[grhazelton]

While we were enjoying Forsyte Park in Savannah Georgia this morning a young couple, seeing that I had a DSLR, my K 5 with battery grip, asked me to take their pic since I probably knew what I was doing. After moving them out of the harsh 11AM sunlight (they seemed to grumble a bit) I took the low end Nikon offered; they'd noticed I had a Pentax. They said with a hint of pride," Well, THIS is a Nikon!" I couldn't resist saying "You can't have everything, can you." I took the camera - sans lens hood, no surprise that! - and peered through the viewfinder. Like looking through a 10 foot A/C duct. Tiny little glimmer at the end. I took the snap and resisted offering them a look through a REAL camera!

Later I saw a guy, 50's perhaps, with a big DSLR over his shoulder and cradling a black rectangular box, with lens, the box bearing the mystic legend BRONICA! It was a Bronica EC; I have recently acquired a S2a and several lenses. We congratulated each other on our exquisite taste in cameras, and traded tips. I told him of APUG.org and the Bronica group on FLICKR. He scoped the K 5 with an approving and admiring glance. Fine sort, what??

The rest of the visit revealed only the usual plebeian scrum of Canikons, P and S cameras, and the ubiquitous cell phones. One Fuji with a proper eye level finder on a tripod, the shooter was setting the camera's level. Brave soul. And so the quest endeth for the day....

[jeffryscott]

... I took the low end Nikon offered; they'd noticed I had a Pentax. They said with a hint of pride," Well, THIS is a Nikon!" I couldn't resist saying "You can't have everything, can you." I took the camera - sans lens hood, no surprise that! - and peered through the viewfinder. Like looking through a 10 foot A/C duct. Tiny little glimmer at the end. I took the snap and resisted offering them a look through a REAL camera! ...

That is the time you could say, "This is a Pentax," then pour a cup of water over your weather sealed kit. Then fill the cup again and offer to do the same to their kit

[grhazelton]

That is the time you could say, "This is a Pentax," then pour a cup of water over your weather sealed kit. Then fill the cup again and offer to do the same to their kit

Great Idea!!

[clackers]

That is the time you could say, "This is a Pentax," then pour a cup of water over your weather sealed kit. Then fill the cup again and offer to do the same to their kit

Best not to ... could be very embarrassing, Jeff!

[WPRESTO]

Later I saw a guy, 50's perhaps, with a big DSLR over his shoulder and cradling a black rectangular box, with lens, the box bearing the mystic legend BRONICA! It was a Bronica EC; I have recently acquired a S2a and several lenses. We congratulated each other on our exquisite taste in cameras, and traded tips. I told him of APUG.org and the Bronica group on FLICKR. He scoped the K 5 with an approving and admiring glance. Fine sort, what??.

Had a Bronica for a few years with only two lenses: the 75mm f2.8 Nikkor and a short-mount 250mm f4 Nikkor (designed for a reflex housing on the rangefinder Nikons). When focusing the 75mm, I could easily see the lens tilting slightly either upward or downward depending on which direction the focusing knob of the camera body was being turned. Focusing was near impossible without using the magnifier built into the viewing hood. Also, when about two years old with less than 200 rolls of film passed through, the mirror began to jam in the down position so the camera had to be inverted and slapped on the bottom like a newborn to get it back into focusing position. I traded it in for a new Pentax (cannot remember which model - the Bronica had replaced my Asahi Pentax S). The Bronica was a beautiful but flawed camera.

[jcdoss]

I was toodling about a local art fair this weekend, and a nice older lady came and chatted me up about my camera (Pentax K-x and M35/2). We talked about photography for a while before she finally asked me what kind of camera it was I was using. I showed her, and her face got all wrinkled up and she uttered something like, "Oh, ok." At that time, a nearby Canonian interjected in my defense before I could reply, and said something to the effect of, "All cameras nowadays are very good, and there's definitely nothing wrong with that one." What do you think of that? And, to keep this post on-track, I saw no other Pentaxes that day.

[Nicolas06]

I was toodling about a local art fair this weekend, and a nice older lady came and chatted me up about my camera (Pentax K-x and M35/2). We talked about photography for a while before she finally asked me what kind of camera it was I was using. I showed her, and her face got all wrinkled up and she uttered something like, "Oh, ok." At that time, a nearby Canonian interjected in my defense before I could reply, and said something to the effect of, "All cameras nowadays are very good, and there's definitely nothing wrong with that one." What do you think of that? And, to keep this post on-track, I saw no other Pentaxes that day.

The Canonian was right of course. i don't even get why the old lady would have any issue with your gear.

I would even add that'll expect if you take by random people with a camera and you take the group of the one with MF lenses, they may in average get better results than the one with AF lenses.

[karro]

I officially nominate Tervete (Latvia) as the official capital of Pentax.
I was in Tervete Nature Park last Saturday, and besides my K3 I saw at least 3 other Pentaxes :O

[BarryE]

Just spent the day in London. Not one Pentax seen all day. No surprises, perhaps, but heck is it distracting trying to spot one.

I've not attempted to play this game before, and probably won't again, as 4 hours in British Museum and i find I can recall little else than camera make count.

[LensBeginner]

Two in a day today, at Himeji castle.
One was a nice fellow - maybe American? - with a metallized red DSLR, the other a young Japanese girl with a K-S I believe 2 because it had the unmistakable 18-50mm collapsible lens on.

[grhazelton]

Two in a day today, at Himeji castle.
One was a nice fellow - maybe American? - with a metallized red DSLR, the other a young Japanese girl with a K-S I believe 2 because it had the unmistakable 18-50mm collapsible lens on.

" with a metallized red DSLR" Be wary! I have seen an imposter Nikon something or other which, at a quick glance, might be mistaken for the genuine article....

[LensBeginner]

" with a metallized red DSLR" Be wary! I have seen an imposter Nikon something or other which, at a quick glance, might be mistaken for the genuine article....

Nope, I know that and I always double-check, this one had "Pentax" etched on the pentaprism box ;-)
Besides, a Nikon user would just have ignored a guy with a K-01... brrrr... :-P

[Mikesul]

Don't know if this qualifies but I spotted a WG in a NOVA show on the discovery of a new hominid in South Africa. They are doing the dig deep in a narrow, almost inaccessible cave chamber. They have high quality cameras also but for some reason they pulled out the tough little WG for some quick pictures. It only appears for a coupld of seconds but the unique shape was obvious.

[sassinak]

At the Duxford Battle of Britain Anniversary air show I saw a plethora of Canikon, a smattering of Sony and Panasonic, the odd Samsung and 2 Pentax (one was mine). Nearly fell over when I saw it sporting what loked like a 18-135mm as part of a two camera setup - the other did not look like a Pentax.

[OrangeKx]

Went to Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon today. While talking to a comic book author about his work a woman in his booth asked me about my Pentax K-x. She said she was a long time Pentax user (still has the K1000 her grandfather gave her to use when she was getting into photography). She then broke out her new K-3 II and told me how she had trouble finding it locally. She called a place and they told her there was no such Pentax. We had a nice conversation about Pentax, then I told the guy I would buy his comic partially because of the Pentax connection. He signed the comic and I was off. Fun time.