Are we really THAT rare?

kadajawi · 07-20-2014, 05:37 PM

MediaMarkt in Ferrol, Spain has 2 Pentax on display. A K-30 and a K-50, both with 18-55 WR kit lens.

It's nothing against CLS in Johor Bahru, Malaysia though. They have a wall of Pentax cameras (from Q over K-01 over K-5/K-3 to 645D) and lenses (in both outlets), plus despite selling other brands too the stuff is mostly shooting Pentax, and they have lots of Q and K something miniature models etc.

I'd also say they are the most professional shop in town, offering jibs, higher end camera bags and a ton of other gear you can't find in a normal camera shop.

Pepe Le Pew · 07-20-2014, 07:40 PM

Was at Ribfest for 3 days in Kitchener,Ontario.
Saw crap loads of Canikons and smart phones.
When it started to rain? People were doing 2 things......
1. Running for cover.
2. People telling I should do the same

True story

robthebloke · 07-20-2014, 08:11 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

I think they were sold to Seiko and I'm not certain the Pentax brand is used any more. There is an old Pentax vision test card at my optometrist, though.

Should've gone to specsavers!
(That'll probably only make sense to those from the uk, but yes, I can confirm specsavers actively promote Pentax lenses)

SpecialK · 07-20-2014, 08:27 PM

Saw a Pentaxian at the Glendale cruise night.

stevebrot · 07-20-2014, 09:00 PM

I did not see any Pentax in the wild this weekend, but I did have a first of a different kind. I actually saw two Sony dSLRs being used by a pair of Japanese tourists.

Steve

Culture · 07-21-2014, 09:47 PM

I was in Tallin, Estonia two weeks ago. I saw a lady with a K5II who had just crossed zebra crossing I was about to take.

After taking the cross and walking to one of the shopping malls, I entered a Sony center shop. I went in there to see if they had the A7s.

I asked the lady so I can try them. In our conversation she mentioned that she used to own a K1000 when I said I was a pentax shooter

She really knew her stuff about photography because when I ask the guy there about the cameras, he went and got her.

cxdoo · 07-22-2014, 12:23 AM - **1 Like**

I spent last week in Berlin doing the tourist stuff. Random observations:

* In the tourist crowd, ~60% had a camera, of those ~75% were DSLRs, the rest being mostly very small cameras (like Q and whatyouhave). Very few bridge cameras.
* There was a significant number of regular people carrying FF cameras. Regular as in family on vacation, non-geek, taking snapshots people.
* As already stated by others, most DSLRs had kit lens on it (and often lens hood the other way around...), or some variant of a superzoom.
* I have seen very few (but more than Pentaxes) top quality (or price) lenses, all of them zooms and obviously most of them with people looking like pros (as in going in pairs to sites and lugging a couple of backpacks of photo equipment).
* I don't recall noticing any primes, apart from fancy crowd with Leicas and vintage film cameras. All of these were young and, well, fancy.
* Of hundreds of DSLRs, I have noticed a grand total of 4 (four) Pentaxes. One K-r, one K5II, the rest I didn't see the model. FWIW, could be I have seen only two twice as we (as in tourists) were visiting the same sites all over the town.
* I visited two Saturn shops (electronics and like department store). One in Kurfürstendamm street had some cameras (K50/K5II) and very few lenses (DA50, 35LE, 100WR and maybe another one or two). The other on Alexanderplatz had a bigger selection of both; K50/K500/K5II/K3 and DA 15/35/50/70/100 and DA* 16-50 & 50-135 & 200 and maybe another one or two. Haven't seen Q anywhere (and I was looking for it).
* I have seen maybe 10 people carrying a tripod. Of these, one was massive with FF, one was a sort of portable with another DSLR and the rest were portable with cameras the size of a pack of cigarettes. I didn't get it. What for?
* I found user mode with all auto settings very useful for handing the camera to random people on the street. Even though I was trying to ask people who have a DSLR and look competent using it, I was rather disappointed with the results. 80% of time the composition was really bad. Actually I got more keepers from people NOT carrying a mean looking DSLR.
* I took with me Tamron combo 17-50 & 70-200. Even though the latter is heavy, it's not too heavy provided I really needed it. I just didn't need it all too often. Most use it got was in the zoo (~90% of the photos there). I don't think I will take it to the next trip.
* To make me feel less bad, there were a lot of other regular joes lugging similarly sized (& heavy) lenses

davek · 07-22-2014, 03:32 AM

Originally posted by Pepe Le Pew

Was at Ribfest for 3 days in Kitchener,Ontario.

Saw crap loads of Canikons and smart phones.

When it started to rain? People were doing 2 things......

1. Running for cover.

2. People telling I should do the same

True story

I was there with my new q10. Wished I had the slr when it started to rain tho.

steve1307 · 07-22-2014, 07:37 AM

Originally posted by davek

I was there with my new q10. Wished I had the slr when it started to rain tho.

