[boriscleto]

I bought my K-x in December 2009 completely sight unseen. Same with the K-5 in April 2012.

[StarDust]

My local camera store sells Pentax cameras and has them on display as well. One of the guys that works there even worked at Pentax when they had an office here. Both my K10D and my current K-3 was purchased there along with a lot of other equipment. They also match online prices from other leading stores so I'm very satisfied. Yes I got to look and feel before I bought

[acoufap]

I compared the Canon 60D and 7D with the K5 in a store in Munich. Liked the ergonomics and build of the K5 more than of the Canon bodies (I only miss the big and bright viewfinder of the 7D). Additionally the store let me take some shots with my lenses that I own for both systems from the SLR film era. I developed the raw files in Aperture 3 and was very satisfied with the K5 results. Finally I bought my K5 in the store.

[Trawlerman]

All of my Pentax buys have been unseen as Pentax is very much a dirty word round these parts.

The only camera store in the city only stocks Canon and Nikon stuff, which to be quite frank puts me off. I've shot with Pentax compatible stuff for over 20 years and will continue doing so all the time I can continue to get it.

My most recent purchase was a K-30 from SRS here in the UK. It was bought sight unseen but I did feel confident dealing with them as past experiences have been good. This time the service was also exemplary. Prior to that my Samsung GX-10 was purchased from Park Cameras, again sight unseen but has been a real workhorse for me from 1997 to 2014. The GX-10 is still running but has been retired at 90k shutter activations. My Samsung GX-1L was purchased at a now defunct store in my city in 2006 and is still working today with my father.



I feel a little aggrieved that Pentax doesn't do more to raise further interest in the brand. After all, Pentax was a top brand in the 70s. I can honestly say that all my experiences with Ricoh/Samsung/Pentax bodies and lenses has been good over the years that i've been shooting.

[JinDesu]

I bought my k-x after looking at reviews between it, the T3i and the D3000 on Snapsort. After using it and getting used to it, I am a Pentax fan and bought my k-3 recently without trying it either.

[mattb123]

I bought my first digital Pentax, a K-x without ever seeing one. The next one, a K-5 I rented before buying. The K-3 was also bought unseen, so I voted no.

[kdf9511]

When I bought my K200D a few months ago I bought it online from eBay. Out here in nowhere Oklahoma the only place that even sells any sort of DSLR is Walmart. I had gone to Oklahoma city and looked at a K2000 at a pawn shop but it had some sort of focusing problem. I went by the one big camera store in OKC as well and they said they don't even handle any Pentax gear or accessories for them. So back to the net I went. I was really looking for a used body as I didn't want to drop a ton of money on something I didn't know if I was going to use more than once or twice a month. What sold me on Pentax was that my dad had a K1000 in the closet that I learned to shoot with back in the 70's and 80's when I was a kid. That K1000 is also what made my decision for me when I bought a 35mm ZX-7 in 2000 when our first kiddo popped into the world. So naturally I would get a Pentax dslr so I could use all the K-Mount lenses I already had. When I first started looking I was seriously thinking about a K01 but I'm glad I went with the K200D instead.

Once I actually got this thing and found this wonderful forum I have found that I'm taking a lot more pictures that I had thought I would. I did make the mistake of picking up a K-5II last weekend when I stopped by the camera shop in Yukon, OK that I found who does carry Pentax stuff. It was very tempting to have it walk out with me.

[formercanuck]

One of the main reasons why Pentax Is Doomed is poor availability of the gear in stores and (some would say consequently) in general population. We're at a point where we report sightings of fellow Pentaxians, as if we're some elusive species on a brink (or already over?) of extinction.


First thing that comes to mind seeing some poor soul with that familiar strap around their neck, at least to me, is - How come you have a Pentax? Where did you buy it? Why?
This sounds awfully similar exactly the same as condescending questions I sometimes get from people carrying one of two more popular brands. But my questions arise for a very banal reason; I had to seek out all my gear online, and I bought practically all of it without seeing it / holding it in my hands / trying it out. I suppose it requires some faith (naivety? stubbornness?).


