[bigdavephoto]

I'm not clear on what people mean by "marketing", which is more than just advertising. The greatest weakness I see in Pentax here in the US is their absence from retail outlets. When I purchased my first Pentax in 1979 I lived/worked in Indianapolis and I just spent a lunchtime downtown at Roberts one day; four years later, when I purchased my second Pentax, I purchased it at a "catalog store" (*) here in South Bend. Five years ago I could have purchased a K-50, but only that model, at a Target store {competitor of Walmart}. I have no idea where I could purchase one today if I wanted to touch it before putting my money down.


(*) B&H, with their Superstore and online order system, may be a modern variant of how these stores operated - but their retail area was one relatively small room.

So you shopped at Service Merchandise too?

In case you didn't know, Roberts moved to a location that is 1 block east of the main library in Indianapolis and they opened a second store in Carmel.

[bigdavephoto]

Using an SLR for video requires some kind of steady cam rig, the right lenses (cine lenses are pretty expensive), and some type of sound capturing device. Of course, if you don't really care about all of those things, then you may actually do better shooting with an actual camcorder. Auto focus is actually the least of the concerns.

There is a reason why I can't watch other folks home movies. It is a lack of editing, poor sound quality, and a shaky cam aspect that makes the presence of auto focus irrelevant.

Not only DSLRs but also any camera that is used in film and video. Steady cams are not just for DSLR. If you look around, Mics and recorders, in the whole scheme of things, do not cost a lot. And if a person can afford a 5 to 6 thousand dollar camera for video, I think a person can also get the lenses.

[Haute Wada]

I just read the article about the Catch-in-Focus technique for Pentax. I think that is super cool! It showed the modes for achieving with several Pentax bodies but the article was written a year before the K70 was released. Anyone know if the k70 is capable of this awesome trick?

This def sets Pentax apart once again.

[reh321]

So you shopped at Service Merchandise too?

Actually I purchased the second camera at a local company called "Tepe" ..... but they functioned like Service Merchandise. The point, of course, is that only the top few companies get local representation, and Pentax is no longer in that exulted group, which makes getting attention difficult {and perhaps expensive}. I heard at one time that Sony had purchased display space at Best Buy - but now their sales volume probably makes expenditures like that unneeded.

[reh321]

In case you didn't know, Roberts moved to a location that is 1 block east of the main library in Indianapolis and they opened a second store in Carmel.

I just checked their web site - they say their Carmel store is just about 2 hours from here. They actually list three Pentax cameras - K-1{$1950}, KP{$1100}, and K-50{$500} .... but none are in stock. I suppose I should drive down some day and see if they at least have demo models; I don't know whether they normally order only when someone wants one, or they're having none in stock is an unusual situation. And, of course, they are more expensive than B&H or Amazon;my wife, who was raised in Brooklyn, asked the logical question "Why would you spend more than the B&H price?".

When I purchased the camera from them in 1979, they were "on the Circle", and a few years later I noticed they had moved over to Meridian St just south of "the Circle".

Of course, I could list half-a-dozen stores here in South Bend that carry Canon, Nikon, and Sony. The only camera store in the immediate area is a "Nikon dealer", but they also sell Canon and Sony cameras. This is the environment that Pentax has to function in.

[mikesbike]

Well what a response to my first post in many years. I will not respond to individual posts as there are too many.

It saddens me that so many of the responses believe I am trolling.

I am also shocked that it seems that a great many members of these forums cannot tolerate criticism of their chosen brand. A camera is a tool, a tool to use for work or for your hobby but none the less a tool…

As I said in my original post I love my Pentax gear and I think it cannot be beaten for still image Photography and there is no doubt that the K1ii is the best value Still image camera on the market. But as I have found myself getting a lot of requests from friends for video and I also feel the time has come for me to start shooting video for my own needs I feel that modern photographic equipment should have the ability to shoot high quality video. Pentax is sadly lacking in this area. I am not suggesting that the K1 should be shooting high end video it’s not designed for that job but mid-range and low end DSLRs should have the ability to shoot good quality video with ease and have autofocus abilities to cope with that. In this era that means touchscreen controlled autofocus and a fold out LCD screen that can be viewed from the front of the camera for those moments when you are working in front of the camera as well as behind.

