[TaoMaas]

...I worry very much about the unpopularity of Pentax as a system and I fear for its future.

Here's how to stop worrying. First, ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen...that Pentax could announce this afternoon that they're shutting down their photographic division?" Yeah, that would probably do it. Second, ask yourself, "Okay...what would I do in that eventuality?" Then, develop a game plan. You could either sell your system immediately for what would most likely be a substantial loss or you could hang onto it, use it until it completely falls apart, then salvage what you could on the used market and buy something new. If you're like 99% of the other photographers out there, your cost might break down to something like $10/month. You probably spend more than that going out for pizza (if you're like me). LOL Once you have a game plan in place for the worst-case scenario, then your next step is to let go of the worry and go make pictures. My friend, unless you get REALLY serious about your photography, the system you have is capable of making tremendously satisfying pictures for the next couple of decades or more. AND...even if you DO get really serious about your photography, as things stand now, Pentax is able to meet 90% of your needs. I've been using Pentax for about 35 years now. I have a great deal invested in terms of lenses, camera bodies, and accessories. But I'm not all that worried about whether or not Pentax survives because I believe that, even if Pentax folds, SOMEBODY will step up and make a DSLR body that will accept K-mount lenses. It's just a no-brainer.

[telfish]

Just enjoy your camera, be different, be an individual, be a pentaxian.

[Itai]

Cameras are very sophisticated technological devices. They will all become obsolete regardless of brand and when you feel the need to upgrade, you will. If its to another Pentax or to another brand because Pentax does not exist anymore. How much difference would that really make? You'll be getting something new and powerful.

Yes, it won't have the buttons they way you're used to and won't be as efficient but you'll get used to it. I did when I moved from Konica-Minolta to Pentax. I do feel its too bad KM went out of the photo business but Pentax is doing such an excellent job and quality has improved so much since then.

You'd think I may have going to the biggest brand to avoid this happening again but the goal of buying a camera is not to keep it but to enjoy using it. Pentax has the most efficient interface and ergonomics of ANY camera manufacturer right now and that's what I'll use until my needs require something else. I'm not making this statement lightly, I review cameras all the time at Digital Camera Buying Guide, Reviews, Photography Articles | Neocamera and I intimately know the difference between them. If my photography was different I may be using a different system because there is no camera that is ideal for everything.

Enjoy your camera!

- Itai

[jgmankos]

Hello Pentax Forums.

After recently purchasing a K-R with both the 18-55 and 55-300 zoom lenses for $769.95, I feel a bit worried.

Financially speaking, I know I saved a great deal of money and I'm confident that the K-r is actually a rock solid camera in and of itself. Everything I read about it impresses me and it sounds like this could be a huge step up from my old Canon Rebel XS.

However, I worry very much about the unpopularity of Pentax as a system and I fear for its future. The difficulty in finding individuals who use these cameras makes me uneasy. (Heck, even CameraLabs.com has yet to review and rate a Pentax!)

Plus, I do hear many individuals complaining about Pentax's Flash System and lack of swift auto-focus...

I guess I'm not sure WHAT to think exactly. On one hand, I got such a good price on this that I could maybe even PROFIT from the deal if I'm patient enough to sell it. On the other hand, that would yet again leave me on the search for a camera and I'm getting sick and tired of not taking photographs...

Do you guys have any thoughts on this? I know this is a rather poor introduction on my behalf, as I'm essentially whining here. But I *do* need some input from users of this system who have experienced what it has and has not offered.

Thank you for reading and letting me into your community. I look forward to the responses. :-)

I suggest you start shooting the K-r and not worry so much about this stuff. It's an excellent photographic tool. For the price you paid...you're not going to beat the feature set.

Plus, you need to look at the fact that you're buying a "system" and not a camera body and you'll see that these types of fears are really unfounded. Look at the fact that the K-mount has been around for about 35 years even though the company we know as "Pentax" has actually changed hands several times. Even if Hoya would for some reason decide they no longer wish to carry the Pentax division....SOMEBODY is going to buy it. There's too many K-mount lenses out there for some company not to take advantage of this (think the way Sony bought out Minolta's camera division)

Over the past 10 years since I've been fully shooting digital...I've hopped around between Canon, Olympus, Nikon, and Pentax...and I really believe I'm with Pentax for good.

