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09-10-2018, 09:31 PM - 1 Like   #31
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Easy. If the k mount would be dead right now and someone would buy my pentax gear for a good price, I would sell my pentax and buy a d850 or 5div with tamron glass as they have a nice selection including primes. But, for sure some of the Nikon and Canon way would put me off, such as the size of raw files, memory cards and the user interface . I wouldnt mind having ibis repladed by optical stabilization, i wouldnt mind losing pixel shift and oaa simulation since i seldom use those features as they have not provided superior results practically. Pentax have it right on a few things such as build quality and simplicity of user interface. As for the mirrorless thing, imo it is too early to make the right choice. But by far , for me , the biggest time saving and step forward would be to stop reading dpr and commenting on camera forum because it's all about marketing and i'm learning nothing out of it.


Last edited by biz-engineer; 09-10-2018 at 10:12 PM.
09-10-2018, 09:59 PM - 3 Likes   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
Yep.

I used to use the WG Series of cameras for rough weather - Now the Sony FDR-X3000 (instead of GoPro)

APS-C - K5/K3 - Now the Sony A6500 with the occasional adapted Pentax lens on a Crane Gimbal.

FF - K1 - Now the Sony A7R for stills and video, A7S for low light.

Long form video - Used to use a Atomos with K5/K3/K1, now I can get 2K at 240fps with the Atomos and 4k/2K internal with the Sony FS5 and FS7.

One area left for Pentax is when I have to do flash photography, since all my remotes are Pentax...but when I have the next $1200 I will be going to a Nissin AirII system for Sony.

Finally the last thing that hold out for a Pentax in my workflow is the K5/K3/K1 being the best field cameras for when I am out in the rain or poor weather.

Sadly...as I have been a vocal and huge supporter of Pentax and a rabid Pentaxian.




Yep...when I shot this with the Sony A7S the other week...with an F/4 lens...in horrible light...it blew me away. You can't fight this. I could NEVER have attempted this with anything in the Pentax line.

(Bagpipes start at 1:50)



You would NEVER guess how dark that room was!
Thanks for the Marine band, LaurenOE. From the glow of the exit signs I do get a sense of how dark that room was. I'm worlds away from trying to make a living with my photo gear. If I had to make a living and couldn't exercise as much choice over lighting conditions as I have as a amateur, I might feel differently.

I am like some of the other posters here (and yourself) in that I love Pentax, have warm a fuzzy feelings for the gear that I have, but I'm not a photo monogamist! I'm even willing to part with some of my Pentax gear. Lately, I shoot film in medium format with 120 I re-spool onto 620 for one of my beloved Kodak Medalists, but the thing that keeps me with Pentax hasn't been a dedication to cameras but the lenses. I own exactly zero Pentax digital bodies and the reason I started buying Micro 4:3 was so that I could put my over-supply of old manual focus Pentax glass to use. I'm really very happy getting extra-stops out of my Olympus EP-5's image stabilization and I'm still delighted with the results -- people are writing Olympus's obits too, I know.

I don't know if I could create that kind of video that you've posted (I'm more for stills), but I would give it a try with my 50mm Pentax f4 macro on the EP-5. I love that lens. I'm not sure I'm the kind of devotee that will keep Pentax in business, but I sometimes think that we fall into the false belief that for a company to survive it must do everything a current pro needs to compete with other pros. There has always been a thousand ways to make satisfying images, and these days --and thanks to quality construction techniques for older MF gear-- that number keeps ballooning. So long as Pentax gear lets people make the images they like, it will always have customers. I may not shell out for a K-1 or their next full frame but that doesn't mean they are unsustainable.
09-10-2018, 10:06 PM - 5 Likes   #33
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In regards to the original post, while I respect Thom Hogan I am reminded that he makes his living increasingly off a Web site dedicated to mirrorless cameras. Before that he was mostly a Nikon guy and Leica guy. Notice where the lines are drawn.

QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
"Stay" is an interesting word
I agree. For example:
  • I don't remember ever "leaving" 35mm rangefinder photography (Yashica Lynx 1000) when I bought my first SLR in 1971. I liked it then and I like it now and yes, I do own a Yashica Lynx.
  • I don't remember "leaving" manual technique when I bought an aperture priority auto exposure camera in 1982. For some stupid reason, I remembered and continued to use manual technique. Go figure.
  • I don't remember leaving primes when I bought my first zoom
  • I DO remember leaving flash bulbs behind and have no sense of nostalgia regarding burnt finger tips. Again, I strangely remember how to calculate manual flash. Go figure.
  • Digital was a "WOW, where has this been all my life" experience and the K10D in 2007 doubly so. Why is it that I started shooting film again in 2009. Again, go figure.
  • I do remember trading wet darkroom printing for a figital workflow, though I still have the full kit to print up through 6x7. I am not sure I left anything there either. The two processes are quite analogous as is computer PP to darkroom printing.
  • I also remember using my snapshot cameras a whole lot less once my phone did as good a job
  • I don't remember leaving my good sense by the way regarding the relationship between gear choices, creative process, and practical production of images. Real need has a way of presenting itself in a forceful manner.
Now back to the original question as to why I "stay" with Pentax. The short answer may sound sort of asinine, but here goes...
QuoteQuote:
Because I am old enough to realize that obsolescence only starts when either the task changes or when economics kick in or when you can't get what you have been using anymore because it doesn't make sense to sell it.
I use the term obsolescence because it's bigger than where/how Ricoh makes money or whether the K-mound is wide enough for telecentric lens designs or any number of things. I will continue being didactic...
  • I will likely stay with Pentax in one form or another until I die, mostly because I own vintage gear that bears that name that seems to be quite durable. It is likely that film will continue to be available for at least the next decade or so, so I am set.
  • I am unlikely to change brands of digital camera anytime soon mostly because my stuff ain't broke. I see little wisdom in cultivating angst regarding whether one's $2000 zoom will be supported by a new model body in 2019 or whether the company is keeping pace adequately to dominate market segment. Not my job.
  • I am aware of other brand's offerings, but have yet to find any that are compelling enough to warrant an outlay of funds. In other words, I need a firm guarantee of greater ease and/or better results before following some piper. There is some good product out there, but I don't see my current work as indication that I have substandard gear or that I might get better results with a shift in brand.

    Translation? I spent my money and mostly quit shopping. Making "art" with a camera is my hobby. Spending money is not my hobby. When I can't fulfill my vision with tools at hand and Pentax does not make what might work, then I might look elsewhere, assuming I have the funds.
  • I don't get worried about lack of future product I can't afford
I do wander as I get older, now where was I...

Why do I "stay" with Pentax. Who said I was "with" Pentax? Its a brand of tool that I have some familiarity with. I guess I am also "with" Ricoh, Minolta, Chamonix, Vivitar, Yongnuo, Sigma, Yashica, Rodenstock, Giottos, Voigtlander, KMZ, LZOS, Arsenal, Canon, Gossen, Sekonic, Mamiya, Komura, Kodak, Nikon, and Zeiss. Who knows, perhaps I may add Sony, Nikon, or Fuji to the list so I can be "with" them too.

Addendum: I used Lauren's post as a jump-off point, but her points there were well-made. She has drifted towards gear that better meets the needs of her craft and in at least one case a tool (the A7S) that is pretty much without competition for what it does. It makes perfect sense, particularly since the gear, in theory, is a required capital investment.


Steve

Last edited by stevebrot; 09-10-2018 at 10:24 PM. Reason: Added a few brands to the list
09-10-2018, 10:14 PM - 4 Likes   #34
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
In regards to the original post, while I respect Thom Hogan I am reminded that he makes his living increasingly off a Web site dedicated to mirrorless cameras. Before that he was mostly a Nikon guy and Leica guy. Notice where the lines are drawn.



I agree. For example:
  • I don't remember ever "leaving" 35mm rangefinder photography (Yashica Lynx 1000) when I bought my first SLR in 1971. I liked it then and I like it now and yes, I do own a Yashica Lynx.
  • I don't remember "leaving" manual technique when I bought an aperture priority auto exposure camera in 1982. For some stupid reason, I remembered and continued to use manual technique. Go figure.
  • I don't remember leaving primes when I bought my first zoom
  • I DO remember leaving flash bulbs behind and have no sense of nostalgia regarding burnt finger tips. Again, I strangely remember how to calculate manual flash. Go figure.
  • Digital was a "WOW, where has this been all my life" experience and the K10D in 2007 doubly so. Why is it that I started shooting film again in 2009. Again, go figure.
  • I do remember trading wet darkroom printing for a figital workflow, though I still have the full kit to print up through 6x7. I am not sure I left anything there either. The two processes are quite analogous as is computer PP to darkroom printing.
  • I also remember using my snapshot cameras a whole lot less once my phone did as good a job
  • I don't remember leaving my good sense by the way regarding the relationship between gear choices, creative process, and practical production of images. Real need has a way of presenting itself in a forceful manner.
Now back to the original question as to why I "stay" with Pentax. The short answer may sound sort of asinine, but here goes...

