[tim60]

In every field there are products that attract enthusiasts, or the serious users, or those who want to impress their neighbours, and most people use much lesser products or work-arounds that are enough for their purpose. Cameras are no different. Especially now there is the phone which has the multifunctional capability and the DSLR extremes. The middle ground will largely fall away - not enough better than a phone to justify having and carrying another thing. DSLR is enough different to phone to be justified in the mind of serious users.

[Mikesul]

A major spokesman for Swarovski spotting scopes, Clay Taylor, seems to have been using Pentax DSLRs for a long time. The most recent shots I have seen were with the K-3. This is a link to a talk he gave at B&H. It is 35 minutes long and is filled with bird photos taken using Swarovski scopes and mainly Pentax cameras. He also appears in a youtube video called Birding and Digiscoping in the Rio Grande valley which is where I first spotted his Pentax camera. Nice to see so many Pentax attributions and even a few nice comments.

You Tube

You Tube

[ThorSanchez]

I do believe that the fad for all-in-one devices like the smart phone will pass.

Why? I think it's one of those things that has quickly become essential. In something smaller than a paperback book you have a telephone, texting device, excellent GPS and nav system, pretty good camera, address book, web browser, television, language translator, newspaper, compass, map of the sky, music player with the capacity for all your collection and access to essentially all the music in the world, online shopping portal, bank account manager... and on and on and on.

Is anyone clamoring to go back to a single-purpose mobile phone with a Garmin, a calculator, a mp3 player, a point-and-shoot camera, a paper newspaper, a separate tablet/laptop for casual web browsing. It's not going to happen. Something like the modern smartphone will be around for a very long while. It didn't happen before only because it wasn't technologically possible.

When I was in elementary school in the 1980s I would sometimes draw a crazy swiss army knife contraption that had a tools and a TV and a computer and a radio and who knows what else, all magically collapsible into something that would fit in your pocket. A smartphone is exactly that, just way better, and with the benefit of actually existing.

[TheOneAndOnlyJH]

The smart phone fad will only 'pass' when we can do it all with something better.

I'm thinking electronic contact lenses with built in high definition displays controlled by hand gestures, and off course an integrated camera that shoots exactly what you see. Add in wireless earbuds (impants?) for phone calls and music and nobody would want a clunky old fashioned cell phone anymore. 🤣

[Alex645]

I think you are right about the lesser demand for entry level DSLRs though, as with P&S cameras.

Sounds like they are in stock, but are they selling? And at those prices?? We see insane prices for K1000s, and the KM was superior to it, but few people know of the KM. It is amazing that your shop has four at once, I have never even seen one over the years.

Note: Due to smart phones, I think there is lesser demand for P&S, not entry level DSLRs.

Yes, the local camera store does sell them at those prices. I too was amazed they had four. I asked the owner. He didnʻt seem to want to share his source, but it was a batch purchase. I, too, had never handled a KM before. Itʻs just like a K1000 but with a depth of field preview button and maybe a mirror lock up.

They pre-test the cameras, and if they work, they just clean them and sell for $250 (with 50mm). If they donʻt work, they get CLA and then are priced at $350. Yes, compared to eBay prices or KEH prices and warranty they are pricey, but they sit very neatly in a clean case next to mint condition manual focus higher end desired cameras like the Nikon F3/FM2N/FE2, Canon A1/F1, Contax and Leica rangefinders, and Rollei TLRs and a few other medium format.

The shop is in a brand new complex with great restaurants, cafes, juice bars, art galleries, etc. The owner has cultivated a good relationship with the University of Hawaii (that runs a darkroom), the local community colleges, and high schools like mine, and employs young film enthusiast/photographers that are either students or part time photography teachers. They have a bimonthly swap meet for all things analog and offers workshops with people like Bellamy Hunt, the Japan Camera Hunter: https://www.japancamerahunter.com/

I buy film and chemistry from them to support his business, although online it is usually cheaper. Honolulu also has a film lab that sells a handful of film cameras and recently Eco-Town has opened a store. They are a Japanese "recycled" goods retailer, that currently has an assortment of used DSLRs (saw a Pentax KX for $150) and even a Nikon FM10.

