How did you get introduced to a Pentax DSLR?

sarahparish91 · 07-24-2012, 06:48 AM

I was always interested in photography, just never had the money to purchase a dslr. I finally saved up and after reading tons of reviews online, and comparing specs, price etc I decided on the pentax k-x ..

Edgar_in_Indy · 07-24-2012, 07:03 AM

Originally posted by top-quark

So, now I was in the market for something with better controls. What I wanted: high-res screen, at least one control dial for changing settings, an auto-assist lamp and a reasonable selection of glass that I could aspire to. The camera I wanted to buy was the Olympus E-P3

I recently bought an Olympus E-P1 w/17mm f/2.8 to supplement my DSLR, and for my wife to use. I think that if you had bought an E-P1 instead of the E-PL1, you may not have left the system so quickly. With its dual dials, I find the E-P1 every bit as easy to control and use as my K-x. The extra control, and the 1/4000 maximum shutter speed (as opposed to 1/2000 for the E-PL1) is what made me avoid the E-PL1.

**i_trax** · 07-24-2012, 07:03 AM

Nostalgic!, well.... after leaving Agfa / Exakta / Practica film cameras behind I did experiment with various Digitals: Kodak , Olympus , Kyocera and Sony.
While using at work Canons and Nikons....one day I bumped into Pentax K-x and that was it!
I was in love with K-x, still have it, stil love it!
K7 came next, then the Q, then K5 and now possibly K30...
all ergonomically perfect, they just glued to my hand and do not want to go away!
still have some big Canikons at work but i would never buy one.
I enjoy what I have and never looked back....

Edgar_in_Indy · 07-24-2012, 07:07 AM

Originally posted by i_trax

While using at work Canons and Nikons....one day I bumped into Pentax K-x and that was it!

How in the world did you "bump" into a K-x? I've never seen another one in the wild. Did a co-worker own it?

**The Kellyboy** · 07-24-2012, 07:11 AM

My dad always shot Pentax, so when I bought my first DSLR I went with a Samsung GX-10 because I could use his large supply of lenses!

(I've since upgraded to first a K7 and now a K5 - both brilliant cameras and I wont be switching brands!)

**LaurenOE** · 07-24-2012, 07:25 AM

Pre 1981 - Polaroid Zip,Kodak Brownie.

K1000 back in 1981, traded it for an MESuper in 1982.

I used my MESuper up until about 1994, when it started to get light leaks. I looked at other cameras and explored the coming digital age. I liked how APS cameras could get a CD with pictures, so I bought a Minolta APS weather camera as a means to go digital. There were the Apple Quicktake 100 and Sony Mavicas as my main choices. I ended up with a Sony Mavica and used floppies for a couple of years. I fixed the light leaks on the MESuper, but it didn't meter well, so I planned on getting another film camera. However, it was a tough time from about 1994 until about 1999 when rumors of a digital SLR from Pentax was heard, and film was trying different formats to hold off digital. It was a tough time to stay with Pentax. The Pentax film cameras of the day were very plastic/crap, and the digital cameras from Pentax pre eBay and Amazon were unknown. I lusted after the Kodak/Nikon DSLRs and knew Pentax would follow soon. I waited for 2000 for the MZ-D and it never came, so I managed with Sony Digital 8 movie cameras and their floppy Mavicas. I would have stayed with Sony digital cameras except they made so many changes in such a short period of time and strayed too far from being "cameras". I couldn't deal with the expensive "Magic Sticks" when the world was going Compact Flash or the new SD medium. Sony killed it for me with their proprietary crap.

When I finally got my Digital Pentax - the *istD - I never looked back and retired from looking elsewhere.

slackercruster · 07-24-2012, 07:49 AM

had 2 k1000. got an istd

**todd** · 07-24-2012, 07:59 AM

I researched entry level dslr's back in 2007/2008 and the k100d kept getting nods online in my results so I went with it.

AroundTokyo · 07-24-2012, 08:00 AM

I`ve been doing my blog for about 9 months, using a little FujiFilm Finepix EXR 600 for the pics, which wasn`t that bad really, but thought I needed to take it to another level with a better camera. Recently the Pentax K-30 was just released and the ads on TV for this camera were coming on at every ad break. It was a pretty cool ad, using Osamu Muaki (I`m in Japan and he`s pretty famous here, but he had no effect on my decision to purchase), in a fluro green jacket taking shots in slow-motion with the blue K-30. It looked good, so I did some research and thought it was the camera for me.

**LaurenOE** · 07-24-2012, 08:16 AM

Originally posted by AroundTokyo

Recently the Pentax K-30 was just released and the ads on TV for this camera were coming on at every ad break.

Yeah, and we should believe there are TV ads for Pentax. Yeah right.

AroundTokyo · 07-24-2012, 08:19 AM

Originally posted by LaurenOE

Yeah, and we should believe there are TV ads for Pentax. Yeah right.

