Why so little Pentax love?

distant.view · 05-13-2011, 10:11 AM

In all the photo magazines and review sites there appears to be so little Pentax info, positive reviews or love for that matter?
Pentax was always a very well respected name back in the film days. I know C* and N* have been pretty much the forerunners on a lot of the dslr market, but it really gets tiring to see them as the only brands getting any press.

Sorry for the mini rant </rant>

Cheers,

Russ

Adam · 05-13-2011, 10:21 AM

It's just because of market share, and the fact that nobody really knows about Pentax. Here at PF we're working on changing that!

**blackcloudbrew** · 05-13-2011, 10:25 AM

We get about the same amount of love as Sony and Oly. Honesty, while it may be money put into advertising or just the fact that changing human attitudes is hard (mine costs more so it's better right?), who knows?

I love being in workshops where I'm the only Pentax guy. I generally, know more about my camera than others know about theirs and get the same results. The reality is that Pentax has something like 5% of the market and that's not likely to change. So be satisfied that we are different and special.

Just go out and take pictures with your unknown and unloved Pentax.

Ryan Trevisol · 05-13-2011, 10:46 AM

I think it's changing a little bit. There used to be this superiority complex that Canikon shooters would have. Sometimes people would ask me what I shoot with and when I said "A Pentax K100D" they'd say "I'm sorry."

Aside from those people being a-holes, it was annoying having to explain that I can use 40+ years of lenses with it and that I paid probably hundreds of dollars less for my camera than they did.

Nowadays, people see my K-x and say "Ooo, what kind of camera is that?" and I haven't heard one derisive comment from any other shooters in a long time.

That said, being a longtime Mac user I'm used to being different and loving it.

**blackcloudbrew** · 05-13-2011, 11:00 AM

Mac's suck, everybody knows that! ;-)

Ryan Trevisol · 05-13-2011, 11:20 AM

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!

magkelly · 05-13-2011, 11:21 AM

The K-x is changing the status quo a bit I think. There used to be only one other guy in my local photo group that shot Pentax. When I brought my *ist and everyone smiled and shook their heads at me except for him. He and I, we're email buddies and shooting partners when the group meets.

March, he shows up with a red K-x. Me, I missed that meeting because I was in SF, but he emails me to tell me he got one. I get back and all of a sudden my inbox is full of messages and everyone is talking about his cool little Pentax DSLR. Even some of the diehard Canikon guys are impressed with it now, lol.

I haven't told any of them that I am about to second him on that one but I am really looking forward to seeing their faces when I walk in with mine. I really don't think we'll end up being the only Pentax people in the group for long. There are 3 people in the group now who are thinking of buying one to replace older cameras. There's about 25 of us so far, so if they do go for it that would make us a decent % of 1/5.

None of them I think would have even thought of it had that first K-x not shown up. That sweet little camera? It is a definite game changer.

Last edited by magkelly; 05-13-2011 at 05:42 PM.

Ryan Trevisol · 05-13-2011, 11:28 AM

The high ISO performance is undeniable and the kit lens is so decent it puts it head and shoulders above, at least in my experience, an equivalent Canon body/lens combo. The only flaw is the lack of AF lights and that was fixed in the K-r.

JohnBee · 05-13-2011, 11:28 AM

Originally posted by Ryan Trevisol

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!

HAHAHA!

Good one

**boriscleto** · 05-13-2011, 11:48 AM

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.

SPB · 05-13-2011, 11:54 AM

Oh not another one! A Pentax and a Mac user.......

Originally posted by Ryan Trevisol

Join the new club!

That said, being a longtime Mac user I'm used to being different and loving it.

SPB · 05-13-2011, 11:56 AM

Originally posted by blackcloudbrew

Mac's suck, everybody knows that! ;-)

That depends on what you do with them, in my mind PC's are even worse at mostly anything!

**blackcloudbrew** · 05-13-2011, 12:19 PM

Shhhhhhh! Please don't say that. Now listen closely...these are not the droids you are looking for...

**Lowell Goudge** · 05-13-2011, 12:29 PM

I think the photo magazines all have blinders on, when it comes to something other than the market leader.

Look at the photo editing, it is rare to unheard of for any technique to be described other than by using photo shop.

When it comes to cameras, if it does not say canon or nikon, they are lost.

I took shutterbug to task on this, because within the same magazine they published a review of a pentax camera and talked about lens interchangability, yet in response to a letter told a reader that they could not use an older lens on a new pentax camera, and suggested getting an adaptor and use canon. OOPS

The bottom line is the writers simply don't know other than canikon, and the editors don't seem to even read all the articles.

liukaitc · 05-13-2011, 01:00 PM

I think we can always see k-5 appears now as a editor's choice.