I find it bizarre that the closest digital brick & mortar is over 2500 miles away, but Iʻm less than 20 miles from a film camera store. I donʻt consider our local BestBuy as a camera store as the employees know very little about what they are selling and the lighting in the store is cave-like. For every person in a blue vest, there are four people trying to get help....I can get a better experience online......AND they carry everything except Pentax.

[Liney]

What we are discussing here is similar to discussions in the IT world where some people (the more hipster inclined ones) keep saying that the PC (desktop or laptop) is dead

I love the way language develops, even in my lifetime..

The term "PC" is an abbreviation of "Personal computer" as opposed to a dumb terminal connected to a central mainframe (Hands up all those who have worked on those? I have). A "PC" is a self contained device that follows the Von Neumann architecture, input, output, processing and storage.

A smart phone, or even a slightly dumb phone, also are self contained devices that follow the same architecture. Calling a laptop or desktop a "PC" is correct in terms of it is a personal computing device, differentiating between a PC and a phone with the same capabilities is incorrect as both are personal computing devices.

It's like calling every vacuum cleaner a hoover, or every car a Ford. As Lord Lucan pointed out, you can connect an external screen, keyboard and storage to a phone and you end up with....... effectively a desktop PC! Or if you do it all via bluetooth or wireless, and you get a laptop/handheld PC.

I agree that phones have replaced P&S cameras because it gives you all the same functionality in a handy sized box, using one device for multiple functions is better than different devices for each function. DSLRs on the other hand have functions that a P&S can't have mostly based on the optics. A modern DSLR has the same type of computing power after the image has been taken as a P&S phone, but the power is in the way the image is taken by controlling the optics.

[normhead]

To quote from that Buisiness Insider article : "In this fantasy Apple world, traditional computers are so outdated that a child doesn't even know what they are. The positive news is that the Apple commercial has backfired and has seriously pi$$ed people off, not least for the child's smugness and rudeness - a spoiled brat and hipsterism at its worst.

There are some people that the fact that Apple still exists makes them angry. So that's just silly. The fact is, they said Apple was dead, and that PCs were infinitely better and should rule the world, and Apple made fools out of them. They'll never forget it. The interpretation o feta ad is ridiculous. Th kid isn't rude, or obnoxious. The commentators would say the same thing about anyone using any Apple. Their personal identity is so wrapped up in being experts and knowing everything, Apple is an affront to their dignity. And it seriously angers them that Apple has done so well, because they don't get it. Some guy declaring tha Apple add has backfired without a source is simply and empty headed PC lover who's been made a fool by Apple's success, over and over again to the point where even their inflated egos can no longer over look the fact. They were wrong, and still are.

"I don't understand why Apple exists." is an admission of ignorance not intelligence. Want arrogance and ignorance in commercials, watch a few Surface ads.

[tim60]

What I like about Apple is that the vendor supplies the hw and the sw, and when they upgrade the os existing owners can download the new one as an update, without paying again. This simplifies their long term support. Also, they ship identical os for all languages and 'versions', the user sets it during operation. That reduces the challenges for application writers to get compatibility across the various versions of stuff people have. The other wonderful thing is, when it does break you take it to the service person and they make it work. With Windows, if you take it to the hw guy, they will blame the sw, but when you get tot he sw guy they blame the hw, but no-one takes responsibility for making it work.


Actually,I also found that, when taking account of these things and the sw bundled when you buy a box tha thte Apple box was better value overall than a Windows one because the Windows box required you to buy a whole lot of extras and the bundled utilities were so amateurish that they do not support serious work, and when you do find a way of doing something serious with them they inflict an update which takes away the feature you were using.