Fail to understand why you needed to say that. But if you want to see the link to the ad that is played in Japan here it is ---->

Youtu.be

Julie · 07-24-2012, 08:25 AM

Originally posted by AroundTokyo

Fail to understand why you needed to say that. But if you want to see the link to the ad that is played in Japan here it is ----> PENTAX K-30 ?????CM?DRIFT TURN???30?? - YouTube

I think she meant that marketing/advertising for Pentax here in the US is so bad- it is practically non-existent. It is kind of hard to imagine seeing ads for Pentax on TV!

Cool ad, btw. I'm sure if they played it here (of course in English, with a famous American star), it would get more people interested in Pentax...

Edgar_in_Indy · 07-24-2012, 08:30 AM

Originally posted by AroundTokyo

Fail to understand why you needed to say that.

She was joking, because it's hard for us in the US to imagine Pentax running a TV ad. The fact that Pentax sells DSLR cameras is a closely held secret in the US. I started another thread asking people to share how they were introduced to Pentax DSLRs, and so far, three pages in, nobody has cited Pentax's advertising:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/193517-how-did-you...lr-camera.html

ChooseAName · 07-24-2012, 08:53 AM

Originally posted by Edgar_in_Indy

She was joking, because it's hard for us in the US to imagine Pentax running a TV ad. The fact that Pentax sells DSLR cameras is a closely held secret in the US. I started another thread asking people to share how they were introduced to Pentax DSLRs, and so far, three pages in, nobody has cited Pentax's advertising:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/193517-how-did-you...lr-camera.html

Uh Edgar, that link you referenced/posted is this very thread that we are posting in

As for my story, my sister-in-law had a Pentax K10D and she took some nice pictures of my then-2-month-old daughter. My dad saw the pics and said he'd subsidize the purchase of a camera/lens like that. So I asked my SIL for advice and naturally she pointed me towards Pentax, and I never thought to look too far towards CaNikon, although I think I did look at a few Canon DSLR reviews online. The K-mount (and potentially huge inventory of possible lens choices) combined with in-body shake reduction sealed the deal. I also liked that the K200D used AAs.

With the money I've spent on K-mount lenses, I don't think I'll be switching any time soon. If I did I'd probably go to Nikon because of their flash system and comparable (?) inventory of F-mount lenses.

Edgar_in_Indy · 07-24-2012, 09:01 AM

Originally posted by ChooseAName

Uh Edgar, that link you referenced/posted is this very thread that we are posting in

LOL...I got my threads confused. See what happens when we go even just slightly off topic?

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07-24-2012, 06:48 AM	#31
sarahparish91 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Orange, NSW Photos: Albums Posts: 34	I was always interested in photography, just never had the money to purchase a dslr. I finally saved up and after reading tons of reviews online, and comparing specs, price etc I decided on the pentax k-x ..

07-24-2012, 07:03 AM	#32
Edgar_in_Indy Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Indiana, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,685 Original Poster	Originally posted by top-quark So, now I was in the market for something with better controls. What I wanted: high-res screen, at least one control dial for changing settings, an auto-assist lamp and a reasonable selection of glass that I could aspire to. The camera I wanted to buy was the Olympus E-P3 I recently bought an Olympus E-P1 w/17mm f/2.8 to supplement my DSLR, and for my wife to use. I think that if you had bought an E-P1 instead of the E-PL1, you may not have left the system so quickly. With its dual dials, I find the E-P1 every bit as easy to control and use as my K-x. The extra control, and the 1/4000 maximum shutter speed (as opposed to 1/2000 for the E-PL1) is what made me avoid the E-PL1.

07-24-2012, 07:03 AM	#33
i_trax Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,621	Nostalgic!, well.... after leaving Agfa / Exakta / Practica film cameras behind I did experiment with various Digitals: Kodak , Olympus , Kyocera and Sony. While using at work Canons and Nikons....one day I bumped into Pentax K-x and that was it! I was in love with K-x, still have it, stil love it! K7 came next, then the Q, then K5 and now possibly K30... all ergonomically perfect, they just glued to my hand and do not want to go away! still have some big Canikons at work but i would never buy one. I enjoy what I have and never looked back....

07-24-2012, 07:07 AM	#34
Edgar_in_Indy Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Indiana, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,685 Original Poster	Originally posted by i_trax While using at work Canons and Nikons....one day I bumped into Pentax K-x and that was it! How in the world did you "bump" into a K-x? I've never seen another one in the wild. Did a co-worker own it?

07-24-2012, 07:11 AM	#35
The Kellyboy Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Pembrokeshire Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 86	My dad always shot Pentax, so when I bought my first DSLR I went with a Samsung GX-10 because I could use his large supply of lenses! (I've since upgraded to first a K7 and now a K5 - both brilliant cameras and I wont be switching brands!)

