new 35 lines should be able to sell for the same 200 range. (I can't see them dropping an absolute cheap plasticky 50 on the market like the canon. Canon has a huge economy of scale advantage as well they probably don't make any money on that unit they just sell a tone of them to get people into primes and they have a good 5-10 times as many people to sell them to

[Christine Tham]

I get the logic about 35 being the new 50, but there's something magical about owning at 50 - the speed, the bokeh, the sharpness.

Fortunately, there are a few manual focus 50mm available for sale from time to time - I picked up an A50 f1.7 and currently loving it.

Here's a photo from Botanical Gardens:


And to get back on topic, I think I saw a K-x user there as well. Everywhere I go these days, I seem to bump into K-x users.

[eddie1960]

Oh I agree on having a nice 50 I have 7 of them , but I can see pentax' logic. it's not a normal lens so holds no value as a kit basic lens anymore. Canon of course has FF cameras as does Nikon so in there case it is a basic lens (though for the life of me i can't understand buying a 5 d and then putting a $100 lens on it. )

[RioRico]

I bought my first dSLR, the K20D, maybe a month before Hoya devoured Pentax. It was lenses (and quality) that drove me to Pentax: my first kit were the FA50/1.4 for ~US$200, DA10-17 for ~US$375, and DA18-250 for ~US$445. Nobady else had a comparable fisheye or ultrawide zoom for anywhere near that price, and the Fast Fifty was quite affordable.

Then Hoya decided that Fast Fifty was underpriced. Maybe so -- but now it's around US$350, right? That's no longer affordable for many. It's not as if Hoya must expend more on making that lens, its development and production costs aren't increasing, and if they dropped it back to ~US$225, they'd sell a sh!tload of them. Maybe a couple sh!tloads or more, eh?

As mentioned, 35 may be the new 50, but the DOF and bokeh of that 50 just can't be touched by a 35/2.4 or even a 35/1.4. A very good starter kit IMHO would be the 18-55 for everyday, something up to 200 or 300 for reach, and the FA50/1.4 for low light, portraits, short-tele work, etc. It's still a great focal length on APS-C. Of my ~50 Fifty's, at least two will be in my carry bag at any moment, maybe three or four even. At least the FA50/1.4, the MacroTakumar 50/4 (1:1), and an Exakta-mount Zeiss Tessar 50/2.8 with 12 iris blades. BOKEH MONSTER!

Back to the question, Why Are We Rare? Because PenHoya (for whatever reasons) doesn't promote in some major markets, doesn't have enough physical presence. Getting high ratings ion magazine tests isn't sifficient. And because PenHoya no longer competes in some major lens niches.

I have a radical sugestion: Manual primes. Suppose PenHoya had a 'retro' (budget) line of fairly fast A-type MF primes, jiggered to automagically set USE APERTURE RING to ALLOWED when mounted on the camera. (Or just with a HOW-2 instruction slip.) And all priced under US$200. Some old favorites: 24-35-100 at f/2.8 or f/2, and a 50-55/1.4 or f/1.7. No gearing, no motors, no frills. "Embrace The Pentax Heritage", something like that. Would the world of Pentaxians expand?

[Jodokast96]

Just look at the used market for your answer.

[Ratmagiclady]

easy, get yourself a big looking camera (K20D) with a battery grip on and put on a honking DA* zoom (50-135) and tell them that you are a talent agent taking photos of potential models.

Aaaah, now *there's* an appeal of weathersealed telezooms. Canikon nameplates don't protect against spittakes.

[BigDave]

I teach a photography class a couple of times a year. I have seen Pentax come through and it is about 1 in 15. Pentax needs to advertise more and they would be looked at more seriously if they had a FF digital. But I guess THAT subject is part of another thread!

Regards,

[alelynh]

I have a radical sugestion: Manual primes. Suppose PenHoya had a 'retro' (budget) line of fairly fast A-type MF primes, jiggered to automagically set USE APERTURE RING to ALLOWED when mounted on the camera. (Or just with a HOW-2 instruction slip.) And all priced under US$200. Some old favorites: 24-35-100 at f/2.8 or f/2, and a 50-55/1.4 or f/1.7. No gearing, no motors, no frills. "Embrace The Pentax Heritage", something like that. Would the world of Pentaxians expand?

