[patrickt]

Keep in mind that you're future is even more tenuous than Pentax's. Hit by a bus, killed by your wife, heart attack. Make a will and enjoy your Pentax.

[Class A]

I agree that you can take great pictures with any DSLR but I also like what I believe to be a special philosophy of Pentax regarding picture quality.

They seem to aim for film-like grain, do less noise reduction to retain details, rather under- than overexpose and I personally also prefer their colour balance (not as "cold" as Nikon).

Also the kit lenses are much better than those from Canon, e.g., and many have already commented on the great primes. The SMC-FA 50mm f/1.4 is incredible, try to get this anywhere else with a similar price.

I also think in-body shake reduction is great and you don't get this from Canikon.

With SDM lenses becoming more and more popular, I'm hoping that manual and body motor driven AF lenses will become cheaper again over time.

[barondla]

Think you made a great choice in cameras. Love my K20D. Not sure what glass you are looking for used. Its out there - some are expensive (85 1.4, 200 macro. 300 4.5). Some are very reasonable ( screw thread, K mounts - 50, 135, 200.
Why worry? Canikon doesn't have lots of bargains on great lenses. Geez, how many image stabilized lenses do they have? Talk about trying to hit the lottery.
Also, remember that with the right adapter you can use Pentax 645 or 6x7 lenses (still with image stabilization). Have a 6x7 165 2.8 thats great to use. Pentax hates obsolesence!
Will Pentax be around forever? Who knows. Don't know that about Canikon either. Who who have thought GM & Chrysler may have to merge to stay afloat and prosper? My guess is Pentax will be around even if they have a new owner.
Will Pentax go FF? Possible. Will your DA lenses work on that body. My guess is yes. Its easy to crop a FF to apsC or apsH. Then your lenses would work. Nikon has already proven it works on their FF bodies. Will you lose some megapixels? Sure, but in a few years time we will have so many it won't make a big difference!
Enjoy your K20D its a fine camera. My favorite of over 40 owned. No matter what comes out in the future it still takes great images.

Thanks
barondla

Check out POINT & SHOOT CONTEST #11 WINNERS in P&S forum. Enter #12. Any brand camera. Any subject. Enter now!

[*isteve]

First, I'm sure some people will suspect I'm a troll but I assure you I'm a genuine Pentax buyer (or actually my ordered camera should be here any day now).

This is where I come from. I have been interested in photography since I was a kid, but have never been a very active photographer. Had an EOS film SLR in the 80s but since that have been using digital P&S cameras. Now the bug has bitten me again and I decided to get a DSLR. ATM I have virtually no DSLR equipment, only a small Canon EF zoom lens from my old EOS.

I spent quite some time online reading reviews, opinions, tests and price lists. There were a few options to choose from and eventually I ended up ordering a Pentax K20D with DA 18-55 and 50-200 lenses. It seems the camera should be very good and the lenses OK too. So far so good. However, one of the reasons I ended up with Pentax was the idea that I could get some old high quality lenses at a reasonably price. Unfortunately it seems there aren't that many available here (northern Europe) second hand and due to newer Pentax DSLRs, the prices have risen. It also seems there are significantly fewer DSLR accessories to by new or second hand than for the bigger brands.

So I'm beginning to fear I made a mistake in buying a Pentax which seems a more marginal brand with who knows what kind of a future. Is it wise to bind myself to a smaller brand when I don't yet have a huge amount of lenses that would guide my camera body buying? At least I don't think I dare to invest much more in DA lenses as I suspect Pentax (if the company will be there to begin with) will eventually go full frame and the lenses would be obsolete.

So what do you peple think, would I be any better off in my situation with one of the bigger brands or is the risk of a bad investment as bad with them? I know people on a Pentax forum tend to favor the brand, but has anyone had the considerations I have?

Thanks!

Pentax may be an oddball company but they are now part of Hoya (which is a very successful company and several times bigger) and have a co-development deal with Samsung. They have also recently been acquired so have written off their debt, centralised production offshore, and have access to glass blanks from their parent co. In many ways as a small producer they are in potentially better shape than some of the larger companies (Sony is already making a loss).

They dont have a huge lens range but most Nikon or Canon glass thats any good is very expensive. Pentax make some pricey glass too but their economy stuff is generally in a different class to C&N cheap stuff. Sony and Oly also charge a great deal for their best stuff.

What they do have is good coverage from 10mm up to 300mm. They need something longer but thats the only real weakness.

But there is something very satisfying about knowing you bought something a bit different because you did your homework instead of following the herd. Both Pentax models offer features unique at their price and both have very competitive image quality.

At the end of the day its like owning an Alfa when all your friends have a Volvo...

---

Last edited by *isteve; 10-17-2008 at 05:56 PM.

I think that Pentax is now years-light better than it was 1-2 years ago. The are still some gaps to make it a complete system but I would say that you can now have 90-95% of what you will ever need. Now it has at least 4 motorized lens with weather sealing (and more in the making). Sigma is releasing also some motorized lenses for Pentax. The range from 100 to 300 has been covered really nicely and now you have the DA200, DA300, DA50-135, Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and Tamron 70-200 f2.8 that there were not there before. Pentax and Sigma have already anounced macro-ring flashes. Pentax is also going to release a TC one of these days and you can see now how the people is panicking and selling the F1.7x TC much cheaper that they use to be. The only thing for what I wouldnt recommend Pentax is if your main thing is sports-action. For that you might better fork some extra money and try another brand.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Keep in mind that you're future is even more tenuous than Pentax's. Hit by a bus, killed by your wife, heart attack. Make a will and enjoy your Pentax.

Just be happy Pentax is not a bank!

Thanks, everybody. Good to get some perspective. Now if only my camera and lenses would arrive...

