[Leumas]

I found myself drawn inexplicably to Pentax despite three people telling me "Go Canon", "Go Nikon" and "I'd tell you to go Sony, but you've already have Canon glass at home* so go Canon". Turned out most of my childhood memories of me or my parents using a camera, were of this...


In the end, the decision was made for other reasons, but having no clue about what to buy, I probably wouldn't have even thought of Pentax without some pervasive, half-forgotten memories. Luckily I did so it all turned out okay... although I'm sure I would have been happy with Canon or Nikon as well**.


*A "My lenses are mine" was heard immediately after
**My wallet probably wouldn't have, though .

That's awesome!

I grew up with my brother using Canon; my mom shot most of our memories on a Nikon point and shoot; my Dad owned a Olympus OM-1 which never came out of the box hardly. (it does now that I have it) But... I remember my Grandpa always visiting with his Pentax SLR....To this day I don't know what model, but that memory also is what got me curious about Pentax and started the avalanche rolling.

[RedRuff]

Originally my friend convinced me to buy a Nikon DSLR but when visiting a local store to buy a filter or something I looked at their selection of old film cameras and thought it might be fun to try one as they were so cheap. I had no idea about cameras but happened to choose their Pentax ME Super with 50mm 1.8 and the rest is history

I now shoot that Pentax ME Super, a Nikon F5 (To use the DSLR lenses) or a Nikon FG (It came bundled with a broken ME Super from ebay. Only the Nikon responded to being unjammed)

[Snapppy]

A coworker in another part of our company today posted a couple shots taken with a K-1 MkII. The company isn't that big, either, so it's a startling event for me.

That is surprising! Not sure how it is in other countries, but in the states that seems really rare.

My company is large, but I'd still be surprised to find a Pentax shooter. Well, I take that back, I did buy a K1000 from a guy on a local app and turned out he worked on the same campus, so we met up over lunch! Seemed like he knew his stuff from the film days at least. So, probably a few people who have shot with Pentax film, but digital? I kind of doubt it. Now I want to find a way to figure out if there are any...

[luckylu]

That's awesome!

I grew up with my brother using Canon; my mom shot most of our memories on a Nikon point and shoot; my Dad owned a Olympus OM-1 which never came out of the box hardly. (it does now that I have it) But... I remember my Grandpa always visiting with his Pentax SLR....To this day I don't know what model, but that memory also is what got me curious about Pentax and started the avalanche rolling.

The arrival of my first Grandson on the 28th Oct 2 years ago is what motivated me to get back into photography rather than sticking with phone and compact cameras. Hopefully when he is older he will have fond memories of his grandad taking photos and teaching him. I have albums printed and he thinks they are a book he loves sitting with me and looking at the pics, so off to a good start.

Thing is I wonder what will be around when he grows up maybe cameras will be completely obsolete in all forms.

[totsmuyco]

I stopped photography in 1993. I got the itch again in 2008 when I decided to by an Olympus e-410 instead of a Glock 17. When Olympus decided to end 4/3 mount, I bought my k-5II in Feb 2014 and fell in love with it the first time I used it. I got hooked to Pentax since then. Now my daughter into photography and I'm beginning to miss my k-5II. Still I have a k-3II to mess around with.

[Serkevan]

I stopped photography in 1993. I got the itch again in 2008 when I decided to by an Olympus e-410 instead of a Glock 17. When Olympus decided to end 4/3 mount, I bought my k-5II in Feb 2014 and fell in love with it the first time I used it. I got hooked to Pentax since then. Now my daughter into photography and I'm beginning to miss my k-5II. Still I have a k-3II to mess around with.

So... you could say you changed your shooting style?

[totsmuyco]

So... you could say you changed your shooting style?

Cameras to gun to cameras. I still like guns but I don't shoot anymore. Got tired of it and was enticed by the camera again. With a camera I don't need a permit to carry firearms or permit to transport. I can carry it around without hassle. I enjoy it more than firing actually. Maybe once a photo enthusiast, will always be a photo enthusiast. More so if you've become a Jedi Pentaxian.

[phreon]

What a monstrous thread!

