[Trysaeder]

Isn't a 50mm f1.8 the first 'extra lens' most entry level buyers purchase after their twin lens kit? Nikon have only just (in the past year) released a 50mm f1.8 that will AF on their entry-level bodies.

I'd imagine the 35/1.8G is more suitable as a standard prime over the arguably less mainstream 75mm equivalent.

[RioRico]

OK, I've had it. I'm jumping ship. Holga, here I come!

EDIT: Wait, is that jumping ship, or jumping the shark?

[monochrome]

If I jump ship it will be to a less frustrating hobby.

H. L. Leonard Rod Co.

[smfox99]

What can we, in the Pentax Forum, do to persuade Pentax to create a full frame camera. Surely they realize taht they are losing end users to Nikon, Canon, Sony. And have you ever tried to see or buy a Pentax in a retail store? I went on line and got a list of retailers in my area - none of them actually had a Pentax DSLR in store. If Pentax want to grow their brand then they must improve their retail distribution.

[Ferdinand]

Sony. I am converted from Sony to Pentax. So far I cannot be happier with my K-5 (but I still warship Sony sometimes in my backyard).
I like that Sony also has in camera image stabilization and also their innovative ideas (SLT, widespread use of multi-shot technologies).

I will not leave Pentax, but rather complement it with a suitable Nex for situations when I need a small camera.

[JimJohnson]

My other camera is a weather resistant Olympus Stylus point & shoot. It fits in my pocket, takes excellent photos ...and Olympus has supported their cameras with affordable underwater cases pressure rated to 40m (131 feet) ... which happens to be the recommended maximum depth for recreational scuba diving. These gems also come with a couple underwater scene modes cooked in for better color balance. The biggest shortcoming is the lack of either an optical or electronic viewfinder - which makes it difficult to compose in bright sunlight and I have to wear reading glasses.

[contrabass]

Ken Rockwell has tons of information on this area that is also irrelevant to photography.

-100 for quoting ol' Ken. At best, he needs to be taken with a giant grain of salt. At worst, he can be dead wrong.

I'm surprised at the 'more lens choices' argument coming from a pentax user, especially when Canon has about 9 more lenses than Nikon, and the lead goes heavily to Nikon if you include backwards compatibility. If there ever was any concern about AF on entry bodies and older lenses, then the person is probably looking at lenses that no entry level buyer would use. Nikon allows the OPTION to put on older lenses with quirks and issues, but canon has none.

The "option" Nikon gives you as far as mounting old lenses is without AF and even without metering. Also, due to the registration distance, only Nikon lenses. Oh, wow.

Whereas the option that Canon allows, due to shorter registration distance and the fact that all Canon bodies will attempt to meter (in stop-down metering mode) pretty much no matter what you put on there, via a mount adapter. (Except old Canon FD glass, which is odd.) You can put Nikon F, Pentax K, M42, OM mount on and it'll work. Including outrageous stuff like metering. Nikon will not meter, for some bizarre reason.

I wonder how many people use 'old AI lenses on entry-level bodies' and if there is a single person in my state that does this.

Well, with Nikon, probably zero, because it doesn't work well.

On my Canon Rebel XTi, a low-end body if there ever was one, I had no problem mounting all sorts of non-EF mount lenses on it. Cheap body, full functionality. Pretty cool... and as I said, one of the things that drew me to the Canon system.

IIn contrast, how many people have APS-C specific lenses and a fullframe body at the same time? While canon has no option of mounting them onto the fullframe body, nikon allows it and it works acceptably with the full imaging circle with certain lenses, such as the 35/1.8 and 11-16.

It's true, K-Mount lenses will mount on a Full Frame EOS digital/film camera, but the mirror will probably hit the K aperture stop-down lever. That's a bummer. Some Canon folks trim off the lever and it works. I would never do that, but it's at least possible.

But speaking of odd things to complain about on a Pentax forum, when there is no FF Pentax DSLR available...

Anyway, enjoying my K-5 with my assortment of K-mount glass. The Pentax Green Button makes it easiest of all to enjoy the older Pre-A glass. Love it!

[RioRico]

My other camera is a weather resistant Olympus Stylus point & shoot. It fits in my pocket, takes excellent photos ...and Olympus has supported their cameras with affordable underwater cases pressure rated to 40m (131 feet) ... which happens to be the recommended maximum depth for recreational scuba diving. These gems also come with a couple underwater scene modes cooked in for better color balance. The biggest shortcoming is the lack of either an optical or electronic viewfinder - which makes it difficult to compose in bright sunlight and I have to wear reading glasses.