As for the various criticisms of points I have made, build quality and WR does not qualify as these are not new for Pentax and the Nikon I mentioned has good build quality and WR
I have been looking at that particular model because it is a middle of the road camera it does stills well and it does video well it is not a world beater at either of these but it does them well enough to give a result of the quality I will be comfortable with. (If for instance I was going on holiday I would still take a select kit of my Pentax gear with me as well as the Nikon)

It really is sad that so many here cannot consider that a criticism can be reasonable and valid. It’s feels like I have gone onto an Apple forum and dared to criticise the iPhone

If I am wrong about the KP screen then I apologise but tell me if you are using the battery grip can you see the screen from the front of the camera?

WR is relatively new for Pentax, in terms of being across their lineup, including entry-level, which is not true of Nikon. Perhaps the last Pentax not to have WR, or 2-edial operation might have been the K-r, or perhaps the K-S1. Both not that long ago. How old are your Pentax DSLR cameras, to make you out of touch as to what has been going on, and causing such mis-statements? You are again mistaken regarding the D5600, in that it actually does not have weather sealing. It is designated "advanced entry-level". The D5000 series and the entry-level D3000 series below it have never had weather sealing. This advantage, along with 2 e-dail operation has been only available starting with their enthusiasts-level D7000 series, the current being the D7500, which in the US is now selling at around $1,150 body only. Their kit lenses do not feature weather sealing.

As to the rear LCD screen type, the KP's screen is a tilt-out, not a swing-out. Some prefer it because it does not enlarge the width of the ensemble when pulled out. But you cannot look at it while facing into the front of the camera. Many of us avoid touching the screen, in order to keep it as smudge-free as possible, so a touch-screen has no appeal. To each their own desire. Incidentally, the Nikon D7500, which has the 2 e-dial and weather sealing, also has this type of screen, similar to that of the KP. So does Nikon's near-$2,000 APS-C flagship, the D500, which weighs in around 2 lb. for the body with battery. This camera has not a 24mp sensor like the others. Instead it has a 20mp sensor. I am quite sure this is a tradeoff to get the extra-fast processing it has for up to 10 fps shooting. Along with that, its superior AF tracking across the frame are appealing for those who specialize in fast action shooting, especially when framing so the subject is going off to the side. If I wanted these specialties, and making my living doing such, I might be very interested in adding it to my arsenal, along with a fast lens or two.

Until then, I will be very happy shooting with my very fine 24mp KP, with its similar tilt-out screen, and which I've yet to use its 7 fps capability.

When I require a swing-out screen, and with the conveniences listed below for the K-70, I am happy to use my nice little 20mp K-S2, with its WR and 2 e-dial operation.

If you want a 24mp camera that has 2 e-dial operation, weather sealing, and a swing-out screen, which you can see when looking into the camera front, with available reasonably-priced WR lenses, there is always the K-70. It even has an extra dual-function shutter release button especially set up for shooting with the camera held facing towards you and with the screen positioned so you can use it in LV. It thus has 2 shutter buttons, one for each direction. Not that this 2nd button is as holdable as the usual hand position, but better than not having this convenience. I doubt that Nikon has a similar arrangement.

But the K-70 doesn't have the Nikon's AF capabilities for video. So the choice for which benefits suit you best is yours.

[mikesbike]

I just thought of another possibility- Since the newest kit lens has disappeared, and old stock of the previous one is the only actual kit lens offered, Pentax might be in the process of developing a new PLM AF motor-driven kit lens that is engineered to provide decent AF for video. That in addition to all the other advantages, would increase appeal for those with that interest. The KP and the K-70 are PLM-ready bodies.

[bigdavephoto]

I just checked their web site - they say their Carmel store is just about 2 hours from here. They actually list three Pentax cameras - K-1{$1950}, KP{$1100}, and K-50{$500} .... but none are in stock. I suppose I should drive down some day and see if they at least have demo models; I don't know whether they normally order only when someone wants one, or they're having none in stock is an unusual situation. And, of course, they are more expensive than B&H or Amazon;my wife, who was raised in Brooklyn, asked the logical question "Why would you spend more than the B&H price?".

When I purchased the camera from them in 1979, they were "on the Circle", and a few years later I noticed they had moved over to Meridian St just south of "the Circle".

Of course, I could list half-a-dozen stores here in South Bend that carry Canon, Nikon, and Sony. The only camera store in the immediate area is a "Nikon dealer", but they also sell Canon and Sony cameras. This is the environment that Pentax has to function in.

