Rare Sighting......

I've actually seen quite a few in recent times, including a very young lady (18-ish) with a blue K-x in London, a man with a K-5 at Clumber Park, and another man in London who although he didn't have a K-5, he knew all about them and commented on what a great camera it is.

Regards
David

I walked the walls of Dubrovnik in May and saw more Pentax cameras than any other make of DSLR. I said "nice camera" to one lady and she looked at me as if I had two heads. I didn't bother after that as I guessed they probably didn't speak English.

In Tenerife there was another Pentax user waiting for the cable car to the top of Mt Teide, and I did the same as you, Frankie (even flashing my camera at the other guy), and got a similar response. He either didn't understand me, or perhaps just thought 'so we own a similar camera, what's the big deal'?

There was another Pentax owner up on top, a young woman. This time I restrained my urge to elicit camera-based camaraderie.

I have spotted a few other Pentax users - notably we often pass each other without time to speak - one was ascending Dinas Bran as I was on the way down trying to keep up with the little guy and another crossing the aqueduct in a crowd in opposite directions - just enough for a passing nod

I see a lot of Olympus users around the aqueduct at Froncysyllte though - it seems to be a magnet for them

Have I missed the start of some new hobby? Can you get an Eye Spy book and tick off the different sort of Pentax users as you see them? Or do you write down their engine numbers in a book whilst wearing an anorak and a bobble hat?

I don't think it's gone quite that far yet Gareth, they are still working on the categories, classification and genus names

Carl

Didn't know they had engine numbers.

I can't find mine

As you can guess I'm a Saab owner - we're another group that tend to wave to another - if I see another Dame Edna 9-5 I flash my lights and sometimes get a good response....Saabs I avoid are those:

9-3 TiD owners, mostly estate - these are wannabe-Audi owners so won't respond....TTiD owners on the other hand tend to know their stuff
9-3 estates with baby on boad signs...
9-3 Convertibles driven by mum/blonde trophy wife...

99 or classic 900 or 9000 owners always respond. Thirty years ago it was different as most buyers were private and the Saab-wave was common and reciprocated...

When I'm out with my K20D or K-5 I always try to catch the eye of another Pentax user, I receive frequent nods.
Users of other brands occasionally comment on the K-5, usually favourably
If I am out with my other half who's a Canon user - then her camera gets more comments as the 50D/5DII grip & L looks more substantial.
With the D3 it's a different level, three types of response:
D1/2/3/4/700 - compare kits and ask about item x
D200/300 - admiting glances
D3100/5100/7100 - you get smirks because they are pixel snobs and 12MP doesn't make the grade these days....

Another one today in Naples Museum. Common as muck obviously Not a K-r this time, had a top screen and I didn't want to look too closely in case she thought I was some sort of voyeur.

On the average, wherever I go, I notice that Nikons & Canons outnumber by quite a margin Pentax, I guess that most budding photographers like to be seen carrying equipment favoured by the well known photographers.

Nikon's image was boosted by the Korean and Vietnam wars for their legendery durability by the war correspondents.

On most sports evants, you see more white telephoto lens, i.e more Canon telephoto lens than others, this signify that Canon is fovoured by sports photographers.

I do not have a DSLR as I still do a lot of 35mm mostly in B/W, I use my Pentaxes, Nikons, Canons and I like all of them with no distinction between them.

Oso

The wife and I visited Kenya in early June for our 30th anniversary.

Whilst on Safari we saw plenty of folks with Cannikon kit including some lenses so big they had their own wheeled transport.

On day three of our safari I bumped into an american gentleman who was shooting a K20 with 55-300.

He was my first digital Pentax meet and greet, as I was his. We were both delighted to find a fellow Pentaxian.

Ah, well you've got to know where to look. Er, they're on the side of the engine above the piston box. Ah - of course you've got to make sure it's not a dromedary. 'Cos if it's a dromedary it goes in the dromedary book.

Ah, well you've got to know where to look. Er, they're on the side of the engine above the piston box. Ah - of course you've got to make sure it's not a dromedary. 'Cos if it's a dromedary it goes in the dromedary book.[/quote]

My last comment on this post was entirely wrong. I regularly see another person with a Pentax DSLR (*ist D), she is my teenage daughter.