I've heard "What's that??" my entire photography "career"; my first real camera was a K-1000 with a 50mm f1.8 that I purchased with saved up grass cutting money. That camera went everywhere I did; I never, *ever* felt limited by it, though I wish I had more lenses in the early days. A camera has one single function, to focus and control light falling onto a light sensitive medium. Everything else, the auto-fuzzylogic-bracket-HDR-heptazone-sensor-hypersuperultraspeed is sometimes helpful, but more often than not noise getting in the way of fundamentals like composition.

I eventually added the mythical 35-105 f3.5 "stack of primes" zoom, 50mm f1.4 M and a wide I don't remember the specs of. Any place other photographers were present was a guarantee somebody would be curious or a Canikon zelot. You just get used to it, stop caring and embrace it realizing photography skill resides between one's ears, not in gear fetish conversations.

Besides, a Pentax SLR or DSLR doesn't garner *nearly* as much attention, weird looks and odd comments as a Rolleicord IV or kitted out Mamiya C330F wearing a waist-level viewfinder, 180mm lens, a beefy grip bracket, wired, manual flash with a bounce diffuser and the focus racked way out. Almost all questions about that rig were answered thusly: "I can beat muggers to death and take a picture of the evidence with this".

The next time a Canikon zelot enters irritating territory, steer the conversation towards hyperfocal distance and the EV system. They'll quickly leave the area of their own accord.

[pts1958]

Yes we are...
But we are also with the better choice Price/Quality !
Waiting for the next APSC to take the place of my old K5 II as the ideal complement of my K1
Not numerous, but happy to be "Pentaxist"

[Cerebum]

Ah, the Bobians and the Joeians didn't use branded sticks though - they couldn't see the point in it!

Actually, I had forgotten about "branding" in the traditional sense which was used on cattle - first instance of branding with a symbol or name was used by the Egyptians in 2700 BCE to indicate ownership, and to deter thievery.

To quote wikipedia, "However, the term has been extended to mean a strategic personality for a product or company, so that "brand" now suggests the values and promises that a consumer may perceive and buy into."

Thinking about it historically, you can quite easily see why branding could evolve into it's current state - Bobhmet and Joebari were Egyptian landowners in the 2700's and everybody thought Bobhmet's cows where the shiz, so Joebari upped his game and bought a few of them and bred them with his stock to make supercattle that could feed twice as many labourers.

That is why the 2700's coincided with when they started to really get into their pyramid building. Supercattle. Honest! That's how it happened. Only Joebari cattle could have done this: get yours today! Labourers sold separately.

Sorry for the confusion, incidentally, when I said 20th century, I first of all, should have said 19th century - when the brands of various things got taken up by the marketing machine and turned into their current capitalist format - I didn't mean snobbishness around a particular make wasn't around before - more that it's current incarnation based around a corporate entity, rather than an individual person, started then. :P

Joebari and Bobhmet merged incidentally - they married into the family of a third farmer, some old guy called MacDonald? Old MacDonald they called him - he had a farm, and on that farm he had some supercattle, if the legends are true. They now serve a few million supercattle daily.

---

YOU just made me realise! The German Tank Problem!

It can apply to Pentaxians viewed in the wild! We can statistically determine whether or not we are in fact rare! Bayesian analysis to the rescue!

You've raised an interesting point with Paula - which conveniently brings us round full circle

Brand Awareness: she's displayed, at the very least, brand recognition - "here are some brands - I know that one - so I'm going with it". In this case, she's typed in "camera", seen "Canon" and said "Ah-ha! I've heard of that, they make good cameras!" and forked out for it.

There's actually an alternative route called "brand recall" where you don't search, but go straight for the brand: "I have a need for a camera, Canon can fulfil that need - I'll search for a Canon". This doesn't appear to have happened in this case (as she replied "I saw it in a flash deal" rather than "I have heard Canon are good") - I mention it merely as an alternative route that demonstrates how deeply entrenched marketing can become in the consumer.

