Have You Converted Anyone?

People often respond with surprise or derision upon discovering I'm a Pentax user; a few even say they didn't even know Pentax made "modern" cameras (i.e., DSLRs). There seems to be legions of die-hard Nikon fans out there who remind me of Apple fanboys; I get the impression they actually hang around branches of Jessops and Jacobs rather than going out and taking photos, specifically with the intention of persuading people who don't know any better to buy the latest Dwhatever. Canon users seem to be somewhat less pushy, but still seem to have this belief that their equipment is better than ours.

And yet, despite all of that, I've managed to convert a few to Pentax. My ex girlfriend has a K10D, my current one has a K-r, and a few friends have K-xs and K-7s. A couple of "serious" photographers I know are looking at getting a K-5 to replace their D200s and even a Canon 1Ds. So far, the most convincing reason for them to convert seems to be the availability of cheap glass; I've lost count of the number of K-mount lenses I've found in charity shops for less than a fiver, and yet i've only ever picked up 2 EF mount lenses, both of which were over £40 a pop. Weather resistance is often appealing, as is the overall handling of the high end bodies, but the main factor seems to be the glass.

So, have you ever converted (or inducted) anyone to Pentax?

Enthusiasm can rub off on people, so I guess I have converted a few, or if not converted then pointed them from the start into the Pentax direction.

However, it doesn't really matter what marque we use, as long as it suits our style. The technical case for using Pentax is pretty clear - great colour, low noise, excellent lenses, superlative backwards compatitbility....great ergonomics.

The last point is subjective. There are a number of interesting features to Pentax design and it is, I think, elegant in its simplicity. The QuickShift feature, having the on/off button in the right place, compact designs, etc.

I don't want to pick holes in other makes, but sometimes I find their solution to technical issues to be quite "clunky" by comparison. It may suit other photographers very well though, and if that's the case then that's fine as well.

I can claim two and three quarter converts where I work, 2 have bought into Pentax directly, another is currently borrowing my K20D (with a view to buying it) and another (who has a fair investment in C*n*n) has been teetering on the brink for a few months - These "converts" have been made primarily on Quality - I sometimes bring a set of photos in after the weekend and we have a little Picasa show!

And if we are counting the "good old days" I can claim literally hundreds (I ran a Camera Shop and we were all keen on Pentax even back then - MX, ME Super, LX, Super A's, etc)

I converted my missus!! In 2008, she asked me to get her a Fuji compact digital. Last year (without telling me) she gave it to her brother in Thailand, and "commandeered" my Optio A40. When my iST went on the blink last August, I persuaded her to buy me the Kr, despite her trying to cajole me towards Canon! Ignoring the fact that I already had a few Pentax K-mount lenses, she thought it was a good idea to not only buy Canon, but invest in Canon-mount lenses too... Then she swiftly changed her mind when she saw the price! To date, I've probably fired off no more than about 50 frames on the Kr - Mrs 9761 has been experimenting with DOF, macro mode, digital filtration (in-camera), and I recently noticed that she's set the camera to HDR!! She used to moan at me if I upgraded my computer software, but since getting the Kr, she hasn't said a word about me upgrading to PSE10 recently!!

Although some of the Pentax kit is made in Thailand (they have a factory in the ancient Siamese capital, Ayutthaya), Pentax is a bit of a rarity in Bangkok's camera shops.

I know one or two wildlife photographers who would be happy to use Pentax if they could get the very long lenses that you can for Nikon and Canon, or if Sigma did them in Pentax fit. Same probably applies to sports photographers.
I have now though passed my K10D down to my son with a medium zoom lens to get him started.

I've tried converting my Canon shooting buddy and although he really likes the K-5, he's said if he ever moves from Canon he'll go to Nikon. Actually he says he's not that happy with the progression of the Canon brand at the moment, but I guess he just can't get that psychological mentality that Canon or Nikon must be the best because of numbers used.

I have to say I'm more than happy with Pentax and have a lot invested in it. From what I've seen of Canon and Nikon there's just something about Canon I don't like and if I did change brands then I think Nikon would be the one.

Haven't converted anyone from the big two but three people have bought Pentax K-r's from interaction with me and asking for advice on what DSLR to buy, I have also showed them the article in PC Pro magazines A-list that has now (at last) placed the K-r as their number one choice.

My Super-A converted somebody from Nikon. I nearly converted to Canon when I bought an EOS 5, grip and 28-135 IS lens (soon swapped for a 50/1.9). The lens IS switch broke, the mode dial on the camera broke, the whole thing seemed 'clunky' to quote an earlier post. The front dial was in the wrong place for me and the rear dial didn't feel right.

The two things going for it was the on-body AF Illuminator and the 5fps from the 2CR5 battery (when everything else including the EOS 1n needed a heavy booster battery).

The Hyper modes on my Z-1 blew me away, such a simple change makes a massive difference. Hyper Manual particularly.

I mentioned this thread in the pub tonight to a pro who uses Nikon gear. He said he may sign up to the forum to explain why he is politely declining my suggestion of joining the Pentax "family". Did my best.

Al

I actually picked up that EXACT combination from a charity shop for £20; fantastic little package for shooting film, but I'd much rather have an MZ-S

I’ve never tried. It's a tough call when you’re carrying three different brands of camera body on a shoot. Just finished two days shooting fashion at Joondalup using a Pentax K7 with 77mm Ltd, two Nikons and an X100.

The camera that got the most of attention from other togs was the X100. They were mostly Canon users. One of the Canon users (5DMkII) had Pentax Ltd lenses in their kit and was very happy with them (nice to have a choice).

As for some equipment being better than other equipment, well it's understandably true, depending on what kit function you need or type of photography you do. One manufacturer does not cover every base.

Best regards

I wish I lived in such an affluent area where the charity shops have camera gear of any brand On the bright side there are never any clothes that are my size either so can only assume us bigger blokes live longer

I live in Derby, it's hardly that affluent

The trick is to ASK them if they've got anything; they NEVER put it out on the shop floor, it's always in crates out the back. One charity shop round here had about 600 cameras (mostly P&Ses but some SLRs and some pre-1960s stuff like VF and RF cameras) which I priced up for them.

Nice post thanks for sharing.

Another Derby Lad - I have converted 2 Nikon users to Pentax in Derby and got one to join this site..... Derby on the rise.