The fact that I can go to a yard sale, estate auction, and find cheap older manual focus Pentax K-mount lenses that have excellent optical quality, and mount them on my shiny new Pentax DSLR was a big draw for me to switch to Pentax. You can't say that for Canon (who totally dissed their FD mount users when they came out with the EF mount), Sony/Minolta...and even Nikon in some respects because they've had different variations of the mount (and even their older screw-drive AF lenses won't Autofocus on the lower-end bodies).

Pentax was behind the curve in Digital in the beginning...but is catching up in a big way with their last 2 rounds of camera releases (the K-7 and K-x...and now the K-5 and K-r). I don't think you have anything to worry about. In fact, the last Canon I owned was a 50D....and my K-5 is a MUCH better camera than the 50D in every possible way. I've never used a 7D so I can't compare the K-5 to that...but I have no desire to anyway. The high-ISO performance was my only real gripe about the K-7...and the K-5 has addressed this in a big way so I think I'll be quite content for awhile

So....just go out and start putting that K-r through it's paces.....and Welcome Aboard

[GeneV]

My philosophy on gear is similar to what others have said--it's just stuff. I'm not marrying it or pledging undying loyalty. For a DSLR body, you have to add the computer obsolescence factor into the equation as well. You are buying something which will be obsolete in a few years anyway. That was a tough one to get around when I bought my first DSLR, since it was not true of the older film bodies.

So, for each item I buy, I ask myself 1) Is this a lot of money to me and 2) how much will I use it before it dies or becomes obsolete? (and it will do both).

I will admit that in the manual focus film days, buying into a brand meant a good deal more to me. A camera body and a lens were very dear purchases, and what you bought was thought to be and needed to be usable for decades. I'm not sure that is as realistic an expectation now, as we tend to expect more and more out of the bodies and lenses each year.

That being said, so far, I have been very pleased with the use I've gotten from Pentax gear. The particular kit mentioned in the original post is likely to please you even if Pentax disappeared tomorrow.

[Hypocorism]

Hello Pentax Forums.

After recently purchasing a K-R with both the 18-55 and 55-300 zoom lenses for $769.95, I feel a bit worried.

Financially speaking, I know I saved a great deal of money ...

Grrreat stuff. I smell an entrepreneur here. I just hope you realise that Warren Buffett will be kicking himself for missing out on this opportunity.

I suppose your next plan is to buy up millions more at $769.95 a pop, so you can amass even more savings then retire to the Bahamas.

Or do you intend to buy out the Pentax company with the savings and make your own K-r's? If so could you make the viewfinder a bit bigger please?

And fix that silly autofocus, it's so pathetically slow on days that end in y.
Oh, and the stoopid flashes too, just a small candle in a hurricane would be better.

Other than that it's a fantastic camera. Except for the parts that break off after two weeks... and the screen that cracks if you breathe... and that bad batch of batteries they supplied that spontaneously ignite...

Small matters though. Good luck with the new toy.

.R.

[tigerzen]

gosh why buy something that is just going to make you a neurotic mess. I'm scared.... geesh.... you should be saying I'm so happy with what I bought and I can't wait to use it. Instead of I'm scared for the company that makes it. You should sell it and get a Canon right away.

That is the biggest problems with these forums. One person posts one thing and all of sudden every camera and company is doomed. I remember posts about the ist D being soft...it almost kept me from buying one. When I got it I realized how many people were wrong.
Don't listen to anyone try it for yourself, see if it makes you happy, then either keep it or return it.

[JACOBY]

I was a Nikon man brand new d3000 last x.mas found out you can't meter with the lower class canons or nikons sold it and switch to you know what got a like new k100d with only 1.400 shots on it I jumped at it best move I ever made. Have an old spotmatic that old glass works great I'm in m mode all the time. But anyway try it out I think you will be happy and oh my daughter the nikon d60 guess what it's gone she loves the kx but she takes all of my old lenses oh well. It's her birthday today she'll take me to the bank great site

[jolepp]

A couple of shots might help? (pun intended ;-)

[TaoMaas]

Cameras are very sophisticated technological devices. They will all become obsolete regardless of brand...