I'm in the Philippines south on Manila area working for the past 2 weeks, haven't seen a single Pentax ...... and they're made here.

I took my Q out in the rain last Wednesday afternoon after waiting for Typhoon Rammasun to pass (pretty much) right through us.

Q is so small you can just shield it from the rain with one hand anyway.

Giklab · 07-22-2014, 09:00 AM

I believe I've seen a Pentax DSLR today. I work at a shop at the MetalDays festival. I saw the guy outside, but I didn't speak to him (had to get back to work

). Is it someone from the forum?
OTOH the number of people carrying cameras is extremely small.

MarkJerling · 07-22-2014, 04:54 PM

Saw a Pentax shooter at the Rotorua Marathon. Strangely, his K-3, complete with D-BG5 battery grip, carefully had the Pentax name painted black. Odd, as if the man is shy to own a Pentax!

**rod_grant** · 07-22-2014, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by MarkJerling

Saw a Pentax shooter at the Rotorua Marathon. Strangely, his K-3, complete with D-BG5 battery grip, carefully had the Pentax name painted black. Odd, as if the man is shy to own a Pentax!

Ah, but had he painted out Ricoh on the back??

MarkJerling · 07-22-2014, 08:43 PM

Originally posted by rod_grant

Ah, but had he painted out Ricoh on the back??

Tried as I might, I could not see the back from where I was standing, so I don't know. I was tempted to walk over and ask, but then I would have lost my shooting location.

kadajawi · 07-23-2014, 02:31 AM

Originally posted by rod_grant

Ah, but had he painted out Ricoh on the back??

A Ricoh fan! Maybe that's why the K-3 has 2 different brandings. Pick the one you prefer.

Waratah · 07-23-2014, 03:32 AM

Originally posted by MarkJerling

Saw a Pentax shooter at the Rotorua Marathon. Strangely, his K-3, complete with D-BG5 battery grip, carefully had the Pentax name painted black. Odd, as if the man is shy to own a Pentax!

I've seen advice that blacking out brand makes camera less daunting to people when doing street photography. But putting a battery grip on would kind of defeat that concept.

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07-20-2014, 05:37 PM	#2956
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	MediaMarkt in Ferrol, Spain has 2 Pentax on display. A K-30 and a K-50, both with 18-55 WR kit lens. It's nothing against CLS in Johor Bahru, Malaysia though. They have a wall of Pentax cameras (from Q over K-01 over K-5/K-3 to 645D) and lenses (in both outlets), plus despite selling other brands too the stuff is mostly shooting Pentax, and they have lots of Q and K something miniature models etc. I'd also say they are the most professional shop in town, offering jibs, higher end camera bags and a ton of other gear you can't find in a normal camera shop.

07-20-2014, 07:40 PM	#2957
Pepe Le Pew Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Photos: Albums Posts: 591	Was at Ribfest for 3 days in Kitchener,Ontario. Saw crap loads of Canikons and smart phones. When it started to rain? People were doing 2 things...... 1. Running for cover. 2. People telling I should do the same True story

07-20-2014, 08:11 PM	#2958
robthebloke Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sydney Photos: Albums Posts: 844	Originally posted by monochrome I think they were sold to Seiko and I'm not certain the Pentax brand is used any more. There is an old Pentax vision test card at my optometrist, though. Should've gone to specsavers! (That'll probably only make sense to those from the uk, but yes, I can confirm specsavers actively promote Pentax lenses)

07-20-2014, 08:27 PM	#2959
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,480	Saw a Pentaxian at the Glendale cruise night.

07-20-2014, 09:00 PM	#2960
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	I did not see any Pentax in the wild this weekend, but I did have a first of a different kind. I actually saw two Sony dSLRs being used by a pair of Japanese tourists. Steve

07-21-2014, 09:47 PM	#2961
Culture Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Vaasa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 818	I was in Tallin, Estonia two weeks ago. I saw a lady with a K5II who had just crossed zebra crossing I was about to take. After taking the cross and walking to one of the shopping malls, I entered a Sony center shop. I went in there to see if they had the A7s. I asked the lady so I can try them. In our conversation she mentioned that she used to own a K1000 when I said I was a pentax shooter She really knew her stuff about photography because when I ask the guy there about the cameras, he went and got her.