[yucafrita]

I think I've never seen many Pentax users. Even 20 years ago, in the film era, although I must admit, I never paid much attention. In the last two years, I am trying to get a glimpse from time to time and usually, it's everything but Pentax. I have maybe seen 3 or 4 people using Pentax. Once a white one DSLR in the Botanical Garden, once a K-3 in the subway. Once, and that was really surprising, I almost ran into a japanese tourist; she was quite young had a silverish film camera hanging around her neck. That was already clear from the distance. When I passed her by, I could see Pentax on the camera but I am not sure which model. It had an aperture peeping window.

[ThorSanchez]

There are some people that the fact that Apple still exists makes them angry. So that's just silly. The fact is, they said Apple was dead, and that PCs were infinitely better and should rule the world, and Apple made fools out of them. They'll never forget it. The interpretation o feta ad is ridiculous. Th kid isn't rude, or obnoxious. The commentators would say the same thing about anyone using any Apple. Their personal identity is so wrapped up in being experts and knowing everything, Apple is an affront to their dignity. And it seriously angers them that Apple has done so well, because they don't get it. Some guy declaring tha Apple add has backfired without a source is simply and empty headed PC lover who's been made a fool by Apple's success, over and over again to the point where even their inflated egos can no longer over look the fact. They were wrong, and still are.

"I don't understand why Apple exists." is an admission of ignorance not intelligence. Want arrogance and ignorance in commercials, watch a few Surface ads.

I am not an Apple person. I own a couple of iPods, and use iTunes sometimes, but Apple is not a brand for tinkerers and experimentation. So I have a PC that dual-boots Windows and Linux. I get the elegance and simplicity of the Apple. But it's not me.


The commercial in question struck me as too clever by half. It would be like Tesla having an ad where nobody knows what this "car" they've heard people talk about is.

[BigDave]

From a photo teacherʻs perspective, I think there are two reactions to the student with the unique gear:
a) IF the teacher is not competent, they are threatened by a camera and menu they no less about than the student. Bad boy. Go to the back of the class and write a thousand times, "I will follow the leader."

b) IF the teacher is competent, we love an independent thinker and someone with a "special" or rarity like Pentax. I currently have one digital student with a Pentax, and I canʻt help but appreciate how she didnʻt follow the crowd. In the same way in my film class, I have one student with a TLR, and I love that I have someone shooting 6x6 in a crowd of 35mm shooters.

For YOU it may be the same old same old, but for your teacher, it isnʻt and if they are worth their silver or silicon, you are making the class a bit special with your independence from the norm.

PS Alex- I am the teacher!!! At least it helps me get to know the Canon and Nikon user interfaces, and I must say, I still like Pentax far and away over either!

---------- Post added 02-05-18 at 03:21 PM ----------

Has any of the students ever asked about your Pentax?

I think it would be interesting to give the students a first-day quiz and ask questions
about how many brands they are aware of, why and how they chose the equipment
that they have, etc. Of course, give them all an A+.

Has any of the students ever asked about your Pentax? I think it would be interesting to give the students a first-day quiz and ask questions about how many brands they are aware of, why and how they chose the equipment that they have, etc. Of course, give them all an A+.

This is an adult evening class. Everyone already has their cameras, so we just go with what everyone has. As the teacher, you need to be flexible!

Regards,

[Lord Lucan]

There are some people that the fact that Apple still exists makes them angry. So that's just silly. The fact is, they said Apple was dead, and that PCs were infinitely better and should rule the world, and Apple made fools out of them. They'll never forget it.

I cannot say that I have come across such people; in fact the story of Apple's near extinction around 1997 is hardly known by most people. I rather admire Apple for having the only personal computer to survive the advent of the IBM compatible PC in 1981. Having said that, and although I'm no Apple expert, there seems a consensus that Apple are no longer what they were when Steve Jobs was still in charge.

The interpretation o feta ad is ridiculous. Th kid isn't rude, or obnoxious.

