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06-23-2009, 07:52 PM   #1
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Pentax- what compels us to remain Pentaxian ? What's your story ?

What does compel a true Pentaxian to remain loyal to Pentax ? Did you have any close calls ? What factors led to your original decison to go Pentax ....and then to stay Pentax ?

Here's my story...what's yours ?

I bought my first Pentax.... an S1a in 1968. I didn't know anything about sophisticated cameras...but I worked at a publishing company. I was an underling...a mere Editorial Assistant and the boss...the Publisher called me in and told me..a 19 year old that I had to make myself more useful. In addition to editing and writing the occasional article...I needed to take pictures that were publication rady and furthermore..I had to buy my own photographic tools.

He told me to buy either a Nikon or a Pentax SLR. I bought the Pentax as it was $ 30 cheaper than the basic Nikon...a Nikkormat as I recall.

I have, since, had other camera makes..ut I've always had as my main line..Pentax SLR's,

In '74 I almost bought a Nikon F Photomic for $ 450...instead, I bought a Pentax ES ll, which I liked more because of the brighter viewfincer and th automatic / manual features.

In 2007...I almost went Canon...30D...or Nikon D200 ...as I was not impressed with the Pentax istD...but then the K10D came out and once again I was a fervent follower of all things Pentax...I remained in the fold.

So...so far...twice in 40 years I have come close to leaving the Pentax system..once with a Nikon F Photomic in the early '70's...then at the dawn of my digital age...when I came close again to going Nikon...or Canon.

So to reiterate the question posed at the beginning of this thread. What's your story...why have you remained loyal to Pentax...which camera line did you almost change over to ....and why ?

06-23-2009, 08:40 PM   #2
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I'm the complete opposite. I'm just entering DSLR photography, having owned a Canon P&S for 3 years. Why pentax? I fell in love with them the minute i saw the K20D and the K200D. I even got some old lenses a few months before my camera arrived, just to be sure they'd fit!! So far, it's been a big challenge, but i love it! I also like the way Pentax is different from Canon or Nikon, i sometimes feel Pentaxcameras have another grip on photography, but then it's probably just me...
06-23-2009, 09:44 PM   #3
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I bought my first Pentax SLR in 1961, from a pawn shop in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It was the 1957 original, right down to the old shutter sequence (1/50, 1/100, 1/200, 1/500) they used for the first six months of production. It came with a Takumar preset 55mm f/2.2 lens. I shortly thereafter bought a Sekonic light meter to use with it. Shortly after that, I bought a Takumar preset 135mm f/3.5. In 1962 HMS Bounty came on her advertising tour to Vancouver. I picked up a gadget bag and a bunch of film and second prize in the promotional contest's black and white division. The print is still proudly displayed on my wall. Claire had it beautifully matted and mounted as a gift a few years ago. It sill looks good. Now, who among you would trade off a brand that won you a prize like that? Not me!

A growing family limits finances, so that was my camera gear until 1976. That's when I discovered that the shutter curtains on the old Pentax were getting a tad on the thin side - as in pin holes. I found a used KX with SMC-P 55mm f/1.8 on it and bought it and a genuine Pentax mount adaptor B (the only one, then) so I could continue to use the 135/3.5 preset lens. A year or so later, I swapped the original camera for an M 135/35 thanks to a collector who owned a camera shop and lined the ceiling with interesting old cameras. I found an M 28/3.5 in London Drugs for $110 when I had $110 to spare and a lust for better scenic field of view than 55mm. There I am with the newspaperman's lens kit - 28/55/135. It worked for me for several years.

I got the zoom bug and bought a Sigma 75-250 with matched 2 element close up filter. Barely acceptable optically, it was no great shakes mechanically. Replaced it with the A 70-210/4 in my signature somewhere around 1977. Replaced the KX with the SF-1 for the winder. My kids were into school sports. Wanted an LX and winder. the SF-1 cost about the same as the winder and included the body. I should never have let the KX go, though. Got the 1.4X-S to expand the range of the 70-210. Fell over the M 400/5.6 for C$330 in the early 1980's. It still works great with or without the 1.4X on any of the three camera bodies.

1991, my wife is off to Europe with our daughter for a two month bike tour. She wanted something flexible and light, so I found a used ME and a new FA 28-80 for her. Leap forward to 2002, and my wife's eyes are only two years younger than mine, and she is having troubles focusing with the ME. I foolishly left the SF-1 at home while working in Chicago. She thought it worked just peachy with the 28-80. (I should never have taught her how to change lenses.)