[aleonx3]

I think you made a wise choice. Unlike the others who just follow the herd and no knowing that they were led to believe that C brand is the best as they would claim that most professionals use them.

I would not worry about Pentax going bankrupt or go under. If it does (in an unlikely event), would my k10D or k20D just stop working? would my limited lens suddenly go bad? Hardly, in fact, I would add more (my LBA) to my collection of good quality lens when people start dumping them at firesale price.

I would prefer image stablizer on the camera than the lens since very lens you mount on the camera gives you at least two to three stops advantage. Pentax system provides that flexibility with more features and cost less.

Just relax and enjoy the fun of photography.

[stgmgr]

I've managed to acquire a few lenses through friends. What I've done is send out an e-mail to friends, co-workers, members of community groups (theatre, motorcycle, etc) and asked if anyone has any old Pentax lenses kicking around that they are not using.
Remember, this is one of the many benefits of Pentax.................we can use any Pentax lens made in the last 20+ years!
While I'm not for a second suggesting that we "rip off" a friend, many of these old lenses are sitting in someone's basement collecting dust. The owners would be quite happy to take 50 bucks for them.
There ARE some gems out there.

[RiceHigh]

Yes, if you will grow and plan to upgrade soon.

Maybe Yes, if Pentax won't move on in making higher grade DSLRs and lenses.

No, if your chosen camera and lens is what you need now. Just use it until you feel and find that it is inadequate. By that time, if there is nothing in the Pentax land that you find to be better or fulfil your needs, then switch. Otherwise, stay and upgrade.

First, I'm sure some people will suspect I'm a troll but I assure you I'm a genuine Pentax buyer (or actually my ordered camera should be here any day now).

This is where I come from. I have been interested in photography since I was a kid, but have never been a very active photographer. Had an EOS film SLR in the 80s but since that have been using digital P&S cameras. Now the bug has bitten me again and I decided to get a DSLR. ATM I have virtually no DSLR equipment, only a small Canon EF zoom lens from my old EOS.

I spent quite some time online reading reviews, opinions, tests and price lists. There were a few options to choose from and eventually I ended up ordering a Pentax K20D with DA 18-55 and 50-200 lenses. It seems the camera should be very good and the lenses OK too. So far so good. However, one of the reasons I ended up with Pentax was the idea that I could get some old high quality lenses at a reasonably price. Unfortunately it seems there aren't that many available here (northern Europe) second hand and due to newer Pentax DSLRs, the prices have risen. It also seems there are significantly fewer DSLR accessories to by new or second hand than for the bigger brands.

So I'm beginning to fear I made a mistake in buying a Pentax which seems a more marginal brand with who knows what kind of a future. Is it wise to bind myself to a smaller brand when I don't yet have a huge amount of lenses that would guide my camera body buying? At least I don't think I dare to invest much more in DA lenses as I suspect Pentax (if the company will be there to begin with) will eventually go full frame and the lenses would be obsolete.

So what do you peple think, would I be any better off in my situation with one of the bigger brands or is the risk of a bad investment as bad with them? I know people on a Pentax forum tend to favor the brand, but has anyone had the considerations I have?

Thanks!

Good answer RH, that is really sensible advice.

[tomtor]

I also think in-body shake reduction is great and you don't get this from Canikon.

Exactly, when you are expanding your system in the future the SR-feature will result in less costly lenses and more options. For example the Tamron 18-250 profits already for years from SR. It was not until the last Photokina that a version with build-in SR has been announced for Canikon for 2009. The Pentax system offers a wealth of second-hand and new glass. Higher second hand prices work two ways, if you sell you also get a higher price.

There is also no reason to worry about the future of Pentax. Giant banks drop down dead in these days and many large succesfull companies are no longer. This is a subject which is discussed over and over for over 20 years. Pentax is part of a big company now (Hoya, which has restructured all the Pentax activites in a very cost effective way) and Samsung uses the same mount as Pentax, so your precious lenses can always be used.

Regarding being afraid of buying APS-C lenses because Pentax might switch to full-frame. Even if that happens (they will always have an APS-C line), you can still use your lenses in a auto crop mode, just like Nikon does. This means you will not use all the pixels of the sensor, but because the FF-sensors are likely to have much more pixels (30+ mpix, see latest Sony), you'll still get a 14Mp result as of today on a K20D. Note that a FF-lens you buy today will probably not effectively use those 30+ mpix, because the resolution of the lens is insufficient. No reason to worry.

I hope that I addressed your concerns. If I lost all my gear today, I would rebuy Pentax in a hart beat.

I'm sure you'll enjoy your camera!

[tomtor]

But there is something very satisfying about knowing you bought something a bit different because you did your homework instead of following the herd. Both Pentax models offer features unique at their price and both have very competitive image quality.

At the end of the day its like owning an Alfa when all your friends have a Volvo...

Agree 100%, but I'm not sure if the specific Volvo - Alfa comparison does justice to the Pentax system, but that is a whole other topic :-)

[Mike Cash]

Rising at the prices is temporary I guess. Because eveyday they are working hard to make the entry level enthusiasts buy new and affordable equipments.So it means the AF lenses will be cheaper.This case who pay 100 dollars for a 35 years old manual lenses?

Have you visited the Takumar Club thread? Lots of us...but we're happier when we pay $10 or $20.

[wlank]

This case who pay 100 dollars for a 35 years old manual lenses?

Me!!! Super Takumar 105/2.8. $101.99. Because it works on my Spotmatic, it works on my K1000, it works on my K100DS.

Like Mr. Cash, I would prefer to pay $10.00 or $20.00 for such a lens, but they just don't exist where I live. I do have a Vivitar 28/2.8 in that category - $13.00.