[lesmore49]

I started serious photography in 1968. Bought a new Pentax S1a SLR and stayed with Pentax since then. Along the way I've also bought and used Mamiya, Leica, Zeiss, Olympus, Canon, etc., ...but Pentax has always been my main system.

Started with some kind of Kodak Brownie, my parents gave me in the '50's.

[rRnt]

I remember a Kodak film compact, (I used it as late as 2006 during military service), simple camera with no electronics.
HP photosmart 435 - (ate batteries like crazy)
These were the cameras my family owned when I was still young, so I had no choice.

My own first camera was Olympus Mju600 digital point and shoot, bought it used from a friend of mine, and after a week I longed for some manual control.

Then my family bought Nikon Coolpix P80, I had some say in choosing the camera. It is still in use by my family.

I began using Pentax in 2009, when I bought my first new camera - the K-x. At that time it offered the most "bang for buck" and was a bit ahead of its time compared to rival entry-level DSLRs. I have not regretted my choice.

[esrandall]

No real camera to speak of, outside of some kind of 35mm SLR in photography class from the high school days. We picked up a little Sony Cybershot for our honeymoon, when we got married in 2007, and I couldn't get anything decent out of it unless conditions were easy. I didn't have any kind of "bug" for the hobby back then, so it wasn't until earlier this year that I got my next camera -- the K-50. I've since added an MX-1, and and an ME Super to the mix. Oh, and that little Cybershot? I still have it, and have since given it another try. Turns out it's a decent little snapshot camera. I just didn't know how to use it back when we got it, and didn't have a thirst for the hobby to take the time to learn.

[Biro]

My first camera was a 100% manual Minolta SRT-200 with a 50mm f/2.0 Rokkor-X prime on it in the mid 1970s. I used that single camera and single lens for the better part of a decade. After that came a number of Minolta, Canon, Yashica and Vivitar film cameras. My first digital camera was a small 4mp Casio with a Pentax lens. Then came a 6mp Canon S3 IS (not a bad superzoom at all). Then, in 2008, I decided to drop film completely and get serious in digital. That's when I picked up a Pentax K200D kit that included the DA* 16-50 and 50-135 f/2.8 zooms, the FZ360 flash and a battery grip. Each lens cost me less than $700 new as a part of that kit. The camera body was about $500 new. To me, Pentax, compared to other brands, represented solid gear that was an excellent value.

[drugal]

My first camera was a Kodak 110, maybe an Ektralite. Once I showed that I enjoyed taking pictures and didn't waste too much film ... my Dad bought me a Pentax P3. After that I've always had a Pentax as my primary camera.

[gaweidert]

My first 35mm camera was a Century Graflex 35A. It had a trigger film advance under the lens. Many years later one of my kids was playing with it and left it in a neighbors yard. It didn't survive the incident with the lawn mower. My first SLR was a Mamya Sekor 500 DTL. After that a Sportmatic II. When I graduated to K-Mount I picked up 2 Ricoh XRM's. Then I got a ZX5n and a PZ1p. I got my first DSLR a K5 in 2012. in 2013 I got a K5-IIs.

[Cynog Ap Brychan]

My first camera was a Zenit E, which was built like a Russian tank, and had an M42 mount. I couldn't afford the object of my desires - a Pentax Spotmatic - but I kept to M42 with my next possession, a Ricoh Singlex, that went under the Dixon brand name of Prinzflex (I believe it was actually made by Cosina under license). Then came my last M42 mount camera, a Chinon CE Memotron, which cleverly managed to give an aperture-priority automated exposure by utilising closed-down metering the instant one pressed the shutter button. I moved on to K mount after that, but I still couldn't afford a proper Pentax, so I bought a Chinon again, this time the CE-4, followed by the CE-5 (a very nicely specced camera at the time for a good price). I had the notion that I would buy genuine Pentax lenses at least. But then the moment came: as a result of an expenses paid move to the London area, I had a spare bit of cash and bought the genuine article - a Pentax P50!

Since then I have owned and used a P30, two MXs, a P1 and P1z, an MX-5, an *ist D, a K-7, K-5, K-5 IIs and a K-3 (along with an MX-1, a Q and two Q7s). Also, for my collection, I have acquired an ES, a Super A and a MZ-S. Though I enjoy using other brands (full frame and micro four-thirds) because I am a camera nut, I'm a true Pentaxioan at heart. If I was forced to to choose only one brand, it would be Pentax because, let's face it, their cameras have soul!