There is a sunny side to this, though. I went to Central Camera in Chicago (Hi! Albert S!) and bought the MZ-S with FA 24-90. I mentioned to Albert that I had always had a yen for a Pentax 28mm shift. He phoned me up and said he had the demo model from the local rep. That was (and is) one great lens in the big city. Wow! He also tempted me with the Sigma 170-500 AF, and I succumbed. In the back of my head I had the idea that just maybe I would not be happy with it and kept the M 400/5.6. Only one of them is in my signature, you might notice. On my return to Canada in 2004, the 28 shift was not all that useful, and my friends at Vintage Visual in Calgary had this really great condition SMC-P M 100mm f/4 "dental" macro. I sent them two lenses, they sent me the macro and a cheque.

When Dad passed away in 2007 at 102 3/4 or so, I had the opportunity to go digital with something that met the criteria I had my mind set on. Add one K10D, DA 12-24 and D-BG2 grip in a kit - I wanted wider than 24mm/16mm. Up here in the Rockies, zooming out with the feet is not always advised. I'm not all that impressed with crop factors at the long end of the focal range. I have never been afraid to crop to frame as I wish, so that's no big deal. The DA* 50-135 and DA* 16-50 were to cope with the weather. I currently own M, A, FA and DA lenses. Two of the DA lenses replace the FA 24-90 and the A 70-210 lens in framing on the digital body. The 12-24 saves backing off a cliff with the same body. If you have not fallen asleep during this long winded tale, you will notice that I have not mentioned getting rid of the ME and 28/3.5, but they are not in my signature. My daughter in law has them. She also has my reverse adapter that gives her a very compact 2:1 macro setup.

The point here is that because I lucked into a Pentax back in 1961, I could change a lens here, add a lens there, change a body, add a digital body and all the while never having to flog stuff off because it would not fit. Oh, yeah - there is THE PENTAX LOOK.
06-23-2009, 09:44 PM   #4
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I too have only been in the SLR game for a few years. To be honest, 3 years ago, I hadn't even heard of pentax. One day, I was browsing a local automotive forum where a fellow forum member was selling his istD. I knew absolutely nothing about DSLRS's, and until then, the only SLR manufacturer I thought was reputable was nikon. Now that I knew used pentax DSLRs could be had for such a reasonable price, I decided to do some research on new pentax DSLRs. I found that new pentax DSLRs were quite compact compared to the competition, reasonable equiped in terms of features for the price, and had backwards lens compatibility and in-body stabalization. After days of research, I decided my first DSLR would be the new (at the time) K100D. What really suprised me is that the local London Drugs carried a large assortment of pentax SLRs, lenses, and accesorries, and the man who sold me my first DSLR didn't hassle me when I told him I wanted a pentax. I was expecting him to say, "But have you thought about the new canon or nikon?" I still have a K100D, and it serves me well. I recently purchased a K20D and some DA* glass, and couldn't be happier. Have I thought about switching to another manufacturer? Not really.

06-23-2009, 11:29 PM   #5
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I wanted to switch to Nikon but Adam wouldn't let me.

Seriously; I'm happy enough with Pentax. I like the build quality, I like the prices (compared to the others anyway), I like the lenses. In fact, what's not to like IMO (I know that's not true for everyone).
I also have a lot invested in Pentax equipment and as a hobbyist, it would financially foolish to change brands.
06-24-2009, 01:04 AM   #6
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Complete satisfaction with the gear I have, and the knowledge that the camera is far more capable than I am; which is most often the case.
06-24-2009, 10:42 AM   #7
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Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by Canada_Rockies Quote
I bought my first Pentax SLR in 1961, from a pawn shop in Vancouver, BC, Canada. It was the 1957 original, right down to the old shutter sequence (1/50, 1/100, 1/200, 1/500) they used for the first six months of production. It came with a Takumar preset 55mm f/2.2 lens. I shortly thereafter bought a Sekonic light meter to use with it. I bought my first Pentaz, an S1a back in '68 at a Winnipeg Dept. Store, Gambles, now out of business. I paid about $ 20 down payment and then $ 9 a month until it was paid off. Also bought a Sekonic light meter for $ 10 as the S1a had no meter and just had shutter speeds up to 1/500th of a second.Shortly after that, I bought a Takumar preset 135mm f/3.5.I also bought a Takumar 135 F 3.5. In 1962 HMS Bounty came on her advertising tour to Vancouver. I picked up a gadget bag and a bunch of film and second prize in the promotional contest's black and white division. The print is still proudly displayed on my wall. Claire had it beautifully matted and mounted as a gift a few years ago. It sill looks good. Now, who among you would trade off a brand that won you a prize like that? Not me!
In '75 I bought a black Pentax ES ll...which was great, then 35 mm and a 90-230 mm Bushnell lenses. They weren't great. They were awful...since then I have alway bought Pentax / Takumar brand lenses.
A growing family limits finances, so that was my camera gear until 1976. That's when I discovered that the shutter curtains on the old Pentax were getting a tad on the thin side - as in pin holes. I found a used KX with SMC-P 55mm f/1.8 on it and bought it and a genuine Pentax mount adaptor B (the only one, then) so I could continue to use the 135/3.5 preset lens. A year or so later, I swapped the original camera for an M 135/35 thanks to a collector who owned a camera shop and lined the ceiling with interesting old cameras. I found an M 28/3.5 in London Drugs for $110 when I had $110 to spare and a lust for better scenic field of view than 55mm. There I am with the newspaperman's lens kit - 28/55/135. It worked for me for several years. My family came along in the '80's so not uch camera equipment. But my wife had a Pentax k1000 before we were married and she bought me a Pentax A 35-105 for Xmas, just before the kids came. That combo saw me through till 2007. The 35-105 A lens is really a magnificent lens...I still use no my digital.

