[BrianR]

But apparently, the Pentax K5 is too limited and lack features found on DSLR cameras and she wouldn't be able to use it for the course because of this. (again, intro to photography).

It would be interesting to get a list of features the k5 lacked but a rebel xt had and were required for the course.

Such a shame she ended up with a canon. For beginners, having a kind brother-in-law (or other relative) willing to loan you gear of brand "X" should be a major influence in starting out with brand "X". Good of you to attempt the loan, the k5 is a confident little camera and I'm sure it will get over the rejection

[VoiceOfReason]

I had a guy who tried to tell me his t3i was a professional camera, and that he was sad for me that I had to use Pentax. I then took a picture with my Tamron 17-50 on it with no flash indoors, showed it to him, and almost made him cry. I then asked him if his camera could do that. It couldn't. He has never showed up at an anime convention I've been at again.

[PabloFP]

Lesson 1 - landscapes. Set camera to mountain icon.
Lesson 2 - portraits. Set camera to the little head icon.
Lesson 3 - sports. Set camera to running man icon.

K-5 didn't have those modes, so not suitable. Just my theory.

+1...

[RobA_Oz]

On the other hand, a friend of mine took her K30 (my suggestion) to a (non-beginner) photography class last year, and the teacher was using a K-r! They were the only Pentaxes there, but at least he knew what he was talking about, and didn't mind that most of the other cameras there were other brands. However, it wasn't a sponsored class (we still have Adult Education programs here in Australia, provided through the State Education system - not PC in some parts of NA, I know).

[fgaudet]

It would be interesting to get a list of features the k5 lacked but a rebel xt had and were required for the course.

Probably the "feature" located slightly over the lens and under the hotshoe, usually engraved and painted white...

I have nothing against Canon or Nikon cameras (or whatever)... I honestly like the household Canon (for the most part) and I enjoyed the few Sonys that I owned.

I just hate when someone feeds BS to a bunch of people who don't know better. Pentax are no better than their equivalent Canikonypus but they sure as s$%^ aren't any worse. Anyone who knows anything about a DSLR can find his way around a camera in no time, especially the basic stuff. They all work the same and they all use the same terminology.

This is a basic class, they should talk about composition, the rule of thirds, exposure, focal length... stuff that is as brand agnostic as it can be. The menu system probably varies just as much between a XT and a T3, T3i, T4i, T5i as it does between different brands. And you can be sure that at least one student is gonna show up with a 1DX (1-up D neighbourX)... this thing has more menu options than the K5 has pixels... I wonder if it too is gonna be too limited

On the other hand, a friend of mine took her K30 (my suggestion) to a (non-beginner) photography class last year, and the teacher was using a K-r! They were the only Pentaxes there, but at least he knew what he was talking about, and didn't mind that most of the other cameras there were other brands. However, it wasn't a sponsored class (we still have Adult Education programs here in Australia, provided through the State Education system - not PC in some parts of NA, I know).

Y'all have some strange ideas about NA. The biggest item in the NC State Annual Budget of 21+ Billion USD is Education.

Here in my corner of NA, in North Carolina, when I suggested to my local Town Parks & Rec. Dept. offering photography classes, I submitted course outlines and gave them customer references, beside my web sites. They do not use contractors, so I was required to fill out a standard employment application.

Part of my proposal was being vendor agnostic, no sponsorship. Their primary concern was sufficient community interest. First lesson was, we pushed back the start date because it collided with folks summer vacations. My pay check will be from the Town.

I don't know what the guy described in OP was doing but that foolishness wouldn't fly in any presentation to members of my local camera club. I am the odd duck of 100+ members but I do end getting donations of legacy Pentax & Ricoh gear from folks with hair even grayer than mine.

[disco_owner]

I was Told by a Nikon Shooter on a Saturday's Photowalk that my Camera is Confused? Why I asked , His Replay "Because you have a Sigma Lens attached to your Camera " ..BOING.. and you are using a Metz Flash ? WTF . I then noticed his Wife with a Nikon Body and a Tamron Lens attached and went further to say that according to your Logic your Wife's camera is also Confused , Why he asked , Because she has a Tamron Lens attached to a Nikon Body, That really shut him up...

[mee]

There is a lot of idiocy out there.. mostly coupled with brand arrogance. It is astounding.

I really don't understand what would be lacking from any camera with manual controls in order to take a basic photography class. You need to be able to control Aperture, ISO and Shutter speed... I've picked up a Nikon d3100 and learned how to control it in a matter of minutes. Same with a Canon 60D... none of these cameras are THAT different in the setup. And, imo, anyone who should be in front of a class teaching this subject should be adept enough to be able to pick up any DSLR and figure out the basics in a few minutes of playing around. It isn't as if the controls are in Nikonian or Canoneese and you need a translator. haha they are all pretty standard..

[rawr]

I bought a 'Introduction to Photography' book for a young family member some months ago, alongside gifting them my K200D. It was a good book, with technical and composition info, and lots of good hands on guides to camera settings.

Although the book was careful to mention that there were other camera brands, and said that most modern DSLR's had essentially the same PASM controls and features nowadays, for consistency purposes, I guess, they only displayed either Canon or Nikon bodies, menus and controls in their illustrations. Perhaps this kind of material leads some people - even instructors - to sometimes assume that Canon and Nikon are the only game in town.

but I do end getting donations of legacy Pentax & Ricoh gear from folks with hair even grayer than mine

This is a very useful point. Older people know and remember Pentax, and often with much fondness. Younger people simply have no idea what a Pentax is. Over the last decade or two, Pentax marketing has really failed to connect the brand with the under 40's, it seems, let alone the under 25's.