07-24-2012, 07:25 AM	#36
LaurenOE Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Back in Florida, but worldwide gigs! Photos: Albums Posts: 3,690	Pre 1981 - Polaroid Zip,Kodak Brownie. K1000 back in 1981, traded it for an MESuper in 1982. I used my MESuper up until about 1994, when it started to get light leaks. I looked at other cameras and explored the coming digital age. I liked how APS cameras could get a CD with pictures, so I bought a Minolta APS weather camera as a means to go digital. There were the Apple Quicktake 100 and Sony Mavicas as my main choices. I ended up with a Sony Mavica and used floppies for a couple of years. I fixed the light leaks on the MESuper, but it didn't meter well, so I planned on getting another film camera. However, it was a tough time from about 1994 until about 1999 when rumors of a digital SLR from Pentax was heard, and film was trying different formats to hold off digital. It was a tough time to stay with Pentax. The Pentax film cameras of the day were very plastic/crap, and the digital cameras from Pentax pre eBay and Amazon were unknown. I lusted after the Kodak/Nikon DSLRs and knew Pentax would follow soon. I waited for 2000 for the MZ-D and it never came, so I managed with Sony Digital 8 movie cameras and their floppy Mavicas. I would have stayed with Sony digital cameras except they made so many changes in such a short period of time and strayed too far from being "cameras". I couldn't deal with the expensive "Magic Sticks" when the world was going Compact Flash or the new SD medium. Sony killed it for me with their proprietary crap. When I finally got my Digital Pentax - the *istD - I never looked back and retired from looking elsewhere.

07-24-2012, 07:49 AM	#37
slackercruster Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NE, USA Posts: 1,302	had 2 k1000. got an istd

07-24-2012, 07:59 AM	#38
todd Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,791	I researched entry level dslr's back in 2007/2008 and the k100d kept getting nods online in my results so I went with it.

07-24-2012, 08:00 AM	#39
AroundTokyo Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Tokyo Photos: Albums Posts: 48	I`ve been doing my blog for about 9 months, using a little FujiFilm Finepix EXR 600 for the pics, which wasn`t that bad really, but thought I needed to take it to another level with a better camera. Recently the Pentax K-30 was just released and the ads on TV for this camera were coming on at every ad break. It was a pretty cool ad, using Osamu Muaki (I`m in Japan and he`s pretty famous here, but he had no effect on my decision to purchase), in a fluro green jacket taking shots in slow-motion with the blue K-30. It looked good, so I did some research and thought it was the camera for me.

07-24-2012, 08:16 AM	#40
LaurenOE Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Back in Florida, but worldwide gigs! Photos: Albums Posts: 3,690	Originally posted by AroundTokyo Recently the Pentax K-30 was just released and the ads on TV for this camera were coming on at every ad break. Yeah, and we should believe there are TV ads for Pentax. Yeah right.

07-24-2012, 08:25 AM	#42
Julie Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,069	Originally posted by AroundTokyo Fail to understand why you needed to say that. But if you want to see the link to the ad that is played in Japan here it is ----> PENTAX K-30 ?????CM?DRIFT TURN???30?? - YouTube I think she meant that marketing/advertising for Pentax here in the US is so bad- it is practically non-existent. It is kind of hard to imagine seeing ads for Pentax on TV! Cool ad, btw. I'm sure if they played it here (of course in English, with a famous American star), it would get more people interested in Pentax...

07-24-2012, 08:30 AM	#43
Edgar_in_Indy Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Indiana, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,685 Original Poster	Originally posted by AroundTokyo Fail to understand why you needed to say that. She was joking, because it's hard for us in the US to imagine Pentax running a TV ad. The fact that Pentax sells DSLR cameras is a closely held secret in the US. I started another thread asking people to share how they were introduced to Pentax DSLRs, and so far, three pages in, nobody has cited Pentax's advertising: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/193517-how-did-you...lr-camera.html

07-24-2012, 08:53 AM	#44
ChooseAName Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Southeast USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 390	Originally posted by Edgar_in_Indy She was joking, because it's hard for us in the US to imagine Pentax running a TV ad. The fact that Pentax sells DSLR cameras is a closely held secret in the US. I started another thread asking people to share how they were introduced to Pentax DSLRs, and so far, three pages in, nobody has cited Pentax's advertising: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/193517-how-did-you...lr-camera.html Uh Edgar, that link you referenced/posted is this very thread that we are posting in As for my story, my sister-in-law had a Pentax K10D and she took some nice pictures of my then-2-month-old daughter. My dad saw the pics and said he'd subsidize the purchase of a camera/lens like that. So I asked my SIL for advice and naturally she pointed me towards Pentax, and I never thought to look too far towards CaNikon, although I think I did look at a few Canon DSLR reviews online. The K-mount (and potentially huge inventory of possible lens choices) combined with in-body shake reduction sealed the deal. I also liked that the K200D used AAs. With the money I've spent on K-mount lenses, I don't think I'll be switching any time soon. If I did I'd probably go to Nikon because of their flash system and comparable (?) inventory of F-mount lenses.

07-24-2012, 09:01 AM	#45
Edgar_in_Indy Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Indiana, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,685 Original Poster	Originally posted by ChooseAName Uh Edgar, that link you referenced/posted is this very thread that we are posting in LOL...I got my threads confused. See what happens when we go even just slightly off topic?