[keruili]

Had a Kodak Instamatic as a kid but waited till just before I got married to buy my own. The Canon Sure Shot Owl lasted about five years before my dad bought my wife and I a Fuji Finepix 3MP digital. Took a while to get used to shooting pictures just willy nilly and being able to adjust and reshoot but it was when we moved to Shanghai that I really got into it. It wasn't long after that that the limitations of the PNS got the better of me and I bought a second hand Nikon E5700 bridge camera that let me play around a lot more. Eventually even that wouldn't give me the freedom I was looking for and I started dreaming of a Nikon d80. I also gave the Canon Rebel XTi a look as well until I picked up the Pentax k10d. I couldn't believe how solid it was and the other two felt like toys by comparison. Like going from a plasticy kit lens to the real thing. For the price point it was a no brainer and the backwards compatibility sealed the deal. This really paid off when we moved to Hong Kong and a friend gave me three of his old film era Pentax lenses including an M 50 f1.7 and an F 28 f2.8. Nice! My son now has his own k10d and when I bought my k5 I gave my old k10d to his friend who was looking to step up from a point and shoot. When we go to visit out that way they always like to go for a photowalk. Pentax has been good to us and I love the quirky community of Pentax shooters. It feels like home.

[Finchj]

Pentax Optio S10 to Pentax K-7. I stayed with Pentax because of weather sealing, reports of ergonomics (bought sight unseen), and the build quality of the bodies. Everything they said was true, love the form and everything. When friends with Canon or Nikon hold a K-7 (or my K-3), they immediately comment on how different it is than their plastic bodies. It is a camera that makes me want to use it.

Gave my K-7 with genuine grip to my parents last time I visited the States. I have a K-3 now. Love the camera, trying to figure out which lens to buy next

Hard to make that decision, as there are so many options. I only have the 18-55WR and DA*50-135. I'm debating whether it would be better to replace the 18-55 with a 16-50 or 20-40 (leaning towards the 20-40 after seeing how it stacked up against the 18-35 Sigma). That would eat up my budget entirely and not really open up any "new" avenues, but it should would make me happier than kit lens.

Or, I could save a little more money and buy a 15 limited and a 100 WR macro. I'd add to excellent lenses to my line up, but then the "normal" zoom would still be disappointing in relation to the others... choices, choices.

[Mikesul]

It is probably too late to do this but it would be interesting if there was some way to tabulate which cameras are being named and how many of us used each one. As I said it would be a lot of work at this point.

[jaremart]

I started with a Polaroid instant camera - a Spirit 600, I believe. Then I had a couple of point and shoot 110 cameras and 35mm cameras - I don't even remember which brands/models. My first digital was a 2.1 megapixel Olympus (which cost me more than the gently used K30 I recently bought). I bounced around between cheap point and shoots for several years after that. One was a Canon - but I didn't have it long - as I walked into the ocean with it in my pocket - oops. I then bought a Minolta Dimage Z1 - which was one of the early "super zooms".

Around 2006 or 2007 - when my second child was turning 2 - the shortcomings of my point and shoot cameras became obvious. I needed something that could "keep up" with my kids. Shutter lag was killing me. DSLR's were still a little out of my reach at the time, so I continued looking at super zooms. I bought a Fuji Finepix s700 - which wasn't bad - but still had a problem with shutter lag. At that point - my brother-in-law bought a Canon Rebel XT - and opened my eyes to the benefits of DSLR's. It was also at that time that I realized - for the money I had spent during the previous few years on unsatisfying point and shoots - I could have bought a good DSLR...

So - I went and bought a Canon Rebel XTi (following my brother-in-law's example). It was much better than the point and shoots for what I needed at the time, but... I quickly realized that I needed/wanted more than the kit lens. I also realized that I couldn't afford to acquire very many Canon lenses. A co-worker at the time was using a Pentax K100D Super - and introduced me to the idea of Pentax backwards compatibility. The rest is history. I quickly sold my XTi and bought a K10D. This was late 2007 / early 2008 - and I got it from Wolf Camera - new - for $250 - a steal compared to what I had previously paid for some of the point and shoots. I put about 55,000 shots on that camera, acquired 20 or so manual lenses (Vivitar Series 1, Tokina AT-X, Sears, Pentax, etc.) - and have been "moving up" in Pentax ever since. I've had: K100D, K10D, K2000, K-x, K20D, K-7, and K30. I currently shoot with the K20D and K30.

