Why Pentax at all?

[dirk]

I would be interested to know what your reason was to buy a Pentax? Was it ergonomics, optics of the lenses etc.? Would you do it today again?

 

[charlie2]

I purchased the Pentax DS because I really liked the 'feel' of the camera... the Canon 350D, by comparison, felt cheap and unpleasant in the hand. The other major factor was the large, bright pentaprism viewfinder... while the Nikon D50 felt nice to use, its viewfinder was small and dark. The lenses were another big plus... only Pentax has such good backwards compatibility and there are many excellent old optics available second-hand (I also owned a few old Pentax lenses already). Finally, the Pentax brand has a more creative, less 'techy', appeal than Canon and Nikon. It not the obvious choice and I quite like that... if Canon is for sports journalists, Nikon is for photo professionals, I think maybe Pentax is for artists!

 

[increative]

^ i like that you say pentax is for artists... because i myself am i graphic designer and i love photographer mainly because of its creative aspect. I mean you don't create what you take a photo of.... but it takes some sort of keen artistic eye to see something that will look great if a photo is taken of it a certain way.....

but now back to the main topic.... my first camera was a pentax k1000... it wasn't mine.. it was my schools but i swear the moment i put that strap around my neck it was there for a year straight.... i loved that camera and the way the pictures came out was just amazing compared to the p&s camera i had at the time...... so i got a pentax k100d mainly because i loved my old pentax and i wanted a new one in honour of the old one...... and everyone i ask is always canon and sony and nikon left right and center... so iwanted something different... something that not everyone would have.... and pentax was definitly what i wanted for various reasons as you now know.....

i do hope to one day buy a pentax k1000 for old times sake.

 

[vpaternop]

I acquired the k10d mainly for its in-camera shake reduction. I expect this will allow me more successful pictures w/out flash inside buildings, at dusk, etc. We shall see where pentax takes more pleasing (to me) pictures than my nikon ds 70, which I've used for the last 2 years, but still learning and with only consumer, at most prosumer lens on both. I only received my k10d 3 days ago, and am still at manual reading stage.

 

[saosborne]

I bought the k10d for 3 major reasons. firstly the price. the most camera for the price. secondly image stablization a very good thing to have. thirdly weather sealed body, not that I hope to use this feature too much but every feature that makes me feel more secure about using this camera somewhere other than my living room is a bonus. the lens compatibility was also a consideration but as I'm finding out good k mount glass is not as abundant (or cheap) as it was a while ago

 

[fraz]

I bought a K100D for the 30+ years worth of excellent lens that fit it! Also like the colour and feel of the photos I saw taken with it on the net.

 

[bricks1962]

Took some 3 months to decide and finally got K10D. The lens backward compatibility was the major consideration.

 

[vojtop]

Well, I go for Pentax for two main reasons - one, from the distant time of may analogue period I know this brand as good and reliable, two - advice of a friend (professional) supported by seeing his pictures he shot with his Pentax.

 

[kamera]

One of the reasons I joined this forum was to get as much information as possible about the Pentax digital cameras.

I have not come out of the film closet yet and crossed over, but it seems that with each quarter of the year I am getting closer to doing so.

Must admit that the bulk of my cameras of steady use are Canon and Nikon. But I do have several Pentaxes...H3, Spotmatic II and K1000. YES...they ARE STILL USED, but not as often as my other brands; at times I really enjoy going way back to the basics...all mechanical, you set the ISO, you set everything, you seek different compositions by moving your feet and body around (vs. zooms).

I like to attend festival events...Civil War Reenactments, Scottish Days and so on...and it never fails...I always seem to run into an old traditional Pentaxian who is shooting a Spotmatic or K1000 while I am carrying my 'trendy-techy' gear. Part of my reason though is eyes and hands that cannot manually focus well anymore!

I currently have Canon and Nikon lenses that will operate on their digitals...but only completely in the more expensive models.

Having a penchance for Pentax, and seeing the new models they are coming out with...for the price and technology...I am impressed and really want to go with them. The models I am seriously looking at are the K10D and the K20D; little more expensive, but I rather lean toward the latter.

This will most likely be my last major camera/lens purchase, so I want to get the best I can afford, and will do quality justice for years. It can be so gosh darn tempting to wait and see what comes next...seems every several months and a newer, 'better' model arrives.

Can't wait forever though, so I guess I had better just make a decision and live with it. I am still using PS Elements 3, an Epson 3200 Scanner and an Epson 1280 Printer so I know I can do it...yeah...

Ron in Kalamazoo, MI USA

 

[teogin]

My first SLR camera was a second-hand manual Pentax P30T. I loved this camera for it's built quality for the nice sense on my hands. It was the camera that helped me know the world of Pentax.
Wedding photography made me recognise that I needed to get the Pentax Z-1 and it was so difficult for me because the price, in my country (Greece), was the double than in U.S.A. So I was trying to discover a way in order to get it from there!!! Anyway, I managed (with the help of God) to get the Z-1 from a shop of my city in half the price because Pentax was not so famous in Greece as Nikon and Canon used to be. But, I had to give my older equipment (Pentax P30T) to the shop.
When I got that camera, I felt in love with it, not only for its specs but for the faultless captures I had. I consider it as the best analog camera for the money in every other company models!!!
Digital age came after a decade with quality digital bodies. But, I was waiting for a Full Frame body from Pentax. I tried to insist on this thought of mine, although some friends of mine were laughing at me as I kept photographing in film. So, when I saw the rich in specs K10D with extra vertical extension handgrip with a lens and memory in a very good price I decided to get it.
So, today I have two wonderful flagship Pentax bodies and I use both of them, slides and digital photos. The built quality is outstanding for both of them and if anyone would like to find something similar to other companies must pay thousands of euros or dollars.
Don' t believe if someone says that Canon or Nikon have no any problems. That's a lie. A friend of mine, who uses Canon, has all of his lenses for service. The autofocus has broken down and a lot of problems that they do not want to tell you.
Pentax must preserve the compatibilty advantages of its own and I think that someday will be the best choice for a lot of people.