What do you consider "obsolete"? To me, obsolete means "no longer useable" in real-world terms. Right now, my wife is shooting with what many would consider an "obsolete" camera...an *ist D. But frankly, I can't wait for her to update so that I can get her *ist D and use it as my every-day, carry-to-work camera. Sure, it uses Compact Flash and is a little slow writing to the card, but you could drive nails with that thing, it's so well-built! And even though it's only 6 megapixels, that's still vastly more than what I need for 99.9% of my uses. All I really require is that my DSLR be able to produce decent 8X10 pics, should I care to print out the very best of my shots. The *ist D can certainly do that. Beyond that, all I normally do is enter shots in this website's competition (limited to 800 pixels per side) or the competition at my camera club (limited to 768 pixels on the longest side). Heck, cellphones can shoot higher resolution pictures than that! So, what defines "obsolete"...really?

[philbaum]

Its just the usual buyer's remorse nerves acting up. It'll pass and you'll enjoy that camera!

I got into Pentax with the K10 in 2007. The trend line has been improving with Pentax ever since. There are pros and cons with bigger companies and their products/development. Look how seriously GM and then Toyota got off track. The K5 is now one of the best 8 DSLRs in the world for low light performance per DXO Mark.

I could easily switch to another system but i really like the lenses and camera i have now. Enjoy that camera!

[Impartial]

One comment: it seems to me that Sony and Olympus DSLR users have more reason to be 'scared' since neither may have a DSLR to upgrade to after current releases.

We have every reason to expect Pentax to return to #3 in DSLR sales, if it isn't there already when excluding EVIL sales. And sales are going up . . .

[Abstract]

Even if they went under tomorrow(Which wont happen) why would it bother you, look how many lenses there are for these cameras, tons, every lens ever made works on there newer bodies, you have unlimited combinations of lenses. I mean I am not sure on how many lenses they have compared to Nikon and Canon but...it has to be damn close or more maybe, primes especially.

[GeneV]

What do you consider "obsolete"? To me, obsolete means "no longer useable" in real-world terms. Right now, my wife is shooting with what many would consider an "obsolete" camera...an *ist D. But frankly, I can't wait for her to update so that I can get her *ist D and use it as my every-day, carry-to-work camera. Sure, it uses Compact Flash and is a little slow writing to the card, but you could drive nails with that thing, it's so well-built! And even though it's only 6 megapixels, that's still vastly more than what I need for 99.9% of my uses. All I really require is that my DSLR be able to produce decent 8X10 pics, should I care to print out the very best of my shots. The *ist D can certainly do that. Beyond that, all I normally do is enter shots in this website's competition (limited to 800 pixels per side) or the competition at my camera club (limited to 768 pixels on the longest side). Heck, cellphones can shoot higher resolution pictures than that! So, what defines "obsolete"...really?

I suppose it depends upon whether you are using the first or second definition of "obsolete." Obsolete - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary . When I used the term, I meant it in the sense of being no longer current. An "obsolete" computer may be worthless in an economic sense because it is not current, but it will still run the programs it ran when it was new. Cameras are a bit like that. I still use my K100d, which is just a step or so past the *ist. It won't use my SDM lens, so in a sense, it is obsolete, but I find it very useful.

The point about obsolescence is that no matter what brand you choose, your camera will not be the latest thing in just a couple of years and other products will beckon. An "obsolete" Pentax, Canon or Nikon will all be worth much less than paid for them. It doesn't make too much sense to obsess about the brand choice.

Except perhaps for the obsolete but still functional kit which Matthew Brady equipped his field photographers following the Union army around, (which I've contemplated kitting up with for Civil War Reenacting), I've shot with the nearly-as-obsolete Argus C2 brick, and still keep B&W film loaded in my Vitomatic II.

Obsolete is largely in the eye of the marketing hyperbolists.