Why do you stay with pentax?

I wouldn't, I'd buy more Pentax gear! Although my reasons for buying into Pentax (the subject of the thread, why people STAY with Pentax wasn't that relevant to me since my K-5 was my first Pentax anyway) had a lot to do with cost as stated in my post, I've found another reason to stay with it and that is the compactness of Pentax gear. I've gotten involved in a couple of local Photography groups and when I see folks turn up with their gigantic (and heavy) CaNikon bodies and lenses I just feel glad I can have a top quality (as far as ASP-C goes anyway) camera system without having to lug giant equipment around.

My wife's 70-300 is way bigger than my 55-300, and have you seen the size of a Canon 100mm macro as opposed to the Pentax? Now she wants the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 which once again is freakin' huge!

If I had a Canon or Nikon system I'd probably need a bigger camera bag just for the selection of lenses I already have... as it is I still have room for 2 or 3 more! My wife's camera bag already weighs more than mine and she only carries 2 lenses.

As you might have guessed this is quite a big thing for me as I have always really hated being unnecessarily encumbered, and I also dislike having to choose what to leave behind and would rather take the whole lot!

I continue to be fascinated by the notion that we don't have enough lenses.

On my £400 KR body I have the 35mm eqivalent of 15mm to 450mm in three lenses that cost me about £700, I've added an old £25 Teleplus adapter that bring me up to 675mm with an admitted compromise on aperture.

I've just bought £7.99 simple extension tubes brand new and have a twenty quid 35 - 80mm FA lens on way in post that'll let me play macro to my hearts content.

Some cheap second hand Cokin filters next and I'll have the most I could ever want all neat and compact in my small Lowepro bag.

Very happy with my choice of system!

In ancient times we might have had 35mm, 50mm and 135mm lenses if we were lucky and could afford them, so I agree with Bill.

I started with a Program A, then bought a P30, which was in as new condition, then swapped it for a Super A, so I now had both the Program A and the Super A.

These I later traded in for an MZ7, which was a mistake that I bitterly regret,
as the shutter on the MZ7 packed up after only approx' 18 rolls of film!
It now resides in a cupboard, as it's an uneconomical repair job.

I then bought my K20D, along with a DA 18-55mm II, and the DA 55-300mm lenses.
I would love to own the new DA 18-135mm, as it's the ideal holiday/travel lens, but it's out of my pocket.

I do think that Pentax should cater for those photographers that want a longer focal length than 300mm, and we should not have to look to lenses like the "Bigma"

In the mid seventies, when I was selling rather than buying, an SLR was still more than a months wage.

Many only had the 50mm 'kit lens' although the camera usually came with an every ready case.

A 135mm lens was considered a treat and any wider thn 35mm, as John rightly said was exotic and the preserve of the wealthy.

Most of us scratched around with cheap Practicas, Zenith's, Ricoh,s and Chinons. An Asahi Pentax was something to aspire too. I had a rich mate who had one, wasted on him!

I have always been a sucker for a sob story.

Probably nostalgia in the early days as I lusted for a Spotmatic or the like when I was young.

Then, when I could afford something to replace my Praktica B-series (which I still have ) I could just afford an MZ-5N & a 28-200mm Sigma - and so it went on from there, through a GX10 to the K-5.

The fact that I could still use the older lenses with the image stabilisation and weathersealing (airshows etc.!) that I bought for the MZ-5N was a bonus in the early days - but now with s/h long (not really long!) non O/S Sigmas I am very happy.

All of the stuff is pretty rugged (dropped the GX10 with 10-20 Sigi on its nose from waist height when the strap gave way - no damage at all except a cracked plastic Tiffin filter which took the direct impact with the floor!)

And I too am a bit of an individualist in the way I do things and don't go for the "me too" attitude. So it is interesting to go to airshows and be almost the only one not using Canikon (mainly Canon in practice).

OTOH, I do sometimes lust after some of the really "big" Canikon stuff with huge zooms stuck on the end,or on tripods because the damn things are so heavy that I think that I could barely even carry them - let alone actually take photos of moving objects with them! (could be the years catching up with me - but, not I think, entirely!)

The only thing I hope is that the K-5 does not get the sensor problem!!

You're an X-Factor voter then?

For wildlife photography I don't see how you could beat the price of the twin kit K-x/K-r DAL 18-55, 55-300mm to get started, bearing in mind just how good the quality of the latter is. Try getting a new Canikon camera with two lenses including a 300mm lens that good plus SR(VR) for under £600. Throw in the high iso performance and I don't think you can beat it for a birding/wildlife introductory/intermediate set up.

It was a strange feeling lol. My wife says I have to buy my k-5 from him so he can tell his mated he sold me it

I have lots of Pentax cameras, one digital and a slew of older film cameras. I got the film cameras because I like the design, and I enjoy using them. I also have a digital Canon, two film Canons, a FED2, a Zorki 4, a Lubitel 2, a Yashicamat 124 G, a Horizont panoramic camera and a large format Horseman LE. The Canon (d)SLRs rarely get used, they are my site cameras which I allow the staff to use. If I had a big win on the lottery, I'd probably get a 645D and a Canon 7D with the 18mm tilt shift lens. There is simply no Pentax option for TS made by anybody.

I do really like Pentax, but will use whatever tools are available to do the job that needs to be done. Apart from, perhaps, needing to realise assets at some point, I can see no need to change wholesale from one system to another. I doubt my entire collection of film bodies would add up to a single DA* 300.

K.

I started my journey using Praktica SLRs - they were really good for a beginner, and gradually I gathered lenses. When the time came that I had enough cash to upgrade, Pentax was the obvious choice as all my lenses would still fit….. after that, well - it's just loyalty. I don't have the Prakticas any more, or my early lenses, but there's a family line there that is as important to me as anything else.

When I was in my late teens, my older and much smarter brother bought a telescope ,a 12 inch refector massive beast .With it came a small well made case inside that a Pentax spotmatic rigged up with fittings to take photos of the moon and planets . I'd used kodak box cameras but this wow! it just felt so special. My brother used the camera and telecope to take some great photos of the night sky, and through that got into photogaphy and had some sucess as a pro photogapher .
So when I wanted to take up the hobby Pentax was my first choice an MX ,I still have it , then a MZ 30 and now a K100 . They just feel good .

Like BillG, I started SLR photography with a Praktica as I could not afford a Pentax at the time. When I went digital it seemed natural to buy a Pentax. My current K-5 suits me much better than any of the competing brands due to its compact dimensions for a fully featured camera. It goes well with the limited lenses.

That said, I am not a Pentax fanatic as I also enjoy using a rangefinder. I had a Leica M2 for over thirty years and now also like my M9. It is possible, though expensive, to run more than one system in parallel.

The FA Limiteds.