[UncleVanya]

I’ve been unfaithful my whole photographic life. I’m a camera slut. Give me any gear that takes photos and I’ll find a way to enjoy it. Mind you I really will try to hate Canon for the rest of my life… but it’s a personal quest that trumps my natural love of all photographic gear.

Started with a plastic Diana clone in 120, moved to a 35mm Yashica rangefinder, 35mm Nikon SLR followed, eventually Pentax SLR, then small format digital Pentax, a small p&s Fujifilm, a Nikon p&s, Pentax apsc DSLR, cell phones, Samsung APSC ILC, Panasonic and Olympus m43, Panasonic P&S, Sony Full Frame ILC…

[aslyfox]

. . . Give me any gear that takes photos . . .

" give me "

as in free to me

that would be tempting to be sure

[pepperberry farm]

I have found myself to be brand-agnostic.... both camera and lenses....

I wanted to adapt lenses to my Pentax DSLR's, but couldn't really do that very well, so I tried Fuji (X-T2 + X-H1) for adapting lenses - it's working well for me...

I wanted something a little different, so tried a M4/3 system, but never really jelled with it...

continuing in that vein, I tried a Sigma Foveon-sensor camera and really didn't care for that....

but send me a bloody huge 645D and I'm in heaven.... so have I come back around, full circle?

[biz-engineer]

The thrill of being unfaithfull for just one morning...

Of course.

You stick with the same brand, you get KAIZEN, small incremental improvements over the basic design of 20 years ago, this is generally true of any camera brand, they tend to re-use a lot of what they have in their design libraries, newer camera models get a lot of old tech inside.
You buy a camera from another brand name, you get instant change of basic design philosophy plus the accumulated small incremental KAIZEN changes of the same brand for the last decade.
The amount of change in terms of pros and cons, from brand to brand, is much more significant than staying on the slow KAIZEN lane of the same camera brand system.
Mirrorless allowed some new degrees of freedom for the way cameras operate, also comes with some downsides.

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Last edited by biz-engineer; 06-23-2022 at 09:42 PM.

[BigMackCam]

Of course.

You stick with the same brand, you get KAIZEN, small incremental improvements over the basic design of 20 years ago, this is generally true of any camera brand, they tend to re-use a lot of what they have in their design libraries, newer camera models get a lot of old tech inside.
You buy a camera from another brand name, you get instant change of basic design philosophy plus the accumulated small incremental KAIZEN changes of the same brand for the last decade.
The amount of change in terms of pros and cons, from brand to brand, is much more significant than staying on the slow KAIZEN lane of the same camera brand system.
Mirrorless allowed some new degrees of freedom for the way cameras operate, also comes with some downsides.

I think the biggest surprise for me was the quality of alternative offerings. We Pentaxians have often waxed lyrical about the build quality of our gear - especially the so-called "flagship" APS-C and full-frame models, and Limited / DA* / D FA* lenses. Having tried a few different higher-end models from various brands, I'd still say Pentax gear is amongst the most robust and solid-feeling, but the gap isn't nearly as great as I'd previously believed. There are individual elements that feel better on one brand than another, but these are mostly minor quibbles. Overall build quality for all of the brands is generally very good once you get above the entry level models...

[BarryE]

Apparently, they just don't sell enough Pentax and Ricoh gear - which is also why they don't stock them in their satellite stores, but only in the main mail-order warehouse (which I believe is in Norwich). I did ask if they would continue selling Pentax, as the recent offers and subsequent discontinued status of some lenses was a bit concerning, and they told me they absolutely will continue with Pentax...

I also, emailed them and they too confirmed they had no plans to ditch Pentax.

[K2 to K50]

I also, emailed them and they too confirmed they had no plans to ditch Pentax.

But how much is this a Catch-22?

If they are not on display, drop-in-off-the-street shoppers don't see a Pentax, so don't choose one. I had someone recently who looked at my K3iii and said, "Oh, Pentax are making new cameras??"