I got the zoom bug and bought a Sigma 75-250 with matched 2 element close up filter. Barely acceptable optically, it was no great shakes mechanically. Replaced it with the A 70-210/4 in my signature somewhere around 1977. Replaced the KX with the SF-1 for the winder. My kids were into school sports. Wanted an LX and winder. the SF-1 cost about the same as the winder and included the body. I should never have let the KX go, though. Got the 1.4X-S to expand the range of the 70-210. Fell over the M 400/5.6 for C$330 in the early 1980's. It still works great with or without the 1.4X on any of the three camera bodies.I also wanted an LX in the early '80's (before kids)..but instead bought a Mamiya twin lens reflex medium format with three lenses/ Good camera, but in retrospect, wish I had picked up the LX. The LX I almost bought was a camera store demo, pretty new....$ 450.

1991, my wife is off to Europe with our daughter for a two month bike tour. She wanted something flexible and light, so I found a used ME and a new FA 28-80 for her. Leap forward to 2002, and my wife's eyes are only two years younger than mine, and she is having troubles focusing with the ME. I foolishly left the SF-1 at home while working in Chicago. She thought it worked just peachy with the 28-80. (I should never have taught her how to change lenses.)

There is a sunny side to this, though. I went to Central Camera in Chicago (Hi! Albert S!) and bought the MZ-S with FA 24-90. I mentioned to Albert that I had always had a yen for a Pentax 28mm shift. He phoned me up and said he had the demo model from the local rep. That was (and is) one great lens in the big city. Wow! He also tempted me with the Sigma 170-500 AF, and I succumbed. In the back of my head I had the idea that just maybe I would not be happy with it and kept the M 400/5.6. Only one of them is in my signature, you might notice. On my return to Canada in 2004, the 28 shift was not all that useful, and my friends at Vintage Visual in Calgary had this really great condition SMC-P M 100mm f/4 "dental" macro. I sent them two lenses, they sent me the macro and a cheque.

When Dad passed away in 2007 at 102 3/4 or so, I had the opportunity to go digital with something that met the criteria I had my mind set on. Add one K10D, DA 12-24 and D-BG2 grip in a kit - I wanted wider than 24mm/16mm. Up here in the Rockies, zooming out with the feet is not always advised. I'm not all that impressed with crop factors at the long end of the focal range. I have never been afraid to crop to frame as I wish, so that's no big deal. The DA* 50-135 and DA* 16-50 were to cope with the weather. I currently own M, A, FA and DA lenses. Two of the DA lenses replace the FA 24-90 and the A 70-210 lens in framing on the digital body. The 12-24 saves backing off a cliff with the same body. If you have not fallen asleep during this long winded tale, you will notice that I have not mentioned getting rid of the ME and 28/3.5, but they are not in my signature. My daughter in law has them. She also has my reverse adapter that gives her a very compact 2:1 macro setup.

The point here is that because I lucked into a Pentax back in 1961, I could change a lens here, add a lens there, change a body, add a digital body and all the while never having to flog stuff off because it would not fit. Oh, yeah - there is THE PENTAX LOOK.
Same here. I almost went to Nikon or Canon DSLR, but when the K10D came out with all it's features and recipient of all those awards...I had to have it. Thousands of shutter actuations later...I'm still happy, still figure I made the right decision to continue with Pentax. Also since buying the K10D in Nov. 2007, I have bought a 16-45, 50 f1.4, 55-300, 360 flash, battery grip, remote control, etc. The picture quality I get with the K10D and any of the new lenses listed are great. I can't see how I would be able to improve significantly with any other photographic equipment. I do think I have a discerning eye and high standards...having used medium format and my Rangefinder Leica all these years.