I'm now starting my kids off in Pentax. I just bought a K100D Super from another forum member for my 11 year old son. He'll get that for Christmas and start his journey.

[cxdoo]

I see many stories here start in times before I was born. Film cameras I had contact with all belonged to my father so I'll limit myself to digital.

In 2000. I got a Mustek digital camera with whopping 0.8 megapickles of resolution. That lasted me for a year until I forgot it on a tram station.

Next I got Jenoptik JD3300 which lasted me 3 years and then died.

In 2004. I got HP R707 that grew more and more problematic until I decided I want a proper camera that will behave, not overheat or die on me. So in July 2007. I got K100DS.

[Kerrowdown]

Got my eye on you

Good to know you've got my back covered.

[magkelly]

I'm curious about what some users in the forum had before going Pentax, doesn't matter if you started using a Canon point-and-shoot or a Nikon FF DSLR. I've always wondered what the reasons for the switch (or upgrade) were, and whether it has to do with flaws in a previous camera from a different brand. Tell us the whole story.


My interest in photography was actually sparked by using a Sony point-and-shoot that belonged to my parents that I took on trips. I spent months learning the basics like the exposure triangle and what all the specs mean in a DSLR and their lenses, and then "upgraded" to my parents' bridge camera, a Canon SX10 IS. Fast forward two years and now I have my own K-50 with three lenses to go with that (18-55, M 50mm 1.7, Sears 135mm 2.8). After initially believing that Nikon was the way to go for a DSLR system (silly me) I started to hear about this brand I'd never heard of before. I didn't like many things about the Sony and the Canon and thought their DSLR bodies would be much better but I still found many áreas of opportunity, particularly the ergonomics and handling. Did some market research and made the decision to buy into the Pentax system. My main concerns were features for the price, weather sealing, and quality lenses for reasonable prices. I was hooked after finding the plethora of manual lenses that can be used in a Pentax, as well as the excellent handling and build of the camera (and dat viewfinder).

I started out using Fuji P&S cameras. I had like 4 of them in turn actually. I started out with a 1.5MP version and worked my way up to a 6MP very DSLR like model. I liked them very much but I needed to be able to change lenses and I couldn't stay with Fuji to do that and have it be affordable. I'd gotten to use some Pentax film stuff, a Spottie, and really liked it, so I went Pentax.

I don't mind other brands. I'm far more into Nikon than Canon when it comes down to it but Pentax gear it's just so comfortable for me that I don't even question my loyalty to it. I can and have used other brands of cameras when necessary. I can pick up and use a Nikon or a Canon and not have any issues but I prefer Pentax. I actually have Oly E-P3's and I really like them too, but Pentax will always be my main brand I think. The ergonomics, it's just works the best for me.

[G and T]

As a child, I like many others asked for and recieved a camera for a birthday, it was a Agfa point and shoot camera that took 126 film. Its one redeeming feature was that it gave me the bug for photography. The bug made me save my pocket money and money from odd jobs until I could afford a "real" camera. It took me nine months of saving and an unbelievably cheap sale price of a used Minolta SRT Super and three lens kit from one of my older brother's friends. I grew up with that camera and it travelled the world with me, I still own it and it still works.
My Minolta kit was added to over the years with 9 more bodies and 45 lenses (Damn LBA) as well as other cameras of different brands and formats including Pentax until I came kicking and screaming into the digital age. Strangely none were Canikons!
When it came to a digital SLR I couldn't get one of my beloved Minoltas they had been engulfed by the Sony empire and many of their lenses had been orphaned by mount changes so I had to start anew. I had experience with Pentax cameras so I started with some research into a K7 which became my first Pentax DSLR. I now have a K5, K5IIs and a K3 as well as many Pentax film cameras and my K mount lenses are now numbering as many as my Minolta ones(Damn LBA). I guess I'm now a Pentaxian.
Glenn