I'd actually strongly recommend reading through the wikipedia page on Branding, as it gives a fascinating insight into the marketing machine and it's various methods - and pretty much covers everything I've said before more eloquently than my rambling has



Oops, I menat to say, btw! Paula seems to have at least a budding interest in photography, even if it is in a naive kind of way - I'd look up a few local photography clubs and pass the details onto her: we all have to start somewhere! Who knows, maybe it might even prevent a near-pristine Canon going on sale at some point! xD

Nothing to add, no comments to make other than to say what a cracking post

[totsmuyco]

Ah, the Bobians and the Joeians didn't use branded sticks though - they couldn't see the point in it!

Actually, I had forgotten about "branding" in the traditional sense which was used on cattle - first instance of branding with a symbol or name was used by the Egyptians in 2700 BCE to indicate ownership, and to deter thievery.

To quote wikipedia, "However, the term has been extended to mean a strategic personality for a product or company, so that "brand" now suggests the values and promises that a consumer may perceive and buy into."

Thinking about it historically, you can quite easily see why branding could evolve into it's current state - Bobhmet and Joebari were Egyptian landowners in the 2700's and everybody thought Bobhmet's cows where the shiz, so Joebari upped his game and bought a few of them and bred them with his stock to make supercattle that could feed twice as many labourers.

That is why the 2700's coincided with when they started to really get into their pyramid building. Supercattle. Honest! That's how it happened. Only Joebari cattle could have done this: get yours today! Labourers sold separately.

Sorry for the confusion, incidentally, when I said 20th century, I first of all, should have said 19th century - when the brands of various things got taken up by the marketing machine and turned into their current capitalist format - I didn't mean snobbishness around a particular make wasn't around before - more that it's current incarnation based around a corporate entity, rather than an individual person, started then. :P

Joebari and Bobhmet merged incidentally - they married into the family of a third farmer, some old guy called MacDonald? Old MacDonald they called him - he had a farm, and on that farm he had some supercattle, if the legends are true. They now serve a few million supercattle daily.

xD

What a story!!! I love it. Someone must continue on and tell us what happened to Ms. Wendy and the King. Maybe how they were threatened out of business by Carl Jr. as he would normally come IN and OUT of their store passing though Sonic Drive-In so that he can have a Cheese Burger in Paradise. Whataburger story that would be.

[Alex645]

Waitress: What kind of camera would you like? Our special for today is a Pentax, but I'd recommend something more mirrorless.

Customer: I'll have the Pentax.

Waitress: How would you like it? Rare or well done?

Customer: I'd like it rare AND well done!!!

[ERNR]

I have two recent stories for this thread --
First, a few weeks ago while chatting with and showing pictures to a local photography teacher, he asked me "what kind of camera" and I said, Pentax DSLR.
"PENTAX!" he said, looking as if he was about to fall over. "I didn't know there was such a thing as a Pentax DSLR!"
Well I have 3 ... two that work ...
So the following week he got to look at and handle and try out a Pentax DSLR -- I don't recall if it was the K30 or K50 I had that day, and now he knows.

[Its Y I shoot Pentax]

I have two recent stories for this thread --
First, a few weeks ago while chatting with and showing pictures to a local photography teacher, he asked me "what kind of camera" and I said, Pentax DSLR.
"PENTAX!" he said, looking as if he was about to fall over. "I didn't know there was such a thing as a Pentax DSLR!"
Well I have 3 ... two that work ...
So the following week he got to look at and handle and try out a Pentax DSLR -- I don't recall if it was the K30 or K50 I had that day, and now he knows.

I totally spaced the time I attended the Albuquerque International Balloon FIesta and met someone who had a pre-released 645D. I immediately took notice of the brand and asked him about it. He was soo surprised that I was familiar with Pentax he let me hold the 645D and encouraged me to make a few frames with a wait-listed camera. There is something to be said about people that are brand-enthusiastic enough to encourage a complete stranger to hold and walk around with their $12K+ body/lens combo.

[normhead]

He was soo surprised that I was familiar with Pentax he let me hold the 645D and encouraged me to make a few frames with a wait-listed camera.

My last trip to Exposure, they practically forced a 645D and DA 560 into my hands. They were disappointed. I told them the 560 was too long for me to carry to the places I go and the way I travel, and though I liked the 645D, the cost was prohibitive. IN retrospect, I wonder is the K-1 my 645D replacement?