I love this idea! But I think the ones who would be more excited about it would be people already using pentax.

I used to work at a BB and when people would come in for dslr's, 1) most were moving directly from a point and shoot and were kind of surprised when I would comment that dslr's were more like investments and were more involved than their previous camera "but they have an Automatic mode right?" was one of the phrases I used to hear a lot.

2) We had a lot of people coming in to test the feel of them a lot who then buy them online or at costco because of the better deals. What pentax needs to do, like mot people have been suggesting, is getting in B&M stores and running and advert thats between nikon and canon, popular, well known rep but emphasizing quality, backwards compatibility with lenses etc.

On the other side of the coin has anyone thought what would happen to the used lens market if there was a sudden influx of people? But maybe I'm just being selfish

[SteveM]

This thread has me keeping an eye out for what brand camera someone is using. I don't know what it is here in BC but Pentax is common....not common like Canikon but it is very common.

What I worry about is the drop in sales and promotion the past 2 years. Most of the cameras I see are K10d and K200d etc. When Hoya took over, I think they ignored market data and sabotaged Pentax's future in this area. There used to be billboards and advertising all over the place. Hoya's market strategy seems to be to make Pentax a secret and unobtainable.

[eddie1960]

This thread has me keeping an eye out for what brand camera someone is using. I don't know what it is here in BC but Pentax is common....not common like Canikon but it is very common.

What I worry about is the drop in sales and promotion the past 2 years. Most of the cameras I see are K10d and K200d etc. When Hoya took over, I think they ignored market data and sabotaged Pentax's future in this area. There used to be billboards and advertising all over the place. Hoya's market strategy seems to be to make Pentax a secret and unobtainable.

it's all the old hippies out there who wanted to be the pentax girl

You Tube

You Tube

[dmfw]

An observation.

It is spring in Texas, and I have been out shooting flowers, trees, and bees. In shooing at public areas, where there are many other photographers, I have yet to see one other person carry a Pentax. It is about 75% Canon / 25% Nikon.

Also, I do not know of any pro., in my area, who uses Pentax over Canon/Nikon.

In fact, I may be all alone in Texas!

[dhodgeh]

In all the years I've been shooting Pentax digital (since the *ist-D), I've only seen one other Pentax DSLR in field.

When I do a workshop, the conversation will get around to gear at some point. When I inform the group that I shoot with Pentax, it's usually puzzled looks and/or a brief silence.

Though I do think I made an impression on one of my trip leaders at one time. She was still shooting film, and after everyone else bailed for some reason or another, the weather took a slight downward turn (a bit of drizzle). She looked at me and said something to the effect that I would probably be ready to head in and not risk getting my fancy DSLR wet.

I was using a K10D at the time, and told her about it being weather sealed and could take this little bit of weather with ease. She replied 'Hmmmm, may have to look at one of those'. I can only hope she followed through........

Did a bit of the same with another leader. The wind was blowing up dust, he offered to bail out so as to not ruin my DSLR. Again, with the K10D, I said no problem. He too replied 'Hmmmm...' and we kept going.

FWIW

[annemari]

In Estonia the most famous Pentax lover is Maksim Chicherin. He does it professionally and is really good photographer. His website You can find from Here although You won't find anything from there. But from here You'll see him taking photos with 645D

[dmfw]

A real life scenario. (for me)

Its 10AM. Your camera is broken, gone, crushed, etc. You have a shoot at 5 PM.

Can you buy a replacement Canon or Nikon body at a local store?

Yes, if you live in a larger city (Ex from Best Buy, Target, or Walmart)

For Pentax or Sony, the answer is maybe, if you are lucky, or most likely no.

[annemari]

Can you buy a replacement Canon or Nikon body at a local store?

Yes, if you live in a larger city (Ex from Best Buy, Target, or Walmart)

For Pentax or Sony, the answer is maybe, if you are lucky, or most likely no.

In Estonia every electronic shop sell Pentaxes Even in the smallest cities. I guess we are just lucky here!