I use the term obsolescence because it's bigger than where/how Ricoh makes money or whether the K-mound is wide enough for telecentric lens designs or any number of things. I will continue being didactic...
  • I will likely stay with Pentax in one form or another until I die, mostly because I own vintage gear that bears that name that seems to be quite durable. It is likely that film will continue to be available for at least the next decade or so, so I am set.
  • I am unlikely to change brands of digital camera anytime soon mostly because my stuff ain't broke. I see little wisdom in cultivating angst regarding whether one's $2000 zoom will be supported by a new model body in 2019 or whether the company is keeping pace adequately to dominate market segment. Not my job.
  • I am aware of other brand's offerings, but have yet to find any that are compelling enough to warrant an outlay of funds. In other words, I need a firm guarantee of greater ease and/or better results before following some piper. There is some good product out there, but I don't see my current work as indication that I have substandard gear or that I might get better results with a shift in brand.

    Translation? I spent my money and mostly quit shopping. Making "art" with a camera is my hobby. Spending money is not my hobby. When I can't fulfill my vision with tools at hand and Pentax does not make what might work, then I might look elsewhere, assuming I have the funds.
  • I don't get worried about lack of future product I can't afford
I do wander as I get older, now where was I...

Why do I "stay" with Pentax. Who said I was "with" Pentax? Its a brand of tool that I have some familiarity with. I guess I am also "with" Ricoh, Minolta, Chamonix, Vivitar, Yongnuo, Sigma, Yashica, Rodenstock, Giottos, Voigtlander, KMZ, LZOS, Arsenal, Canon, Mamiya, Komura, Kodak, Nikon, and Zeiss. Who knows, perhaps I may add Sony, Nikon, or Fuji to the list so I can be "with" them too.


Steve
One of the better definitions of happiness: looking in all the shop windows and realizing that there is nothing there you want.

09-10-2018, 10:27 PM - 2 Likes   #35
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I've actually not left Pentax. I currently have a KP, K-1, and 645Z. I won't be leaving because of Pentax lenses. Even if Pentax announced it was ceasing operations tomorrow, I would be on the look out for used bodies for spare parts and adapters to use my lenses with other bodies if it came to that. I love the FA Limited's and the F* primes. It will take me many years to grow into the equipment I have. There will be newer, better equipment made, but I doubt any of it will make me a better photographer. More likely just a broke one.
09-10-2018, 10:38 PM - 1 Like   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fenwoodian Quote
.
<snip>Well, if someone were to offer to buy all of your Pentax gear tomorrow for what you've got into it, what would you do with the proceeds? Would you buy another Pentax system, or use it as an opportunity to switch brands?
If someone offered to buy my gear for what I had in it... I'd probably counter-offer that they could buy some of my gear. I'd want to keep the K-1, the FA Ltd trio, and the DA*200. The proceeds from what was sold would be used to purchase a lens or two I need to complete my Fuji kit.

Why do I stay with Pentax? Speaking only for myself... 1) Lenses. No one else does the FA Ltd trio. And I like my DA*200 almost as much as the 77. 2) I've yet to find another camera that fits my hands as well as the K-1. As I age, the shape of the camera body and the size and placement of the controls can make the use of the camera relatively transparent or exceedingly painful. Pentax wins hands down IMHO.
09-10-2018, 10:38 PM - 2 Likes   #37
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I'd like to say that I'd sell all my Pentax gear and replace it with the same, just as my tiny contribution to shutting people like Thom Hogan up - it's becoming too much of a received wisdom among pundits that Pentax won't survive, and that starts to become a self-fulfilling prophecy as it deters people from buying into the brand.

In reality, my Pentax kit is a bunch of old friends who've seldom let me down, so I'll stay where I am.


Last edited by ffking; 09-11-2018 at 02:50 AM.
09-10-2018, 10:40 PM - 1 Like   #38
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If production of K-mount lenses and cameras ceased tomorrow, I wouldn't switch, I would just stop buying new photographic equipment. I don't make a living taking photographs and if my current kit quit working, I would drop photography as a hobby. I no longer need a standalone camera to record family events, in fact for most of the reasons I used a film camera in the past, an interchangeable lens camera is an inconvenience. I got a K-30 because it worked with the manual focus lenses I had from before, but having a DSLR radically changed my photography habits. As long as I can buy K-mount equipment, I'll keep spending money on my photography habit, but that habit isn't so ingrained that I need to start all over again with a different mount. Nor do I feel the urge to add another mount to what I'm already using.

