I hope this isn't heretical on this forum, but I'd be interested to know what non-Pentax cameras you own/have used, and how you rate them.

I'll start off by saying that all my SLRs are Pentax, but I own a couple of 70s fixed lens rangefinders (both very cheap, but compact & nice to use), a Vivitar 35EE & a Ricoh 500G (this one has the advantage of being fully mechanical, so isn't reliant on batteries). I also have an old Voigtlander Vito CL, which is fun to use (no meter & focusing only by the distance scale) but it doesn't wind on very reliably any more, so results are a bit hit & miss. Plus I used to have a Voigtlander fixed lens rangefinder, the name of which I can't remember, but it wasn't very well made compared to the other rangefinders I've got.

My Mum used to use a Minolta X-300, which as I remember was a pretty solid camera.

I'd be interested to hear other people's non-Pentax experiences.

Jonathan

I've also been looking at the K10D magazine reviews that are now starting to appear, & while most have been pretty favourable, there seems to be some confusion as to which cameras to compare it to. One magazine (sorry, I've forgotten which one - there are too many) tests it & the Samsung version against the Olympus E-400 & the Canon 400D, & it gets criticised for being expensive compared to the Canon; another magazine lists the 30D & the D200 as its main rivals, & Will Cheung ends his review in Photography Monthly by describing the price as "pretty special". Pentax seem to have confused people by launching a camera with so many features at such a competitive price - it's just bizarre to see it criticised for being expensive...

On the subject of magazines, I'm amazed by how slow some of them are when it comes to updating the "street price" of Pentax cameras. In Practical Photography's round up of current D-SLRs (Jan issue) the K100D is marked down for being expensive compared to other brands, yet the "street price" they list is £499 (whereas you can get it with kit lens for around £350). I'm sure this is probably also the case for, say, Olympus too, but it always looks a bit rubbish when the magazines are not exactly on the ball.

Jonathan

The only thing stopping me doing this is that I too work in photographic retail (though sadly I don't get to play with stock), & I don't want to be seen as bashing another company, even though my experience on Saturday was purely as a customer - I'm well aware that customer service depends on who you get on any given day.

Jonathan

I am still amazed at a conversation (almost an argument, to be honest!) I had with an assistant on Saturday after popping into my local branch of a certain high street camera chain to have a look at the K10D. After asking to have a little look & play with it I was astounded to be told:

(a) that Pentax used to make good cameras ("I've got a K1000" but then they started manufacturing in Hong Kong and it all went downhill. They are way behind the other manufacturers when it comes to digital - the assistant said she'd never recommend Pentax, & that I'd get the same opinion from all the other members of staff.

(b) I gently pointed out that the K10D is looking like the best camera in it's class, & that specification-wise there's nothing in the same price range to match it. I said that if I was looking at other models I'd be looking at the 30D or the D200, & the assistant looked genuinely shocked at my statement, saying that she thought it was really a competitor for the D50!

(c) To which I said to wait & see, & that I was confident in how it'd be received, but I was told not to trust magazine reviews as Pentax pay them a lot of money to get good reviews! And that the Sony Alpha is a far better bet.

Blimey! It sounds like someone's marketing is working... I got the distinct impression the assistant must be working on commission, but even so I'd expect a bit of balance. I really don't understand why anyone would want to put someone off buying a product from their shop, but that was exactly what happened.

I don't have any problem with Nikon or Canon cameras, & think I can see their relative merits & demerits, but to be so zealously misinformed left me a bit surprised, to say the least.

Has anyone else experienced such bias when trying to get impartial advice?

Jonathan

If you're talking print film, I'm sure I read an article about Martin Parr which said that he used to use Agfa, then moved on to Fuji Superia 100 rated at 80. Don't quote me on that, though...

Jonathan

Just a quick query regarding RAW conversion. I was playing around last night converting some RAW files to Tiffs using Pentax's Photo Laboratory software (which will suffice until I get a proper RAW convertor sorted out). For some reason if I rotate an image in Photo Lab before saving it, when I open the Tiff in Elements it's massively over saturated. Strangely this only applies to images that have been rotated - if I save the image without rotating it & the saturation of the TIFF remains unaltered. This just seems a bit bizarre - does anyone have any idea of why this might be happening?

Any theories much appreciated (or advice as to what I'm doing wrong!)

Jonathan

I've been using the AF280T quite a lot over Christmas with a K100D, & have had some good results using it in A mode, where the flash reads the light reflected off the subject. I find it perversely pleasing using such comparatively old technology with digital.

Jonathan

A little Yuletide shopping tale, & news of a possible bargain for someone.

Yesterday I found myself in the unenviable position of having to do all my Christmas shopping in one day (having changed jobs & therefore being without money all month until Friday). Anyhow, I got off to a blisteringly good start, & thought I’d allow myself a minute or two to check out one of the local camera shops – big mistake! What did I see in the window but an MZ-S! I’ve never seen one in the flesh before, so I asked to have a little look, & I OH SO NEARLY bought it. It was one of those “yes you should - no you shouldn’t” internal dialogues where reasons for the former outweigh those for the latter ten to one. But steadfast I remained, despite the good price, reasoning that I probably wouldn’t use it quite as much as my Z-1p. So, difficult as it was, & lovely as the MZ-S was to handle, back I handed it to the shop assistant to place once again in the window. And I might still be feeling bad about having made the wrong decision, were it not for the fact that I picked up an LX on the way out!! I realise that makes it sound like I stole it, which wasn’t the case, but again the price was good & it put a spring in my step for the rest of the Christmas shopping…

So, for anyone who’s interested & who wants to take advantage of my indecision, there’s an MZ-S going for £249 at the LCE in Norwich (as of 2p.m. yesterday). I would have posted this yesterday, but have been travelling & haven’t been near a computer until now. They also had a Pentax hammerhead flash (the 400T?) and a PK fit Tokina 19-35 f/3.5-4.5.

Anyway, I’m off to play with the LX (& maybe wrap some presents). I think I’ll put it in for a proper clean & service after Christmas – am I best off sending it to Asahi Photo, or can anyone recommend any other repair/service people?

A very Happy Christmas to everyone on the forum,

Jonathan

I haven't been to Bradford for a couple of years, but there was a very good 2nd hand camera shop somewhere behind the market last time I was there (sorry, my memory & lack of knowledge of Bradford mean this is a bit vague...)

Just Googled it, & by the looks of it it might be Bradford Camera Exchange at 19 North Parade (01274 729 144).

Jonathan

Thanks for the advice - I think I'll live with it. Obviously it's nothing compared to spotting scans, which I'm well used to doing! Plus it's good to know that a decent RAW convertor will sort that out automatically.

Thanks again,

Jonathan