[liukaitc]

The latest American Photo has a very positive review of the K-5. It wasn't among it's top 12 devices of 2010 in the December issue, but the 645D was. The D7000 & A55 were their picks among SLRs. The D7000 for autofocus during video and the A55 for the translucent mirror. The Leica M9 and NEX-5 made the list as mirrorless along with a Canon and a Fuji compact.

They pick up d7000 for its auto-focus during video? That is quite useless feature so far. come on at least pick it once it match the auto-focus in gh2.

[KLSMpls]

Exactly. Don't forget they're overpriced and you can get the SAME EXACT THING for 1/3 the price if you buy a PC!

If you think you can get the same exact thing, then you have never seen or used a MAC and need to first educate yourself.

[distant.view]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Yes I know its sort of like Mac vs PC but from a pricing perspective its backwards

Well, I have a photo shot tomorrow in the old Massey Ferguson plant in Brantford Ontario, so I hope to give my K-R a bit of a work out and see how it performs. Its supposed to be crap weather, but hey, it might make the photos more dramatic

Cheers,

Russ

[Ryan Trevisol]

If you think you can get the same exact thing, then you have never seen or used a MAC and need to first educate yourself.

I hope you realized I was joking, replying to a reply of mine which said I am a longtime Mac user.

[asaru]

When faced with a Mac-versus-PC argument, choose Pentax.

[Qiki]

Just playing devil's advocate here, but I think we need to be a little careful with sweeping statements implying the Pentax offerings are 'better and cheaper'. Here in Perth I can currently purchase a new K-x with 18-55 for $499. Fantastic value there! However I'd be hard pressed to find a K5 any cheaper than a D7000.

[Racerdew]

I subscribe to Popular Photography magazine and they talk about Pentax cameras and lenses alot. That is the biggest reason I bought my K-r last month, the review was very good in the magazine and they thought it was a very good camera for the money. They said it rivals the other two big cameras for less money. They also review the Pentax lenses or after market companies that make lenses for Pentax. They loved the K-x also when it came out last year. Pentax doesn't make as many different bodies as Nikon so there is less to look at.

Thanks for your post,

David

[Racerdew]

It always come down to money. The company who spends more gets more. The big two spend millions to be seen and talked about. You would talk about me too if I paid you enough! Money talks...

[Rondec]

It has a lot to do with advertising and funding professional photographers who then tout your gear. Pentax used to do more of this, now they do almost none of it, choosing rather to wage viral campaigns on the web.

[rawr]

...viral campaigns on the web.

Viral campaigns you say....

Just take a seat over there.

[RioRico]

It has a lot to do with advertising and funding professional photographers who then tout your gear.

This is indeed a major source of the media neglect. And this likely slops over into softwarez as well. Adobe advertises P'Shot, and Corel doesn't advertise P'Shop,m and nobody advertises GIMP -- and editorial staffs don't want to confuse the simple-minded consumers, so only 'standard' warez are featured.

Pentax doesn't make as many different bodies as Nikon so there is less to look at.

And that is another major reason. The photo press, like any commercial media machine, needs a steady supply of raw material to chaw upon and regurgitate. Commercial media exist to push products into eyeballs. The more products a company releases, the more media space they get. Pentax could easily gain more article pages, by just releasing or re-releasing ('updating') more lenses. New bodies require more complex production, so don't expect a batch of Pentax bodies to hit the scene. But lenses... hay, just produce FA and DA lenses in more colors, to match the body choices!

[KLSMpls]

I hope you realized I was joking, replying to a reply of mine which said I am a longtime Mac user.

Sorry....I do now!

[usayit]

No love for Pentax? (I am a long time fan of Pentax but I have a love-hate relationship with them)

IMO, because their marketing sucks. Go to any store and you would be hard pressed to find a person educated in the Pentax line... that's even if they stock it.

Even then...

Pentax was too late to the digital world which didn't help their already anemic market share. By the time they entered, they lost many (including me at the time) to those with DSLR offerings. When they announced the 645D (18mp prototype) back in 2006 at a very competitive price, I was totally on-board (I have a 645 system). They stirred up much interest from the studio MF (film) smaller shops looking for digital solution at a better price point than Hassy. They also had the potential to maintain those Pentax 645 shops also looking for a digital solution without a reinvestment in entire new system. Well... they shelved the project and didn't release until 4 years later... in JAPAN only. By then, the stirred up interest subsided and many shops had already went ahead and reinvested into the big two: Nikon or Canon. Again ... too late.. As for me, I felt like I was being dragged along without any clear message from Pentax. I had already moved on... very disappointed.

On the other hand... Still a fan of the Pentax.

[northofpolaris]

All Pentax needs is a spokesperson from awful chick flicks to do an ad for a terrible, over-priced point-and-shoot camera, then they will get the attention they deserve!

[Rondec]

Just playing devil's advocate here, but I think we need to be a little careful with sweeping statements implying the Pentax offerings are 'better and cheaper'. Here in Perth I can currently purchase a new K-x with 18-55 for $499. Fantastic value there! However I'd be hard pressed to find a K5 any cheaper than a D7000.

I think Pentax is good value when you look at upper end lenses and lenses with weather sealing. Camera bodies will generally be priced with in a couple hundred for similar technology, but lens prices are all over the map.

Of course, it is a little hard to compare lenses as well, since Pentax has chosen somewhat odd focal lengths for their primes.