Then I suggest you look at the commercial again :-

You Tube

You Tube

.. taking note near the end (from ~55 seconds) when the fateful words "What's a computer" are spoken. The neighbour tries to start a friendly conversation and the kid rebuffs it and looks back at their screen. The kid, who sounds intelligent, knows full well (as we all do) that the device is a computer, but the kid is being sarcastic and rude.

The commentators would say the same thing about anyone using any Apple. Their personal identity is so wrapped up in being experts and knowing everything

That is not what is happening here. It is not commentators who think they are experts - you don't need to be an expert to know what a computer is or to recognoise rudeness. In fact the Web has gone viral over this advert. I had difficulty finding the link above among all its parodies and put-downs - some of which are quite vile and I feel sorry for this kid actor and his/her parents. On some IT forums I frequent, "What's a computer?" has become a standing joke and a catchphrase. The original link I gave was a comment by a serious business website, and many, or most, Apple supporters are even cringing about it. Apple have badly fouled up on this occasion.

Some guy declaring tha Apple add has backfired without a source is simply and empty headed PC lover

I am the guy who declared here that the Apple ad had backfired. I gave a source in the post where I said it. Here are some more :

Apple: Apple faces flak over its 'What's a computer' ad | Gadgets Now
Apple's new iPad advert is annoying
'What's a computer?' Apple's ad sparks anger on social media | 6abc.com

If that's not enough, try searching Youtube.

[Photos-by-Chas]

I'll apologize at the start because I've not been here on the forum for some time. The latest comments seem to me to have gotten off the true subject of this thread, as I read the subject as are Pentax cameras that rare. I get the idea from these recent posts that we are now discussing the rarity (or future rarity) of computer, especially desktops and laptops.

So in order to get back on track, in my mind anyway, my comment is that recently I watched the Netflix series "Stranger Things" which is sort of a science fiction and horror story. In the first season one the characters is a photographer and is using a Pentax film camera. I couldn't make out the model but I did see it is a Pentax. Later in the series it gets broken and even later is replaced with another camera which appears to be a Pentax DSLR. Just a comment to say maybe there is some hope out there in camera land, despite the Canikon naysayers.

[ddharriman]

It’s a Pentax ME.

It’s was discussed in the post “Pentax in the Movies” of this forum – check my post in Pentax in the Movies - Page 19 - PentaxForums.com

Best regards,

[normhead]

The neighbour tries to start a friendly conversation and the kid rebuffs it and looks back at their screen. The kid, who sounds intelligent, knows full well (as we all do) that the device is a computer, but the kid is being sarcastic and rude.

I guess with a nick like Lord Lucan, we should expect such attitudes. Forgive me for not tugging on my forelock.

I am the guy who declared here that the Apple ad had backfired. I gave a source in the post where I said it. Here are some more :

Apple: Apple faces flak over its 'What's a computer' ad | Gadgets Now
Apple's new iPad advert is annoying
'What's a computer?' Apple's ad sparks anger on social media | 6abc.com

If that's not enough, try searching Youtube.

I have no problem believing people said those things. Some people just think anything nasty they say about Apple is cool. If I thought the topic was worthy of investigation, I would have done so without you prompting me. Bottom line, I don't care what idiots on social media say. Don't let it rule your life dude. That stuff will make you crankier than me.

In any case, you just proved my point. When it comes to Apple, there's some haters out there. All you proved is that any one can find them with very little effort. Or maybe you are one, who knows? Do you all hang out together?

Back to the thread topic.


I saw "Strange things" too, and noticed the Pentax cameras.
The interviews with the kids, also on Netflix were also quite good. Their trepidation about having to kiss each other at the prom dance was really quite sweet. The one girl who I believe was 12 or 13 at the time said "My first kiss and it had to be on TV." Way to cute.

But back to the topic, I'm still waiting to see my first my first Pentax of the year. When I count them up, I've owned more than I've seen in the hands of other people.