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09-02-2013, 04:21 PM   #1
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How does one answer?

Last night at my camera club, a new member (joined last night) asked why anyone would choose an oddball camera (his words) like Pentax rather than Canon or Nikon. He shoots Canon 5D.

I suggested physical size, ergonomics, etc. I also said I've been shooting Pentax since 1968 and still using my M42 lenses and the AF lenses I bought with my SFx in '89.

He was a bit dismissive as it was obvious I only upgraded.

09-02-2013, 04:38 PM   #2
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Ask why he chose to shoot a Canon 5D, he probably wouldn't have a meaningful answer anyway.
09-02-2013, 04:42 PM   #3
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Ask if he has ever shot a Pentax? If he had he would probably be in the same position as you! *Remember...Pixie Dust!*
09-02-2013, 04:47 PM - 1 Like   #4
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Plenty of things you could say, but considering his attitude I doubt it would matter. I don't know the man so maybe I'm wrong but in my experience anyone so arrogant as to assume one camera brand or another makes you a better photographer is a wannabe amateur. I've been at shoots with real pros, people who do this for a living, and been the only Pentax shooter there. I never got a derisive comment and usually a few genuine inquiries about the gear and the strong points. Amateurs worry about gear, professionals worry about results.

I have a friend who shoots a 5D and would never consider anything but a FF camera. He's not a pro but a very serious shooter and he has handled my k-5 and stated "feels good, shoots good, nice!". He used to shoot with an LX way back in the day. And not to turn this into a FF thread but, he likely would still be with Pentax if they had FF.

The only negative comments I've had have been from people with a Canon Rebel and the lens hood on backward. Brand snobbery seems to be inversely proportional to the level of experience of the person involved. In one case I was shouldered aside by a kid with a rebel at a glass viewing window into a fish ladder. His comment was "excuse me I'm a professional photographer" and proceeded to blaze away in full auto with the pop up flash on. I'm sure he got great pictures of the flash reflection on the glass.

I have tried; "Pentax? Oh they usually make $7,000 cameras, this is just their little one".

09-02-2013, 04:52 PM - 3 Likes   #5
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How about "if you haven't used a Pentax you wouldn't understand" - one dismissal deserves another
09-02-2013, 04:58 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by p38arover Quote
Last night at my camera club, a new member (joined last night) asked why anyone would choose an oddball camera (his words) like Pentax rather than Canon or Nikon. He shoots Canon 5D.

I suggested physical size, ergonomics, etc. I also said I've been shooting Pentax since 1968 and still using my M42 lenses and the AF lenses I bought with my SFx in '89.

He was a bit dismissive as it was obvious I only upgraded.
I have had people try to be dismissive of my gear before and I said it proudly that Pentax makes some of the best cameras on the market and that the Limited lens line up is sharper than anything they can buy elsewhere of any brand---then I openly challenge them to take a couple of shots and lets compare side by side.

I usually follow it up with 'man these are the best things ever AND they are about 1/3 the price you pay for the whole set up you have'...then I accuse them of missing the boat and being behind the curve, kind of like the last guy who saw that viral youtube video....

Then its just a matter of why do you shoot a crop sensor instead of full frame...

I have only had to take the tact of being a little rude once...I told the guy he spent all that money on all that gear and that his pictures still suck. He didn't like it, but he never questioned me and my choice of equipment again.
09-02-2013, 05:04 PM   #7
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I got this question from a co-worker (also a 5D shooter) awhile back. She looked me straight in the face and said, " Pentax. You shoot a Pentax." I went on to explain the ergonomics, in-camera SR, and the ability to use the old lenses from the 70s & 80s. Then she said, "Wow - you still shoot film?"
(She did not know that Pentax makes digital SLRs)


Last edited by paulh; 09-02-2013 at 06:32 PM. Reason: added note
09-02-2013, 05:12 PM - 1 Like   #8
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It all depends...

I usually just say, "I tried Canon for years. Pentax does a better job." Which is true.

