Why did you choose Pentax?

In 2010 when I was looking for a DSLR I drove my wife mad with my research.
Once I had narrowed it down I went out and held a Canon, Nikon and also a Sony bridge camera before deciding to order my Kr _ despite not handling one as I couldn't find one in Sheffield.
The reason, well aside from the early Kr reviews the Canon felt plasticy, the Nikon better but all too common and the Sony just wasn't what I was looking for.
As soon as I took the Kr out of the box, I knew I had made the right decision. Since then I have addded a MX and a K200D to my collection.
This has got me thinking, why did other forum members opt for Pentax, reputation, reviews, loyalty or something else?

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Andrew

"I'm here because the whiskey is free" - Tyla

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I have always had Pentax and as they used to say "just hold a Pentax".

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Digital

K-30, GX-10, DA 16-45, DA 18-55 and DAL 55 - 300

Film

ME Super, 2 x MX, SP 500 and SP F

and lense or 2

My first SLR was a Zenit - all I could afford in the late 70s. A few years later I managed to upgrade to a Pentax ME Super. Why choose the Pentax?

3 reasons:

1. The 2 lenses I had acquired for the Zenit were Pentax M42 mount and would fit a Pentax K mount body with an M42 adapter

2. The ME Super was a class camera in it's day (and I still own 2 and occasionally run a film through them)

3. I then gave up photography for a good 15 years (other than point and shoot) and when I decided to buy a DSLR - I still had all my lovely old Pentax M and A glass - so it was a no brainer for me

Strangely - all of the film and digital point and shoot cameras - compact 35mm, digital compacts etc were all either Canon or Nikon - but it never even crossed my mind to buy a Canon or Nikon DSLR - perhaps says something about my regard for those brands

Carl

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No matter how many lenses I have owned - I have always needed just one more

That is the bit I missed from my original post - when I took my Kr out of the box, it felt just like a camera should!

I used to use an Zenit that my Grandad used to own, before I moved to a Sigma SA300, then spent a few years on compacts.

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Andrew

"I'm here because the whiskey is free" - Tyla

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Hmm... Well for me it was pretty much an economic decision... I had a couple of Pentax lenses, and the istDL2 was just about the cheapest DSLR at the time. I also knew I could use old cheap lenses on it. The other cameras I had my eye on were better in virtually every way to be honest but the Pentax won on cost. Possibly a false economy in the end though; look at the lens ranges from other brands. You sometimes have to pay more for Pentax legacy glass than their new autofocus equivalents from Canikon.

However Pentax bodies really have steadily improved over the years, and from the k200d to the K7, have offered something pretty distinctive for their price point, so in the end I am glad I stuck with them. Some reasonably priced, moderately fast primes would not go amiss though.

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Beginning of 2009 I decided I wanted a 'better' camera as we had a safari booked for June, after lots of research it was between the K10D and the Nikon D80. After holding both I decided to go with the Pentax.

I'm now committed to Pentax as I have a couple of nice lenses, but I'm not sure I'd make the same choice today if it was just on feel as I'm not keen on the K7/5 body.

edit - I didn't know much about photography then and any dSLR would have been a massive upgrade over my p&s

My father had an old Nikon lens he used when he had to travel to Antarctica. That insanely long zoom lens (which I cannot remember what it was) really piqued my interest. First proper camera I got was an Olympus C-740UZ (uzi, anyone remember these?) which was an ultrazoom bridge camera.

I hate to admit it, but I was sold on the Nikon D80 thanks to Ken Rockwell. I then found out why there were things I simply couldn't do on a bridge camera. I wanted to upgrade.

I joined many forums, DPreview, Steves Digicams, Photo.NET, and in my experience talking with the online community of the respective brands:

Canon - I was just pretty much ignored. I felt like I was shouting in a cave and no one really didn't care. All the interactions I did was a waste of time.

