[mickey]

To the OP,
I'm not sure if your negative opinions towards Pentax are about the K20D or the "lack" of gear...or maybe both.
Sounds like you're ready to make the switch to me, and I'm not going to convince otherwise. It's your decision.
I wouldn't tell you what car to buy, which house to live in, or which career to do, either.

Here's a link for equipment:
Pentax Equipment Photo Gallery by Kees de Haan at pbase.com

I don't own a K20,so I can't comment on that, but I do scratch my head at the so-called lack of equipment availabe for Pentax.
I think it's safe to say that you won't beat Pentax limited glass in terms of quality for your money regardless of whch other camera comany you choose.

Good luck.

[bnishanth]

there is no 300/2.8 or anything longer than 300

There is FA* 600/f4 made to order if you need one

Interchangeable Lenses : Digital Cameras : Imaging Systems Division : PENTAX

Cheers
Nish

[marcdsgn]

In Australia, you hardly ever see Pentax DSLRs advertised ... the "better" product may well fail to attract enough support in the marketplace to survive.

I don't recall a time when Pentax was ever strongly visible in retail outlets, but it's always been around while other makes have come and gone.

[stewart_photo]

Today I went to inkley's pondering at lenses. There wasn't much of a wide available selection, even knowing its a GIANT store I was in. They had endless selections in Sony, Nikon, Canon, etc... but pentax was very neglected. (snip)

I've never really understood the notion of worrying about selection at local retail stores when choosing a camera brand. Decades ago, catalog retailers broke the age-old restraints imposed by local stores, offering much greater variety at often lower prices. Online shopping today makes that process even easier.

Thus, even if something (Nikon, Canon, etc) was offered at a local retail store, I likely wouldn't buy it since I could probably find it elsewhere at a cheaper price. Further, that local store is not likely going to carry everything I might need (accessories, the particular lens I want, etc) for that particular Nikon, Canon, or whatever. Hince, whichever camera I might buy, I'd have to shop online anyway.

Given all that, there really is no incentative, at least for me, to base shopping decisions on what is available at local retail stores.

And, indeed, very little of my photography equipment came from a local store. Few local stores stock studio equipment, such as strobes, background stands, background materials, reflectors, light stands, and so on. None stock the particular items I picked for that studio. No local store stocks the post-processing tools used in my studio, such as the large-format printers, paper, and so on. Most of my office supplies also come from a catalog supply center.

In fact, if I purchased only what is available at local stores in my immediate area, I seriously doubt I could even be doing this business.

(snip) I was expecting so much more with the K20D's firmware, but it still seems like "DOS on an intel iMac". (snip)

Huh? Are you talking about the operating routines, the user interface, or something else? The software within the K20D offers a great many options in a fairly straightforward manner. While each manufacturer might do this somewhat differently, it appears, since this is a fairly consistent complaint across camera platforms, no particular manufacturer has a lock on the ideal method for everybody. By the way, I own an Intel Mac and certainly would not use it as some sort of ideal.

(snip) The lack of "mirror-up" bothers me.. (snip) ..AWB sucks. (snip)

Mirror lock-up is a feature available through the self-timer mode on both the K10D and K20D. Auto White Balance, like most other in-camera tools (exposure metering, etc), is something which must be learned and mastered.

stewart

[stewart_photo]

Hoya buys full page ads for their HD filters. I haven't seen a single ad for Pentax cameras or lenses in any recent magazine. Did Hoya simply cannibalize Pentax for their medical imagining division?

Are you kidding? Every single photography-related magazine I've purchased within the last few months (Popular Photography, Shutterbug, Digital Photographer, Digital Photo, Photography Monthly, Practical Photography, PC Photo, etc) has at least one full-page advertisement from Pentax, with several of those magazines having more than one.

stewart

[asdf]

Are you kidding? Every single photography-related magazine I've purchased within the last few months (Popular Photography, Shutterbug, Digital Photographer, Digital Photo, Photography Monthly, Practical Photography, PC Photo, etc) has at least one full-page advertisement from Pentax, with several of those magazines having more than one.

stewart

For instance, I haven't seen anything in any recent Shutterbugs. Either I'm blind or they have different editions, one for the international market and one for North America, the difference being the advertisements.

[Clicker]

Make sure you've fully utilized/explored your current system's features, if that's been exhausted then add if possible another system...if not an option then a switch is inevitable. You lose a lot in dollar terms when switching format or system, the dealers usually take you to the cleaners.

Well when you leave, why don't you take some of the Canon fanboys with you!

[rfortson]

Are you kidding? Every single photography-related magazine I've purchased within the last few months (Popular Photography, Shutterbug, Digital Photographer, Digital Photo, Photography Monthly, Practical Photography, PC Photo, etc) has at least one full-page advertisement from Pentax, with several of those magazines having more than one.

stewart

Ditto, plus Pentax has shown up in non-camera magazines like "Wired", which is a great demographic to be marketing to.

[jct us101]

Did you see the 5 most have cameras article on CNET? The K200D was #5 on the list.

[OregonJim]

As someone who lives in the middle of nowhere, I'm used to doing online shopping almost exclusively. The nearest 'real' camera shop is over 2 hours away - thus, the lack of local Pentax gear (or Canon or Nikon for that matter) is simply a matter of geography, not a reflection on the relative merits of one brand's marketing over another's.

I have 4 DSLRs - Nikon D50, Nikon D80, Pentax *istDL, Pentax K200D. I also have roughly a dozen lenses for each system, ranging from kit zooms to fast primes. The camera I reach for most often is the *istDL. Why? Because that camera body coupled with my particular range of glass consistently yields the best images. I'll use the K200D when I anticipate low-light situations benefitting from SR, or the D80 if I plan on needing the reach of a fast 300mm EDIF. But frankly, once I find some decent long glass for Pentax, I don't see myself using the Nikon gear anymore, nor even wanting to upgrade.

Bottom line - do what you need to do to take great pictures. Don't obsess over equipment brand or availability, it's supposed to be about the pictures...

[adamkean]

the only reason for me to switch is if i wanted to shoot professionally as in sports, photojournalism, and paparazzi style.

3fps, not great iso performance, and shortage of fast long glass are the weaknesses of pentax.

the expense of canon and nikon systems is easily covered when you consider you can get shots impossible with a pentax camera. for serious sports you need a 400/2.8 no matter what the cost.

seeing as i'm not trying to get published in sports illustrated, i'm content with what i have.

head over to sportsshooters.com and you'll see that pentax is not even in their vocab

[asdf]

head over to sportsshooters.com and you'll see that pentax is not even in their vocab

"This site is under development"

[WheresWaldo]

"This site is under development"

LOL, seems like no camera is in their vocabulary

[adamkean]

sorry, sportsshooter.com *no plural.

i'm by no means a member there, but lurk 'round the message board and you can see some pretty cool sports photos in their profile pages