If they want details, I go on to explain how I recently borrowed a friend's 5D2 to shoot side by side with my K-5IIs for a few days. That experience showed me that the image quality was identical for the 20x30 prints I make to sell, while the K-5 offers a lot more useful features (lighter weight, smaller size, weather sealing, in-body stabilization, built-in intervalometer, for a couple examples) than the 5D does -- and for a better price.
09-02-2013, 05:16 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by jimr-pdx Quote
How about "if you haven't used a Pentax you wouldn't understand" - one dismissal deserves another
I like this one.
09-02-2013, 05:20 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by paulh Quote
and the ability to use the old lenses from the 70s & 80s. Then she said, "Wow - you still shoot film?"
I could see my co-workers saying this if they actually cared enough to ask.

There's an old quote that is a good response to this kind of question
"if you have to ask, you will never know"
09-02-2013, 05:25 PM - 2 Likes   #11
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There are too many reasons to use Pentax, and they are specific to Pentax.
Having to explain it to a non-Pentax user takes too much time and effort, so I've stopped trying.

But consider this...

While frustrating, we do not get new camera models every year or two.
Since 2003 (the year of the *ist-D) there have been just two DSLR models in production at a time. Sometimes just one, and not counting the 645D.
Again, traditionally, we get a camera that is released when it's time, and not sooner.
For better or worse, the K7/K5/K5II/K5IIs have been a wonderful continuous evolution, that is finally nearing the end of it's life cycle.
I've held the "same camera" and grip since the K7 and if by some chance the replacement is in the same form factor as the K5, I will jump for joy, but I doubt it.

The next camera coming down the pike will be with us for many years, and the precedent set since the K7 is a good business decision.
We are not getting the camera any sooner than when Pentax *gives* it to us.

Love it or hate it, makes no difference to Pentax. Those Japanese engineers do their thing, and I LOVE them for being who they are.

Holding and using the same tool over the course of years does wonders for becoming an expert on it's use.
The level of familiarity of the K5 in my hands is sublime. Mastering a tool is an achievement in itself.
When the tool becomes second nature, you can focus on the creative aspects of what you are building.

Only Pentax does this. Canikony make so many new models, that to keep pace with the "new" you never get to the point of sublime.
With so many models to choose from, Canikony prevents real attachment to their cameras. Except of course for their upper level cameras which have stayed the same.

To use a Pentax means being different because of what Pentax *is*. It's too hard to explain to people.
On a sheer technical footing, Pentax cameras can hold their own or just fall short, but that is not the entire picture when using a Pentax.

Ultimately, when I can go into a Costco/ASDA/Walmart/Sams/Best Buy or any warehouse retailer and see PALLETS of Canikony, that must tell you something about how Canikony churns out their wares and how much they really care about their goods.

We will NEVER see pallets of ANYTHING with Pentax on it.
09-02-2013, 05:27 PM   #12
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09-02-2013, 05:33 PM   #13
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09-02-2013, 06:09 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
have been a wonderful continuous evolution
I was thinking much the same but about Ricoh. Which I think (hope) means both companies have a similar philosophy. We use a Ricoh copier/printer/scanner in our office. It is on a 5 year lease arrangement. So the 5 years are up this month and we get a new copier. Sitting side by side I cannot tell them apart except for the (slightly) different model number. At first I'm thinking "five years, and nothing has changed?" Same exact body panels and color. Same buttons, same screen, same lid, same trays.

But a closer look and a little use reveals: slight improvements in the button layout, improved option layout, slightly faster, much quieter and smoother, fit and finish is tighter and nicer, bigger hard drive, faster processor, more scanning options, many more options in the print drivers, nicer web interface, etc. So no, it is not a radically 'different' design just to make you feel you need to upgrade. It fills the same niche in their lineup as the old one and whenever they could make an improvement they did but they saw no reason to come out with a 'new' model just to say it was new.
09-02-2013, 06:28 PM - 1 Like   #15
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Sarcasm and rudeness just suggests you have an inferiority complex, which would negate anything positive you say.
Size, build quality, ergonomics, value for money, and limited primes should be enough for anyone who is worth the time to reply at all.
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