A case in point: over the weekend I was shooting a car rally. Some older retirement age spectators recognised that I was shooting Pentax, were impressed by my K-3 and 70-200 rig, and started a conversation about how they had a Pentax camera years ago, and thought it was fabulous, but hadn't seen one in use for years.

However two younger pro shooters at the same event, with Nikon APS-C's, initially looked at me like I was from Mars, and totally couldn't figure out what the hell I was shooting with (I had the K-5 and K-3 out).

[eddaytona]

Lesson 1 - landscapes. Set camera to mountain icon.
Lesson 2 - portraits. Set camera to the little head icon.
Lesson 3 - sports. Set camera to running man icon.

K-5 didn't have those modes, so not suitable. Just my theory.

Actually it does in P mode menus!

---------- Post added 08-04-14 at 10:52 PM ----------

When I went to law school it was amazing that the book you had to buy for the class was written by the professor. Probably something similar at work here.

[elpolodiablo]

That's OTT from that instructor...For a basic photography class all you need is a camera that let you take full manual control of Aperture/Shutter Speed/ISO, I think some local photography class still ask student to get film camera for that reason. If you just want basic control then any DSLR from any brand should do the job no problem....

Maybe it's the crowd that I went out taking photo with, but the photowalks that I end up attending are mostly brand agnostic, the usual CaNikony and increasingly MLC crowd with M43 and Fuji X and Sony E, I got a few inquiry as to what I shoot but they were just out of curiosity and nobody was snobbery about what brand you shoot with, in the end the images you capture speak for themselves.

But I am self taught and just shoot for fun, not belonging to any photo club or educational institute, I am not sure what attitude those from commercial or educational background would be like on brands.

[kkoether]

I was shooting a boat race a few weeks back. Had my K200D with the 18-55mm hanging on one shoulder and my K3 with the 55-300mm on the other. I had a guy ask me what Nikon I body I was shooting. After he realized they were Pentax's he really didn't say much more! LOL!!!

[Imageman]

The guy handled the camera.


I am a photographer, I have never picked up a camera I couldn't use.


The guy is either a liar or incompetent.


Is this the kind of guy anyone would want to learn from.

[magkelly]

Eh, I've met worse. Canon groupies are far worse, I think, but I've also met Nikon guys who can't seem to see any other brand as worthy of having. He probably was getting a kick back from the local camera store. The more students he sent them the more he got off his own gear or something. My own experience with local classes has not been all that positive. Usually I walk in and I know more than the person teaching the class and I'm hardly all that experienced professionally as yet so that's pretty sad. I've had people here make derogatory comments about my choice gear, mostly at the photo clubs I joined. But in the end they ate their words. Once they saw what I could do with my "unprofessional" choice of gear they shut up. I even inspired a precious few to join me on the Pentax side of the street.

I told you guys in another post about meeting two guys who had Nikon and Canon gear, about shooting in the rain while they ran? That incident was just totally commercial worthy and even now it makes me laugh. The Nikon and Canon guys in my clubs they are starting to get it though, why I am so diehard about being a Pentaxian. The other day I went out to do the club thing for about the first time all Summer. We met at a coffee and sandwich place for a group shoot. There's a little nature park near there and we were all supposed to go over there but it was raining off and on. Nothing much. It was just drizzling really, but nobody was into walking over there to shoot. Most of them were inside talking gear or standing under the awning taking a few pics of the crows and some squirrels, while trying not to get their precious cameras wet.

I finally got tired of waiting on them and said I'd be back and took off on my own across to the park. I can only take so much time outside right now and it was cooler because of the clouds and the rain and I wanted to take advantage of that while I could. I also wanted to check out the WR 55-200 lens I got and see just how WR my Ruby K-30 was. It took them a while but a few people finally showed up about 20 mins later. One of them never took his camera (Canon) out of the bag, just stood around watching me shoot with a bemused look on his face. The Nikon guy did, but he had one of those plastic bag shields for his camera. There's another Pentaxian, a woman that I helped out when she went to buy her camera (K7) and she has a WR 18-55 lens so she and I shot for a little while. Now mind you I would not have stayed out there in the pouring rain, but it wasn't hardly at that point and I did have to test the WR seals anyway, right?

FYI, both the K-30 and the lens passed with flying colors and the 12 odd people back at the coffee shop were duly impressed when I got back, wiped my camera off, and ordered a Coke and some soup. (Ditto when my friend did the same and bought herself a coffee..) The Nikon guy bought us cake. Canon guy just sat there, didn't say much for most of the time, but he did eventually ask me how much my K-30 and the WR lens cost so maybe, just maybe, he's thinking of jumping ship?

Yup, this is how I evangelize for Pentax. I just show up, shoot in the rain, and let my gear do the talking for me, grin. At this point none of the other Nikon/Canon guys will mess with me. They know if they do I can legally razz them about being too sissy to go shoot shoot in the rain... :P I don't need to say anything. I don't need to prove anything. Guys who will talk about Pentax gear like that don't know Pentax gear for sh- and I honestly could care less. Their disrespect and ignorance of the brand tells me all I need to know about them and I can't be bothered with people like that. I just walk away, and keep on shooting...

It's a pity she could not get her deposit back. I would have blown that course. Not really worth it with a guy like that teaching it. She probably could have learned more out of a book...

[interested_observer]

It would be interesting to get a list of features the k5 lacked but a rebel xt had and were required for the course.

Such a shame she ended up with a canon. For beginners, having a kind brother-in-law (or other relative) willing to loan you gear of brand "X" should be a major influence in starting out with brand "X". Good of you to attempt the loan, the k5 is a confident little camera and I'm sure it will get over the rejection

I could not resist, so I just googled "compare canon t3 pentax k5", and this was one of the responses - so let's see the score - 91 to 40

• Canon T3 vs Pentax K-5 - Our Analysis