And when they did have Pentax on display, was there are salesman bias that guided the buyer away from Pentax?

Or am I being "too loyal" and tunnel-visioned?

My jump two years ago from an old, second-hand K50 to a KP seemed huge. And my jump one year ago from my KP to my K3iii was also huge. (Not to mention my jump, over a 40-yr gap, from film days K2/Me to the K50 - hence my weird Forum name!!! )

Mind you, I have a friend with a top Nikon full-frame, who has taken some amazing bird pics, including amazing BIF pics, and I never rib him about his brand choice. (Well, maybe apart from comments like "he uses Nikon, but I forgive him for that". Heh. )

I like to PEN(***) a good story!!

[3by2]

I have found myself to be brand-agnostic.... both camera and lenses....

I wanted to adapt lenses to my Pentax DSLR's, but couldn't really do that very well, so I tried Fuji (X-T2 + X-H1) for adapting lenses - it's working well for me...

I wanted something a little different, so tried a M4/3 system, but never really jelled with it...

continuing in that vein, I tried a Sigma Foveon-sensor camera and really didn't care for that....

but send me a bloody huge 645D and I'm in heaven.... so have I come back around, full circle?

Hah! You think there's just one circle don't you...

[Rondec]

It must be nice to live near a camera store. The only stores that carry camera equipment within an hour's drive of where I live would be a big box store like Best Buy.

Personally, I'm pretty happy with Pentax. I would like them to announce that they are working on a K-1 III. That would make me happy. I have enough lenses that switching would be a major pain. EVFs don't have much attraction for me, I have mentioned, but they give me eye strain fairly quickly, which OVFs don't do. Not sure why -- something wrong with me, I guess. Since EVFs are the direction all of the brands but Pentax are headed in, I guess I will keep shooting K mount gear for the time being, even if the release dates for new bodies are pretty far apart.

[BarryE]

It must be nice to live near a camera store. The only stores that carry camera equipment within an hour's drive of where I live would be a big box store like Best Buy.

Personally, I'm pretty happy with Pentax. I would like them to announce that they are working on a K-1 III. That would make me happy. I have enough lenses that switching would be a major pain. EVFs don't have much attraction for me, I have mentioned, but they give me eye strain fairly quickly, which OVFs don't do. Not sure why -- something wrong with me, I guess. Since EVFs are the direction all of the brands but Pentax are headed in, I guess I will keep shooting K mount gear for the time being, even if the release dates for new bodies are pretty far apart.

I'm rather glad I don't live near a camera store as I suspect it would become expensive

Re eye strain, I've been trying to improve my portrait skills lately and experimenting focussing manually. This strained my non-camera eye. An easy solution, that seems to work, is to wear an thin, lightweight eye patch. I wear it very loosely so I can just sweep it up/down easily as I move the camera to/fro my face.

[BigMackCam]

It must be nice to live near a camera store. The only stores that carry camera equipment within an hour's drive of where I live would be a big box store like Best Buy.

I'm rather glad I don't live near a camera store as I suspect it would become expensive

If it makes you fellas feel any better, the 17 mile trip from my home to South Gosforth in Newcastle took an hour due to commuter and business traffic. I knew there'd be some due to the time of day, but I'd forgotten just how bad it can get. Newcastle's a busy old city, that's for sure. Coming home late morning was easier, but still 45 minutes...

Thankfully, Wex Newcastle doesn't keep Pentax gear in store, so it's only accessories that might encourage me to visit them under normal circumstances

[biz-engineer]

Pentax gear is amongst the most robust and solid-feeling, but the gap isn't nearly as great as I'd previously believed

Perhaps you don't have a K1 , that's probably why. When I tried the GFX50S and GFX100S, I wasn't quite impressed by the build quality, especially for the price point. When I tried an X-A5, it felt very cheap. Objectively, my 2000 euro K1 feels higher quality than the GFX100S at 6000 Euros. And there is a bigger gap between 645z vs GFX100S. It's just that if you rinse a GFX100S and K1 under the shower, the GFX100S will be dead immediately, while it's highly likely the K1 will still work. Now , the bigger question is if I really need to have my K1 under the shower or under rain, usually not, and when it's raining I manager to keep my camera dry regardless what brand it is. I'm questioning the relative value of high grade weather sealing, which you don't really need if you take care of your equipment. That said, I have no doubt that more mid-range and high-end mirrorless camera from the last few years, are capable to deliver excellent images(*).