07-22-2014, 12:23 AM - 1 Like	#2962
cxdoo Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Limassol, Cyprus Posts: 1,150	I spent last week in Berlin doing the tourist stuff. Random observations: * In the tourist crowd, ~60% had a camera, of those ~75% were DSLRs, the rest being mostly very small cameras (like Q and whatyouhave). Very few bridge cameras. * There was a significant number of regular people carrying FF cameras. Regular as in family on vacation, non-geek, taking snapshots people. * As already stated by others, most DSLRs had kit lens on it (and often lens hood the other way around...), or some variant of a superzoom. * I have seen very few (but more than Pentaxes) top quality (or price) lenses, all of them zooms and obviously most of them with people looking like pros (as in going in pairs to sites and lugging a couple of backpacks of photo equipment). * I don't recall noticing any primes, apart from fancy crowd with Leicas and vintage film cameras. All of these were young and, well, fancy. * Of hundreds of DSLRs, I have noticed a grand total of 4 (four) Pentaxes. One K-r, one K5II, the rest I didn't see the model. FWIW, could be I have seen only two twice as we (as in tourists) were visiting the same sites all over the town. * I visited two Saturn shops (electronics and like department store). One in Kurfürstendamm street had some cameras (K50/K5II) and very few lenses (DA50, 35LE, 100WR and maybe another one or two). The other on Alexanderplatz had a bigger selection of both; K50/K500/K5II/K3 and DA 15/35/50/70/100 and DA* 16-50 & 50-135 & 200 and maybe another one or two. Haven't seen Q anywhere (and I was looking for it). * I have seen maybe 10 people carrying a tripod. Of these, one was massive with FF, one was a sort of portable with another DSLR and the rest were portable with cameras the size of a pack of cigarettes. I didn't get it. What for? * I found user mode with all auto settings very useful for handing the camera to random people on the street. Even though I was trying to ask people who have a DSLR and look competent using it, I was rather disappointed with the results. 80% of time the composition was really bad. Actually I got more keepers from people NOT carrying a mean looking DSLR. * I took with me Tamron combo 17-50 & 70-200. Even though the latter is heavy, it's not too heavy provided I really needed it. I just didn't need it all too often. Most use it got was in the zoo (~90% of the photos there). I don't think I will take it to the next trip. * To make me feel less bad, there were a lot of other regular joes lugging similarly sized (& heavy) lenses

07-22-2014, 03:32 AM	#2963
davek Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Elmira, On, Canada Posts: 461	Originally posted by Pepe Le Pew Was at Ribfest for 3 days in Kitchener,Ontario. Saw crap loads of Canikons and smart phones. When it started to rain? People were doing 2 things...... 1. Running for cover. 2. People telling I should do the same True story I was there with my new q10. Wished I had the slr when it started to rain tho.

07-22-2014, 07:37 AM	#2964
steve1307 Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,130	Originally posted by davek I was there with my new q10. Wished I had the slr when it started to rain tho. I'm in the Philippines south on Manila area working for the past 2 weeks, haven't seen a single Pentax ...... and they're made here. I took my Q out in the rain last Wednesday afternoon *after waiting* for Typhoon Rammasun to pass (pretty much) right through us. Q is so small you can just shield it from the rain with one hand anyway.

07-22-2014, 09:00 AM	#2965
Giklab Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Slovenia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,182	I believe I've seen a Pentax DSLR today. I work at a shop at the MetalDays festival. I saw the guy outside, but I didn't speak to him (had to get back to work ). Is it someone from the forum? OTOH the number of people carrying cameras is extremely small.

07-22-2014, 04:54 PM	#2966
MarkJerling Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wairarapa, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20,406	Saw a Pentax shooter at the Rotorua Marathon. Strangely, his K-3, complete with D-BG5 battery grip, carefully had the Pentax name painted black. Odd, as if the man is shy to own a Pentax!

07-22-2014, 05:52 PM	#2967
rod_grant Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wangaratta, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,951	Originally posted by MarkJerling Saw a Pentax shooter at the Rotorua Marathon. Strangely, his K-3, complete with D-BG5 battery grip, carefully had the Pentax name painted black. Odd, as if the man is shy to own a Pentax! Ah, but had he painted out Ricoh on the back??

07-22-2014, 08:43 PM	#2968
MarkJerling Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wairarapa, New Zealand Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 20,406	Originally posted by rod_grant Ah, but had he painted out Ricoh on the back?? Tried as I might, I could not see the back from where I was standing, so I don't know. I was tempted to walk over and ask, but then I would have lost my shooting location.

07-23-2014, 02:31 AM	#2969
kadajawi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2,799	Originally posted by rod_grant Ah, but had he painted out Ricoh on the back?? A Ricoh fan! Maybe that's why the K-3 has 2 different brandings. Pick the one you prefer.

07-23-2014, 03:32 AM	#2970
Waratah Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 81	Originally posted by MarkJerling Saw a Pentax shooter at the Rotorua Marathon. Strangely, his K-3, complete with D-BG5 battery grip, carefully had the Pentax name painted black. Odd, as if the man is shy to own a Pentax! I've seen advice that blacking out brand makes camera less daunting to people when doing street photography. But putting a battery grip on would kind of defeat that concept.