Nikon - The brand I was really gunning for. The Nikon community then (I can't say it's the same today, probably is, or not) were real elitists. Seriously. Only an Apple fanboy would beat a Nikon fanboy. Some Nikon fanboys even call themselves part of the "dark side" in reference to Canon L lenses being white. I was mocked, made fun of, and was treated poorly for wanting to be part of the Nikon camp.

Pentax - After the bad experience with Nikon, it was about that time that I saw many reviews praising the K10D. I compared it with the Nikon D80 and just like today, the main drawback was the autofocus speed. The K10D was winning awards left right and center and so I started carefully talking to various Pentax forums. Wow. Totally different. I felt a great push from these Pentaxians to just get a camera and start shooting. I felt welcome.

What sealed the deal? Just like everyone else here: I held the K10D in my hands. There it was. I ended up getting the GX-10! LOL

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Twitter | Someone said time-lapse?

My first (and only) SLR was also a Zenit E with the Helios f2 58mm lens. I later got a Prinz Galaxy f2.8 135mm but never used it much as by then I'd got lazy and moved to smaller auto-focus cameras including, in the extreme an Olympus Trip.

My first DSLR is a K-r, chosen after extensive studies of all the reviews showed that it just can't be beaten on the value for money ratings.

My question to other Forum members is can I use these lenses on my K-r (after buying an M42 adapter)and does anyone have any thoughts on the quality of these 2 lenses ? Also, since I would need to manually focus and set aperture I guess I'll have to learn how to use the K-r in full Manual mode ?

Peter

I was initially drawn to Pentax because of (i) the compact, well fashioned camera bodies (ii) the lure of the Ltd prime lenses (things of splendour and a joy to use) and (iii) WR.

One night in a pub a friend announced to the assembled that I was looking to invest in a decent camera. One of the folk there said 'which make'. When I said 'Pentax' they said 'why not Canon/Nikon, you fool'. So I said 'partly because everyone defaults to them'. They came back with 'don't you think there's a reason for that'.

At which point my decision was made. I am not a sheep

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Tim

Some of my vaguely better stuff

Yes you can use the Helios with a cheap M42 adapter, and it is an interesting lens to have a go with. Lots of character with unique bokeh. Usable wide open and great stopped down a couple of stops.

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Overall reason was that the weatherproofing and the price.

Here's my history...
My first SLR was a Praktica MTLb when I was 16. I really wanted a Cosina at the time, but it was more than my paper-round could afford. Then headed in the Nikon direction for around 25 years, started with a Nikkormat Ftn, then an EM, an FM, an FE, an FM2 (which I still own), and my last Nikon film camera was an F100. On the way I used for Pro work a Mamiya C33 TLR and then a Mamiya 645. In 2004 I was gifted a Nikon D70 by my other half, which I used until 2009 when I discovered the Olympus E-P1. That was a defining moment that hooked me away from Nikon, and I bought into the 4/3rds thing with both a lovely weatherproof Olympus E-1, and a more up-to-date Olympus E-620 (which I still own). With the ancient E-1 gone, and left without a weatherproof camera, the K-5 became the only affordable route back into serious outdoor photography.

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'The best camera you ever have is the one in your hand'

When i went into Jessops and held the K10D and compared it to the (admittedly £100-150 cheaper nikon) which felt like plastic and would blow away with the wind

My camera before the K10D was a 750UZ. Nice images but was sooooo slow.

They were, and still are, cool.

Plus backward compatibility.

I go back a little further. I had a chance to use Pentax, Nikon and Konica cameras early on and when I could afford one I went for the Pentax as I thought its design was more elegant and the ergonomics were better. I never liked Canon, thought they were too clunky.

Loved the Spotmatic, moved on to the ME Super and MX, never liked the Z series much but felt the MZ series recaptured the Pentax feel.

When digital arrived we started with bridge cameras (Fuji) but soon found the *istDS hit the spot. That had the same Pentax feel that we liked and the cameras have stayed true to that since then.

I've used and tested as well all sorts of other things, but haven't found anything that is better suited than Pentax.

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Best regards, John