My smallest P&S is an old Olympus Stylus 770SW, not just WR but waterproof down to 10m, no case needed. (And I don't snorkel-dive that deep.) Besides scene modes for UW shooting, it also includes a manometer-barometer (pressure meter) that reads up to 5km / 16.4k feet. This is handy when I'm driving at altitude and I want to know whether I'll suffer hypoxia if I get out of the car. (Above 3900m / 13k feet, it's a bit iffy for me.)

Anyway, it's small and dense and sturdy and silvery, looks elegant, slips easily into a pocket of my dress slacks, etc. What I *don't* like are IQ, slow write speed, no VF (so it's point'n'hope in sunlight), a plethora of unnecessary scene modes, a tiny-print user manual, and XD cards. Maybe I'll look for a Panasonic Lumix ZS20 next?

I've already mentioned that "jumping ship" isn't my style. I don't abandon systems, I supplement them. I have good reasons for NOT wanting new Canikonympus ILCs, and other reasons to consider them as additions. An old Canon FF dSLR would be handy. So would a NEX, a K-01, a ZS20, a GXR. I don't feel any need for new Canikony FF cams, a 645D, a Q. But we each have our own perceived needs. Were I making my living with photopgraphy, I'd make different choices, I'm sure.

[JimJohnson]

My smallest P&S is an old Olympus Stylus 770SW, not just WR but waterproof down to 10m, no case needed..

The 770SW is an internal focusing/zooming system? I have the 760 with the expanding snout lens. I have one large, fastest available xD chip, so speed hasn't been an issue; and while my notebook can directly read xD, I admit I wish the camera used SDHC chips. I don't do too many dives where I never go below 10m (33 feet), so whenever I see the phrase "waterproof" I am a bit sceptical.

As for the lack of a viewfinder, here is what I ended up doing.

[RioRico]

The 770SW is an internal focusing/zooming system?

Yes.

I have one large, fastest available xD chip, so speed hasn't been an issue;

Duh, I should have thought of that. What's in it now just says FUJIFILM xD-PictureCard M 1GB. How do I tell if a card is faster?

As for the lack of a viewfinder, here is what I ended up doing.

Nifty trick! Too bad the 770SW hasn't a hotshoe to mount the IVF.

[dave216]

maybe only Canon FF... will mod it to use pentax glass
will never sell FA Limiteds

[JimJohnson]

Duh, I should have thought of that. What's in it now just says FUJIFILM xD-PictureCard M 1GB. How do I tell if a card is faster?
...
Nifty trick! Too bad the 770SW hasn't a hotshoe to mount the IVF.

M= 'run of the Mill', M+ = 'a faster Mill', H = 'Hi-speed'
The Stylus 760 has no hotshoe. Velcro is a wonderful late 20th century invention.

[Marc Sabatella]

What can we, in the Pentax Forum, do to persuade Pentax to create a full frame camera. Surely they realize taht they are losing end users to Nikon, Canon, Sony.

Yes, the tiny, almost insignificant percentage of customers who buy FF cameras will go elsewhere. I'd personally rather Pentax *not* waste their precious R&D resources and cannibalize their APS-C offerings by moving to that niche format. That tiny percentage of people who shoot FF are more likely to choose Canikon anyhow for other reasons.

Unfortunately, it is probably inevitable that Pentax will some day produce an FF camera, and the end of the line of the cameras that the vast majority of users care about would probably not be too far off. So the production of an FF camera will probably hasten the *need* for me to jump ship.

If there is a way to convince Pentax *not* to pursue this fool's errand, I'd like to know. But I am somewhat resigned to the fact that Pentax will ultimately risk suicide by betting the farm on a game they cannot possibly win.

And have you ever tried to see or buy a Pentax in a retail store? I went on line and got a list of retailers in my area - none of them actually had a Pentax DSLR in store. If Pentax want to grow their brand then they must improve their retail distribution.

That much I agree with, and the recent changes in pricing strategy were a positive step in that direction.

[dylansalt]

A lot of users have jumped ship and not just because of FF.

[liukaitc]

I would like something different
like Olympus or even samsung