Yves,
If they opened a store on the Isle of Skye you could just op a cross the pond for a wee visit.

Damn and blast!

I'm back on Skye by the 16th. Can't really justify returning to Herts within a couple of days.

Do you have these In-Store days often?
Alternatively can you open a store on the Isle of Skye?

Damn!

I'll put the RZ67 and digi back away then.

We have regular competitions and photographic assignments yet the talk is rarely about the brand of camera used - its always about the images produced.


Well said Sir!

Although living and working as a photographer in the NW of Scotland I have been a member of the same camera club in the home counties since 1974. A fair part of which I served on the commitee and the membership have never once asked the Programme Secretary to invite camera manufacturers/retailers to give talks/lectures.
Like the club David Trout belongs to we are a successful club and genuinely have more interest in the image than equipment used to capture it.
In fact one of our more junior members recently applied for and was awarded her ARPS. The camera used for all of her images was a Panasonic Lumix Bridge Camera.

Another member who is a student at a prestigous seat of learning studying photography is issued Pentax K1000 cameras and lenses to complete modules within her BA (Hons) degree course.
She regularly impresses the club membership and visiting competition judges and no one ever questions what kit she uses.

Again writing from a purely personal point of view I would like to make the following observations.
Today we have attended two weddings, the first a small affair with only six guests which was all wrapped up, done and dusted by 12.30pm.
Not one guest commented on the fact that we were using Pentax cameras.
The second a much larger affair we have just got back from as we stayed until after the reception selling and printing images on demand.
At this wedding we were given some odd looks by people carrying Nikon & Canon cameras, and one male guest
actually said "............oh Pentax, you don't use a proper camera then? " and walked off smiling.

A while later he passed our viewing/ printing station and spent some time viewing the images on our 23" monitors asking one of our operators to zoom in on aspects of the images and enquiring after information from the exif data. To say he was favourably impressed was a huge understatement. He and his partner were also
impressed by the standard of video captured by the K5's.
He was so impressed/curious he even went on line to check out prices of the K5 after I had told him what he could expect to pay for one.
This leads to my observation that a lot of people are unaware of Pentax' existence let alone the amazing quality and value for money they offer across the range.
My second observation is that too many people place too much emphasis on the kit rather than on the finished result which surely is the ultimate requirement.
I am fortunate enough to spend time with quite a famous landscape photographer based here in Scotland.
On several occassions I have heard him say ".........got all the gear and no idea..." or "..... all that kit and still produces sh*t...."
Like many other very talented photographers he does have nice kit, but it's not replaced the very minute a new model hits the market and I have seen him produce some stunning images from an old Rollei 35mm
and Kodak Tri-X, a good photographer relishes the challenge of producing a well exposed, composed image from whatever equipment he has to,or has chosen to use.
In fact I would be presumptious enough to state that amongst talented photographers the subject of what kit
someone else is using is often far down the list of what interests them about that person or their images.

Rant over.

I've just migrated from a full frame camera with a much lower megapixel count than the K5.

The results from the K5 are noticeably better. Up to and including 6400 ISO.
Strange thing is I very rarely shoot above 1600 ISO so the performance criteria at ISO levels above 6400
are to me totally academic.

One of the most important things to me is that I am getting better results from a camera and lens combo that is
1/5th of the cost of my previous set up.
To me from a business point of view it's a ' no brainer'.

Nice one.
I can remember Pentax ad campaigns from the 6o's and 70's that were considered very chic.
Let us hope this ad campaign goes a good way to getting the name more widely known.

Many many years ago my first camera was a Pentax Spotmatic. Beautiful camera that worked and worked and if loaded with film would almost certainly give pleasing results today.
Progression through K2's Mx's amd Lx's stopped when I started using Pentax 645n's and when digital came along I jumped on the bandwagon with another manufacturer. Things went well until their top end DSLR Pro Spec bodies started falling apart after about 2.5 years of use (not abuse) a distintly less than helpful member of their customer services team convinced me to vote with my wallet and go to another DSLR manufacturer. But sadly I didn't listen to the advice of fellow pro's and now realise that now matter how robust a camera is 4/3rds sensors
definitely do not have the whoomph to produce 20 x 16 prints of stunning quality.

However at the risk of tempting fate I feel mightily pleased with my return to Pentax via their DSLR range.
We have recently acquired 2 x K5's 2x BG4's 4x Metz flashguns 1 x Pentax 18-135mm WR lens 1 x Sigma 70-300mm lens (used) 1x Kr body & twin lens kit and 1 x Kr body only.
Now come the questions. My wife who is alsomy business partner wanted the Kr's as they are small light and she liked the feel of them. However she has seen advertised Pentax K7's with and without lens kits and seems to think she would like one of these with the twin lens WR kit. Would you see this as a logical progression, she mainly shoots landscapes so noiseless high ISO's are not the issue here.

I am now considering further lens purchases and in the running first off would be the Pentax 55mm. f1.4 DA*

Then perhaps the Pentax 21mm.

Anyone got any thoughts on the above or advice, doesn't have to be Pentax glass.

Thanks

It fits a NIkon SB800 speedlight, and I found I gor farbetter results bouncing flash and using the supplied diffuser.
Bear in mind that 90% of the weddings we do are in dimly lit castles the lighting can be very tricky.
If you want it then PM me for details and it's yours for £7.50 incl p&p.

A Gary Fong flash diffuser.
Totally and completely rubbish.