I also suppose I am not the only one who did so, so I'd like to confirm my feeling with wider audience.


So the question is very simple: Did you see in real life the Pentax camera you use, before you bought it?
I am aware it is a bit ambiguous as you might have seen the first one you got, but not the next one, however there is always an option to tell your full story.


As for myself:


* bought K100DS in 2007 online, haven't seen a real one before. What I did see is a K10D which was too much of a camera (and price tag) for me at that time.
* bought DA 50-200 the same year online, the same.
* bought K5II this year online, the same
* bought Tamron 17-50 & 70-200 & Pentax M50/1.7 online this year, the same

I had to purchase my K-x (and K-30) without trying them. There are no stores around here that stock Pentax gear. That being said, at the time, Frys did have a K-x out on display as a dummy model.
Why did I buy it - lots of research - best bang for the buck, and I liked being able to use NI-CD/NIMH batteries
Where did I buy it - Amazon - clearance pricing.
Why did I buy it from Amazon - no stores carry Pentax, most had 'webstores' that cost +$100 more + tax and/or shipping.

[sherrvonne]

I had not ever used any Advanced DSLR of any brand not even held one due to the fact that I know absolutely no one interested in them, I was not interested in any at Wal Mart because I knew anything there was not what I wanted and none were Pentax. The nearest Camera Store was 80 miles and I hate driving in the city... I mean really hate it, but I purchased on Amazon after I researched all the big stores online. (we are used to purchasing online or mail order due to no large stores in any surrounding town... We have one grocery store and a post office and a church, nearest other grocery store is 8 miles and 13 miles... ) So no, holding a K3 beforehand wasn't really a choice, we have to mail order for anything nice or different from Wally World selections here. I was comfortable with ordering gear without seeing partly due to this forum explaining the cameras so well.

[Tarragon]

I got my k100d off eBay, and have just got a k10d off eBay too. I have tried k5's in my local camera store, but they are out of my price range. It has shown me that the viewfinder on the k100d is a tad small, though it's a great camera. I wear glasses and so am used to not seeing all the picture at once by now! I'm hoping my k10d will be nicer to look through for me, but again at my budget range it's always sight unseen (though plenty of reading up online first!)

[PeaceFroggy]

I answer no since I knew I was going to buy the K-500 anyhow. If the seller hadn't asked if I wanted to see and hold it before paying for it, I most likely wouldn't have
Choice was rather easy for me, considering I was too short on money to choose the K-50 and have a nearly full set of lenses in K-mount from my analogue Pentax's. And from using a basic Nikon DSLR before, I knew I didn't want any of those
Secondhand camera's and lenses I'd like to check and test myself if possible though.

[dave sz]

Bought k100d online in 2007 without ever seeing or holding one in person.
Bought K-5 last week without seeing or holding one in person.

[Nakedgun]

That's "no" for me.

Switched to Pentax film (ZX5), from Canon, mid 90s, then gave up on photography about ten years later, not being interested in digital. When I (finally!) decided it was time to begin shooting again, I looked at the Pentax offerings on their webpage, then ordered a K5 from Amazon, October 2011 (that body was mfd on my birthday, two months previously!).

[YQG]

My first SLR was a Praktica, that I bought last year. Then I went looking for a scanner that could do negatives. Logical progression, right? The guy I bought the scanner off of was practically giving away his old film SLR kit, so along with the scanner he threw in a Chinon CE-5, Chinon 50mm/f1.9 and Vivitar Series 1 70-210.

Wow, this bayonet mount is way better than screwing the damn lens in! =P Plus the Viv was a nice lens, better than the longer, ill-treated East German primes that had come with the Praktica. So I shot film for a little while, then decided scanning negatives was a huge pain in the ass and I wasn't accomplishing it very well, and I should go digital. I liked the lenses I was using on the Chinon, so I looked online for Pentax at my local camera shop's web site and what did they have in my very limited budget? The *ist. =) So yes, bought sight unseen and nine months later, no regrets, been quite happy with its little simple self barring minor quibbles (low MP and noisy high ISO is about it). My long-term goal is a K-x. =)