What would you do now

I was in Currys the other day playing with the K-M and the K200D!

yes
have used canon nikon and sony dslr
finally found the camera i love and its pentax

roy

Can I ask which other camera models you have had Roy and why you prefer pentax over them.
Ian

Well only reason I bought into Pentax was because Asda where clearing the K100d at £179 to make room for the K100d super. What a great move for me that was.

I would probably save the money and buy a nice car!

A very dear friend was in the RAF during the war, kitting out recce aircraft with camera gear then developing the results. He moved on to having his own studio wth cameras the size of a small car plus a host of others. The camera he used for his own purposes was a Pentax. Good enough for him, good enough for me. Bought a ME Super and had it for about 25 years. Then the insides turned to gloop. So what did I do? Bought a Painasonic FZ7. Well I couldn`t be without and it had a good sized zoom. Never close to the quality of the ME. Then out came the adverts for the K10 and off I went to J-----s. A real camera again at last. Sorry it`s a bit long winded but that`s how it went.

Cedric

I used Pentax film cameras for years. My first dip into digital was a Canon G2 which I loved, and a Canon Powershot Pro 1 which I utterly hated. When I was finally thinking about a dSLR I was contemplating a Canon 30D and would probably have bought one if the irritating man in the shop on Tottenham Court Road hadn't annoyed me so much that I walked off. Then out came the K10D, I read a few reviews, liked the idea of staying in the Pentax fold and bought one from Amazon in the US for considerably less than the UK price along with a Sigma 50mm macro. The other day I picked up the Canon 40D in our photo lab here at work. I couldn't believe how fiddly it was to do things like, well change the aperture and the shutter speed in manual. Those dual rings are really rather a good idea, aren't they? My only real gripe with the K10D is noise above 400ASA which the K20D improves upon greatly, or so I am told and the K-7 a bit more.

I'm a bit clinical...it's simply a tool to do the job I need & if Pentax weren't meeting my needs then I'd swap as others have done. Having said that I've just bought the K20D & am very pleased with it.

simon

All cameras marques and models are well capable of delivering images of a quality far in excess of the technical demands of 99.99% of photographers and, dare I say it, 100% of us around here.

As George says, there are some deluded souls who fondly imagine that using another camera will make them a better photographer - it wont, of course.

I bought into Pentax in 1975 when they were in many respects market leaders. I have never felt the need to go anywhere else and have used professionally Nikon, Minolta, Olympus, Mamiya (MF), Yashica (MF), Rollei (MF) and quite a few others.

I dont go out and buy the latest models because all I need and want is a Pentax lens and a light tight box behind it.

I dont care much for auto focus because, so far, I can do it as quickly as I need to and with as much accuracy, probably more.

People would do well to buy the camera they like the look of most because they will like it more, be relaxed with it and consequently take better pictures.

At the end of the day who cares really about what make of camera was used to take a great picture, only the image matters.

Although I agree with Gartmore that at the end of the day "only the image matters" there is something inherently pleasurable about using a well designed and well-made piece of equipment. I can probably get better quality images from my K10D than my ES/MX/LX but I still shoot the odd roll of film just for the pleasure of it. I felt the same way about some of the Olympus models like the OM1n. At work we have a *ist which, to be frank, feels plasticky and vulnerable. On my excavation I have a couple of Canon EOS film cameras which do the job just fine, but only I get to use the LX! As photography is a hobby, I'll take pictures the way that gives me most pleasure from start to finish.

I am having second thoughts with Pentax and for me to say that, well it's a big thing.
I started with a Practika when I was 12. Moved to Nikon when I was at college. The lenses and accessories were so expensive I decided to sell my Nikon kit and went over to Pentax.

Now that I have 2 businesses in Photography I am seriously starting to regret the change. I had high expectations for the K-7, and there are people on here who say my mind will be changed once I hold one, (sorry can't remember who it was). Those expectations have so far not been met and I seriously do not like the movie mode, although other makes have already introduced that feature and I think it may be here to stay.

I really don't agree with this comment. I know that it is the person behind the camera that takes the picture, but with all the different settings & modes and the enticement of full frame on a camera and the superior quality from the likes of Nikon and Canon is it any wonder that people move on.
That's what it is really, just moving on.

I am not ashamed to say that I would rather buy a Nikon than the K-7, this is my personal choice as a professional photographer. If in my businesses I require a professional spec camera then I shall go with it.

It does not mean that I am leaving Pentax as I will still keep my K20 and the kit that goes with it. I will though sell my K10 and other kit that I do not use as much.
This will not happen overnight as I am still trying to work out which camera will suit me and I do hope that my fellow Pentax Users will understand my choice to change systems.


Paul

So you don't like the fact that the camera has a movie mode? Well, there is a solution to that...

You are fortunate to have seen so many pictures from the K7 that you can make judgements about its image quality. For me, it's a bit early to tell. And anyway, I'm not a great judge myself. I find it difficult to tell the difference between pictures produced by similar good cameras using the same lens and after normal post-processing. Without pixel-peeping. And I am not talking about pictures of black cats in coal cellars or other non-real-world extremes.

But perhaps you can. And perhaps your customers can.

If you are a professional photographer, then of course I accept that there may be some aspects of owning a Nikon or Canon which would be advantageous to you.

But otherwise, I suspect you might possibly be suffering from a well-known medical condition called "grassisgreeneritis".

G

I do wonder actually if a lot of it is to do with how Pentax users are thought of by the Canon and Nikon bunch and how people feel about being the user of equipment that is (to some extent) looked upon as a cheaper option. If the K20D had come out with a Nikon or Canon badge attached I am 100% sure it would have sold more units many times over.

Camera owners seem to be a very brand orientated group (as can be seen when in a mix taking photos and noticing all the furtive glances going on). Most follow the Canon/Nikon route without a thought for anything else which must (in the future) be inferior because they never considered it.

Just my thoughts, may be totally wrong

Know what you mean Mike, at Goodwood last weekend, there were literally thousands of DSLRs around, with at least 95% coming from the top 2. We kept getting a lot of stares, mainly curious, some looked like they were looking down at us, and the odd 'knowing nod'.

It was fun though in the paddocks, everyone just stood back taking shots, then after we went in to do detail shots, down on our knees etc. we stood back to then watch everyone else going in and doing the same! Just goes to show the most important part is the bit behind the camera!

The other point I'd like to make is, is the grass greener on the other side? With the K-7 and say the D300 being equally priced, I do admit to finding myself having a look, but I have to keep reminding myself that it comes down to image quality and having seen the results from 2 weddings I've done and compared them to the D200 and 450D shots that I have from each, my K20 wins hands down. Just glad I got all our lenses in before the price increases, so hopefully, it won't affect us that much!

I have looked at the D300 on numerous occasions because I seem to be shooting more and more fast moving objects and to be honest find the K10D AF tracking pretty dire at times. Then I look at the actual image quality from the Pentax and for things like macro, landscapes and fairly slow moving objects it wins hands down. I have decided to curb my buying for the moment (although being a zoom lover I am there lens wise anyway as far as I am concerned) and wait a few months to see what the rumoured D300S is like (and for the K-7 price to drop).