(*) assuming we don't print 60" large.

[slartibartfast01]

If it makes you fellas feel any better, the 17 mile trip from my home to South Gosforth in Newcastle took an hour due to commuter and business traffic. I knew there'd be some due to the time of day, but I'd forgotten just how bad it can get. Newcastle's a busy old city, that's for sure. Coming home late morning was easier, but still 45 minutes...

Thankfully, Wex Newcastle doesn't keep Pentax gear in store, so it's only accessories that might encourage me to visit them under normal circumstances

At least it isn't in the city centre but probably easier to get to from the North

[3by2]

Well for those expressing relief they are nowhere near a photography shop, don't do what I did and discover that temptation also exists in the form of free trials, delivered and picked up direct to your door.

[BigMackCam]

Perhaps you don't have a K1 , that's probably why.

No, that's not why. I've handled the K-1 a few times so I know exactly what it's like, plus I own the K-3II, K-3 and K-5 - all of them very, very solid cameras indeed. Years back, I spent an enjoyable hour or so playing with a 645D outside SRS Microsystems' store - so I know what that's like too, and I assume the 645Z is at least of equivalent quality. As I said, Pentax are - IMHO - amongst the most solid and robust cameras, at least at the "flagship" body level.

When I tried the GFX50S and GFX100S, I wasn't quite impressed by the build quality, especially for the price point.

I held the medium format Fujfilm cameras briefly at the event, and I thought they were pretty good - but honestly, I don't have any experience with other current medium format gear of comparable technical spec and price. A few years ago I handled a first-generation Hasselblad X1D, and that felt like real quality...

When I tried an X-A5, it felt very cheap.

I don't know about the X-A5, but the current X-A7 is GBP £599 including a 15-45mm lens. These days, that kind of money is the low end of entry level for a complete APS-C kit... so I guess it would feel cheap compared to a £1,500 - £2,000+ body and £1,000 lens. No surprise there. Personally, for the money, I thought the various brands' entry level gear was decent enough - but you get what you pay for, that's for sure.

Objectively, my 2000 euro K1 feels higher quality than the GFX100S at 6000 Euros. And there is a bigger gap between 645z vs GFX100S. It's just that if you rinse a GFX100S and K1 under the shower, the GFX100S will be dead immediately, while it's highly likely the K1 will still work. Now , the bigger question is if I really need to have my K1 under the shower or under rain, usually not, and when it's raining I manager to keep my camera dry regardless what brand it is. I'm questioning the relative value of high grade weather sealing, which you don't really need if you take care of your equipment. That said, I have no doubt that more mid-range and high-end mirrorless camera from the last few years, are capable to deliver excellent images(*).

I really don't want to get into another brand face-off and "which one is King" debate in terms of value and quality, especially between cameras where the technical specs aren't even comparable. There's so much subjectivity in such discussions, it's impossible to reach agreement and in any case it serves no useful purpose. All I'm saying is, IMHO all of the higher-end equipment from all of the brands appears to be of good quality and solidly built. Some aspects in some brands are better or worse than others, depending on your point of view, but they're all decent when you consider the technical specs and pricing. Going back to my original comment, I still feel high-end Pentax gear is superbly built - but the "competition" (for want of a better term) is pretty darned good too, IMHO. I expected a bigger quality gap between Pentax and some of the other equipment I tried, but I was pleasantly surprised - and I'd be quite happy shooting any of the higher-end bodies and lenses from any of the brands. You may feel differently, and that's fine...