05-13-2011, 10:11 AM	#1
distant.view New Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 9	Why so little Pentax love? In all the photo magazines and review sites there appears to be so little Pentax info, positive reviews or love for that matter? Pentax was always a very well respected name back in the film days. I know C* and N* have been pretty much the forerunners on a lot of the dslr market, but it really gets tiring to see them as the only brands getting any press. Sorry for the mini rant </rant> Cheers, Russ

05-13-2011, 10:21 AM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	It's just because of market share, and the fact that nobody really knows about Pentax. Here at PF we're working on changing that! Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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05-13-2011, 10:25 AM	#3
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	We get about the same amount of love as Sony and Oly. Honesty, while it may be money put into advertising or just the fact that changing human attitudes is hard (mine costs more so it's better right?), who knows? I love being in workshops where I'm the only Pentax guy. I generally, know more about my camera than others know about theirs and get the same results. The reality is that Pentax has something like 5% of the market and that's not likely to change. So be satisfied that we are different and special. Just go out and take pictures with your unknown and unloved Pentax.

05-13-2011, 10:46 AM	#4
Ryan Trevisol Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: South Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 312	I think it's changing a little bit. There used to be this superiority complex that Canikon shooters would have. Sometimes people would ask me what I shoot with and when I said "A Pentax K100D" they'd say "I'm sorry." Aside from those people being a-holes, it was annoying having to explain that I can use 40+ years of lenses with it and that I paid probably hundreds of dollars less for my camera than they did. Nowadays, people see my K-x and say "Ooo, what kind of camera is that?" and I haven't heard one derisive comment from any other shooters in a long time. That said, being a longtime Mac user I'm used to being different and loving it.

05-13-2011, 11:00 AM	#5
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	Mac's suck, everybody knows that! ;-)

05-13-2011, 11:20 AM	#6
Ryan Trevisol Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: South Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 312	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!

05-13-2011, 11:21 AM	#7
magkelly Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,901	The K-x is changing the status quo a bit I think. There used to be only one other guy in my local photo group that shot Pentax. When I brought my ist and everyone smiled and shook their heads at me except for him. He and I, we're email buddies and shooting partners when the group meets. March, he shows up with a red K-x. Me, I missed that meeting because I was in SF, but he emails me to tell me he got one. I get back and all of a sudden my inbox is full of messages and everyone is talking about his cool little Pentax DSLR. Even some of the diehard Canikon guys are impressed with it now, lol. I haven't told any of them that I am about to second him on that one but I am really looking forward to seeing their faces when I walk in with mine. I really don't think we'll end up being the only Pentax people in the group for long. There are 3 people in the group now who are thinking of buying one to replace older cameras. There's about 25 of us so far, so if they do go for it that would make us a decent % of 1/5. None of them I think would have even thought of it had that first K-x not shown up. That sweet little camera? It is a definite game changer. Last edited by magkelly; 05-13-2011 at 05:42 PM.*

05-13-2011, 11:28 AM	#8
Ryan Trevisol Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: South Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 312	The high ISO performance is undeniable and the kit lens is so decent it puts it head and shoulders above, at least in my experience, an equivalent Canon body/lens combo. The only flaw is the lack of AF lights and that was fixed in the K-r.

05-13-2011, 11:28 AM	#9
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	Originally posted by Ryan Trevisol 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! HAHAHA! Good one

05-13-2011, 11:48 AM	#10
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	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.

05-13-2011, 11:54 AM	#11
SPB Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Zug Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 132	Oh not another one! A Pentax and a Mac user....... Originally posted by Ryan Trevisol Join the new club! That said, being a longtime Mac user I'm used to being different and loving it.

05-13-2011, 11:56 AM	#12
SPB Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Zug Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 132	Originally posted by blackcloudbrew Mac's suck, everybody knows that! ;-) That depends on what you do with them, in my mind PC's are even worse at mostly anything!

05-13-2011, 12:19 PM	#13
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	Shhhhhhh! Please don't say that. Now listen closely...these are not the droids you are looking for...

05-13-2011, 12:29 PM	#14
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,888	I think the photo magazines all have blinders on, when it comes to something other than the market leader. Look at the photo editing, it is rare to unheard of for any technique to be described other than by using photo shop. When it comes to cameras, if it does not say canon or nikon, they are lost. I took shutterbug to task on this, because within the same magazine they published a review of a pentax camera and talked about lens interchangability, yet in response to a letter told a reader that they could not use an older lens on a new pentax camera, and suggested getting an adaptor and use canon. OOPS The bottom line is the writers simply don't know other than canikon, and the editors don't seem to even read all the articles.

05-13-2011, 01:00 PM	#15
liukaitc Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 1,008	I think we can always see k-5 appears now as a editor's choice.