I'm not typical, but none of us are. Even professional photographers can't be lumped into a monolithic user group. With the Internet and globalization, there is no need to market to monolithic consumer groups and worldwide there are enough idiosyncratic people of whatever flavour to sustain almost any kind of product. Introducing a new product is a different animal altogether, but the re-emergence of film and vinyl LPs from the obsolescence crypt should be enough to convince anyone that K-mount isn't going to die. It has decades of history and millions of positive user experiences. Q-mount is a different story, but Pentax isn't the only manufacturer of interchangeable lens cameras with a 1" or smaller sensor to discover that once the novelty wears off, users go back to the system that they had a long term relationship with.

With all due respect to the original poster, Thom Hogan is one of the least insightful commentators on business matters that I have ever read.
09-10-2018, 10:41 PM - 1 Like   #39
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For what I have spent on my K3 & K5 kits, I might be able to spring for a Z6 & standard zoom. Not a Z7. But both are ugly and wouldn't fit in my hands. And I currently have two full kits 10-300mm, one lens will be restrictive, and frustrating.
Why do I stay with Pentax? I can't really put that into eloquent prose, but give me an afternoon in a target rich environment with the K3, 21mm ltd, 28mm 'A', 40mm ltd, & 300mm PLM zoom and the stupid grin on my face will probably get the message across.
09-10-2018, 11:07 PM - 4 Likes   #40
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I stay with Pentax because:

1) I want to

2) I can
09-10-2018, 11:55 PM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by PTTES Quote
One of the better definitions of happiness: looking in all the shop windows and realizing that there is nothing there you want.
Bravo! You said exactly how I feel!
09-11-2018, 12:13 AM - 1 Like   #42
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It would depend on my financial situation as to what I'd do...

Unless I needed the funds, I'd probably turn down the offer to sell my gear. It might not be the latest and greatest gear, but I'm happy with what I have. I don't need anything more or different.

If funds were tight, though, getting back my initial investment could come in handy. So, after selling and waving a sad goodbye to my gear, I'd buy a lightly-used K10D (or Samsung GX10) and a Tamron 28-75/2.8. That's what I like shooting with most of all anyway. I'd miss the high ISO capabilities of my K-3 & K-3II, and there would be times where the focal length range of that one lens would be limiting, but I think it would be refreshing to work with such a pared down kit...
09-11-2018, 12:21 AM - 1 Like   #43
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I stay because Pentax offers everything I want. Also, the mount release button is on the correct position. And the focus ring turns in the correct direction. For me at least and I am left-handed.
09-11-2018, 12:47 AM - 2 Likes   #44
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Why do I stay with Pentax ? For me taking stills shots outside and in a studio, often with small primes and two bodies, I know my Pentax does everything I need. They're tools, little more. There are a few compromises at the extremes with any camera brand, but for me I've got what I want and I can concentrate on taking shots, selling prints, and running the occasional workshop etc.

All modern cameras do a fantastic job these days. Where I sometimes think life might be greener is in the lens choice, but mostly that is my problem - lenses are a compromise, and I have to accept that.

Finally, I like being different. When I'm at art fairs I always play down any gear conversations that visitors want to engage in, but if drawn I say something like 'a range of Pentax gear', after mostly blank looks, the conversation switches back to the images. I suspect if I used a commonly used brand the conversations would rapidly descend to gear-talk, which I find a distraction.

So the question for me might by, why would I change ?
09-11-2018, 12:48 AM - 1 Like   #45
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In the words of Tina Turner

I stay with Pentax for a number of reasons.

Firstly, my investment in lenses going back many years and all still usable on the very latest Pentax bodies.
Secondly, the build - they actually still feel like "proper cameras", Sturdy, Solid, Weather Resistant - giving me confidence to use in all conditions.
Thirdly, they are matched with my requirements - Landscape, Macro, Street, People - ideally suited.
Fourthly, Lens innovation - who has a series like the DA Limiteds (at the small, compact, quality end for APS-C), the FA Limiteds (for Full Frame), and the D-FA* series that are now proving their quality and worth.

The only thing that would make me happier with Pentax is if they would release lenses quicker (After buying the D-FA*50/1.4 I'm itching to get hold of the D-FA* 85/1.4)

IMO they are "Simply the Best"
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