As far as I know, no demos of Pentax cameras. When the K1 was first released, they did have at least one in stock and, If I remember correctly, it took about a month before it sold. I think anything that Pentax makes that is current, they can get, Roberts just doesn't give shelf space to Pentax, or not much at all.

I never went in to Roberts when they were on the circle, just the Meridian street store. The new store is a lot more open but I liked the old store. Went in the old store one time looking for something for my Cokin filters, ended up sitting on the floor and going through a box full of the adapters just to find what I needed. You can't do that now. They don't have a wall of filters, just a small four sided display in the middle of the floor.

I need to go there because I have been wanting to get a roll of background paper and Jacks Camera in Muncie doesn't stock a lot of paper.

[surfar]

his isn't a soccer match.

If it was Pentax's position is Left Right Out.

[ffking]

Yeah, I'd really like the posters above who say they need video so much HD isn't enough to please link to YouTubes or Vimeos of what they've already taken. You don't need 4k to make bad home movies!

Very few photographers do anything but play occasionally with video. That's across all brands in my experience.

We have hard evidence of it on this forum too.

The 2018 survey had 1600 respondents, and found:

"Contrary to what one might believe, 4K video seems like an unwanted feature to the majority, as are touchscreens."

I think I've taken about 5 seconds of video with the K-1 - and that was an accident! I've never used the video on the K-3. People who are interested in video use dedicated cameras that are smaller and lighter than a DSLR - and, as you say, for those that aren't really interested, what modern Pentaxes can deliver should be good enough. I've also never used astrotracer, but I bet if I owned another brand I'd want it.

[larryaustin3]

I'm not clear on what people mean by "marketing", which is more than just advertising. The greatest weakness I see in Pentax here in the US is their absence from retail outlets. When I purchased my first Pentax in 1979 I lived/worked in Indianapolis and I just spent a lunchtime downtown at Roberts one day; four years later, when I purchased my second Pentax, I purchased it at a "catalog store" (*) here in South Bend. Five years ago I could have purchased a K-50, but only that model, at a Target store {competitor of Walmart}. I have no idea where I could purchase one today if I wanted to touch it before putting my money down.


(*) B&H, with their Superstore and online order system, may be a modern variant of how these stores operated - but their retail area was one relatively small room.

In the counties where I live and work (1.2 million people) there one camera store left, which doesn't carry Pentax. The big box stores don't carry Pentax either. I was intrigued by the KP, but I'm not spending $800+ on a camera with funky grips if I'm not sure how it handles. I opted for the K-3 because I could see it would handle similarly to the five previous Pentax bodies I owned. Typical consumers want to physically touch a camera and "test drive" it.

[beachgardener]

Where is it written that Pentax needs to or is trying this ‘catch up’ with any other brands?

Exactly

[ffking]

Originally posted by monochrome*
Where is it written that Pentax needs to or is trying this ‘catch up’ with any other brands?

Exactly

seconded

[Rondec]

Not only DSLRs but also any camera that is used in film and video. Steady cams are not just for DSLR. If you look around, Mics and recorders, in the whole scheme of things, do not cost a lot. And if a person can afford a 5 to 6 thousand dollar camera for video, I think a person can also get the lenses.

Sure. But I guess my point is that for snap videos of family and such, Pentax is more than adequate. If you are a movie producer, probably not, but the OP doesn't sound like he is really looking at video seriously since his alternative camera that does video is a Nikon D5600. The difference in bit rate and auto focus capabilities of that camera versus current Pentax options is minimal.

[bigdavephoto]

Sure. But I guess my point is that for snap videos of family and such, Pentax is more than adequate. If you are a movie producer, probably not, but the OP doesn't sound like he is really looking at video seriously since his alternative camera that does video is a Nikon D5600. The difference in bit rate and auto focus capabilities of that camera versus current Pentax options is minimal.

Totally agree.

As, I have said, I am not into doing video so I don't understand why the people that are want cameras that do 4K. Who is going to watch it? From what I know, most people have TVs and computer monitors that can handle 1080 and that is about it. I do know you can take a 4K or 2K video and down sample it to 1080 and it makes a good looking video. There again though, you have to spend the money to get a camera that can do 2K or 4K when Pentax video would be good enough.