06-24-2009, 05:37 PM   #8
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I just like them. I started out on the 110. I have had a Nikon and Canon or 2 and even a Mamiya. However, there are some of the Pentax lenses that I like and the lines of the H3 and SV. The M 50mm f1.4 & black k2 is hard to beat.

Last edited by Blue; 06-25-2009 at 08:44 AM.
06-24-2009, 05:40 PM   #9
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They make high quality gear. I've always taken the road less traveled. Betamax was STILL the best video format. I have two beta vcr's to prove it.

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06-24-2009, 05:46 PM   #10
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The K20d is my first SLr. Previous to that I used a Canon S2, which really got me interested in photography... I then realized that if I wanted to preserve the thing I liked most about the S2 (the image stabilization) it made no sense to get a Canon or Nikon DSLR... canon pushed me away from canon, if you will.

I looked at the K20D and it had all the features I wanted. Plus I got some old Pentax lenses from an uncle. I always appreciated the fact that any K mount lens will work with any Pentax camera... makes so much sense to me, that was another reason to go Pentax.

So I made my homework, decided on the K20D, and do not regret my choice. I have grown immensely as a photographer since last year, and I will continue to grow. I like the Pentax lenses so as long as Pentax make bodies that satisfy me I will keep using a Pentax. It's not brand loyalty, it's a satisfied customer
06-24-2009, 05:49 PM   #11
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Two roads diverged in a wood

QuoteOriginally posted by larryinlc Quote
. . . I've always taken the road less traveled.

Larry
And that has made all the difference . . . - Frost

  • I received my KX as a gift in 1977.
  • I chose an MESuper from the prize catalog in a sales contest in 1984.
  • I finally actually BOUGHT a camera - K10D - in 2007, and I never even looked at another brand.
06-24-2009, 06:07 PM   #12
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It all started out as a fun thing and shot a roll every month or so.

Not sure if I'd be still shooting Pentax if the superb LX hadn't come out. I was shooting with an SV and a K1000 and had started doing weddings. Bought a Canon AE-1 and it was a great camera. Then one day the battery door broke and I decided to get a Super Program. Then followed by a pair of LX's. One off which I wore the shutter out on. Added a 6x7 which I never should have sold and I'll probably get another one someday. Almost went Canon again when Pentax took forever to put out the *istD. Since they continued to support old glass, I've not looked back since.
06-24-2009, 07:19 PM   #13
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Short story for me: first SLR ever used was a K1000 in a high school B&W class. Pity those (my son included) who may never have a chance to develop prints in a darkroom.

But anyway, I said short story... first SLR I owned was a Yashica FX-7, cheapest thing I could find at local used place. Had that and a few lenses for years. Ended up with a second body too, it was an excellent camera, but then I was looking for new lenses and realized the Yashica selection was sad. (and the Contax stuff too expensive).

I was looking for a replacement brand and came back across Pentax and the ZX-M. Found keh.com and the assortment of cheap used lenses they had, so there you have it.

After that: *ist 35mm, K110D, and now K200D.
06-24-2009, 10:25 PM   #14
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The K100D with two zoom kit was on fire sale locally, so I picked it up after playingn around with these two for almost a year, I added a SMC Tak 50 to the stable. I loved the pictures (the color! the shrapness!) but hated the fov.... so I got myself more Takumars and still love them dearly. I never even took a glance at the other brands until I'm at architecture school where there are loads of canonikon users.

I *accidentally* acquired an FA 50 and I decided that it's time to set the fifty straight and got a ZX-L with it. I fell into the film hole and interchange my lenses with almost no limitations between film and digital. I have since acquired a small collection of great glass, and have probably used and owned more lenses than everyone in my school year combined; most (all?) of them only have the kit lens. I stay with the philosophy that bodies come and go, but glasses stay (the same price, and usable; if you use pentax). I guess the interchangability / availability of all this great (relatively) cheap glass has made me stay If only pentax would improve P-TTL and autofocus (which hopefully they do with K-7) I would probably not look at any other brand... (yes yes, I'm eyeing at that Nikon D90!)

I think the next stop has got to be K-7 and the FA limiteds... looking forward to that

Last edited by Andi Lo; 06-24-2009 at 10:31 PM.
06-25-2009, 03:25 AM   #15
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My first Pentax was a point and shoot 33L. I liked the moving screen and 3D function It was 8 years ago. My father had some experience with Asahi long before me (somewhere in the 60 and 70) What I like about Pentax is it's quality, good price, great lenses and back compatibility with older ones. Also, I find somehow Pentax to be more user friendly then Nikon and Cannon....
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