# Pentax makes some good cameras



## KmH (Oct 5, 2011)

Pentax makes some nioce cameras. Many of the lower level Pentax cameras have an all metal body, with Nikon and Canon you don't get all metal bodies till you reach the Prosumer level.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Oct 5, 2011)

And you're doing better at marketing them than Pentax does


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## dxqcanada (Oct 5, 2011)

... weather resistance, multi-color and 6x4.5 format.
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/surprise-the-real-nex-competition-is-coming-from-fuji/


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## Destin (Oct 6, 2011)

dxqcanada said:
			
		

> ... weather resistance, multi-color and 6x4.5 format.
> http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/surprise-the-real-nex-competition-is-coming-from-fuji/



Don't forget about the outstanding high iso performance a few of their bodies have! I have a friend who shoots pentax (switched from canon a few years ago) and LOVES it.


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## bentcountershaft (Oct 6, 2011)

When I first bought a DSLR, I was pretty interested in Pentax, but one of the things that put me off was that there wasn't really much of an upgrade path to follow.  Once you get to a nice, well rounded prosumer the road ends.


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## usayit (Oct 6, 2011)

Lets not forget the high value MF digital; 645D.

And yes... marketing they do sucks.


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## Derrel (Oct 6, 2011)

Pentax has made nice cameras for DECADES!!!!!!! The Spotmatic series, the wonderful compact mechanical match-diode Nikon FM competitor which I owned, the Pentax MX; the AMAZINGLY-engineered dual electrical- and mechanically-timed shutter-bearing and fully professional LX 35mm flagship camera; the nice Super Program and Program Plus models of the mid-1980's, the venerable Pentax 6x7, the long-lived Pentax 645, now available as a digital, the bare-bones K1000 recently voted one of the Top 100 Tech Gadgets of all-time, by Time magazine...the clever and beautiful, jewel-like Pentax 110 SLR system that my railroad engineer friend Andrew carried all over the USA in the pocket of a Levi's jacket...Pentax has made some wonderful,wonderful cameras.

But for some reason, Pentax has never managed to capture a really wide segment of any market segment. My understanding is that in the late 1960's, the Pentax 35mm cameras were **the system** of choice among European professionals using 35mm SLR cameras, where they were more popular than the admittedly clunky Nikon F pro-oriented cameras of that general time period. I remember seeing a portfolio of high mountain peak skiing and mountain climbing nature photos made on Kodachrome-X, and all shot with Takumar or Super-Takumar lenses; mostly their 28, but also their 50, 135, and 200mm models. The images were exquisite,and I absolutely LOVED the way that old 28mm shot toward the sun...the images were breathtaking...this was 20 years ago,and at that time the images were already 10,12 years old...

I dunno...Coca~Cola and Pepsi~Cola rule the soft drink world [Canon and Nikon]...but there are some other great-tasting soda pops with minor followings and small market shares. Pentax shares the same focusing direction, and lens mounting/dismounting direction, and shutter speed and f/stop "directions" as Nikon uses, so it's pretty easy for a long-time NIkon user to feel very at home with Pentax 35mm-style cameras.


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## usayit (Oct 6, 2011)

Do you guys remember this?






Hehehe... couldn't help myself several years ago to track down the lens and camera combo to add to my collection.  Right next to the Minolta 7000....  i


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## Destin (Oct 6, 2011)

Woah. Thats one bulky AF system lol.


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## Derrel (Oct 6, 2011)

Yes, the ME-F!!! I wonder how many (few!!!) of those things actually shipped! Autofocus was not all that well-received in the early days...


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## usayit (Oct 6, 2011)

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/collectors-corner/29492-pentaxs-early-af.html

Took a long time to find operational body to attach the lens.


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## dxqcanada (Oct 6, 2011)

I hope Ricoh takes good care of the Pentax brand.


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## usayit (Oct 6, 2011)

The name itself seems tp be surviving.  Ricoh just established a new subsidary...

Pentax Ricoh Imaging Corporation.

Good news...  Pentax is first 

Bad news...  It spells PRIC

lol


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## dxqcanada (Oct 6, 2011)

Hmm, now you've done it.


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## usayit (Oct 6, 2011)

no joke... hehehe

Ricoh Establishes PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. / News Release | Ricoh Global


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## dxqcanada (Oct 6, 2011)

Ah, PRICL sounds better then PRIC.


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## Vinata (Jan 18, 2012)

nice camera


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## slackercruster (Feb 1, 2012)

Pentax are good mid level cameras. After I got rid of my pro equipment 30 years ago I bought a couple of new Pentax bodies for about $100 each and a bunch of Sigma lenses for next to nothing. Just sold them on ebay. They still worked great. That was the time when yopu had one body for BW and one for color. Or one WA and one Zoom body. 

I'm buying some cheap dslr Pentax gear now for disposable cameras. If they get wrecked, I wont lose much. Bot a 10 and 12 mp Pentax for $550 for the pair...and they both take AA batteries! Both in the 3000 shutter count area.

If you check out the resolution specs on Pentax glass, they are about 55- 60% as sharp as Nikon and Canon. Other isuues pop up though like CA with Pentax glass. But for the price, Pentax is a bargain.

These photos were taken with a $75 PS Cheapy Kodak set at the minimum setting of 1.1MP. When all cylinders are firing and the light is right, most cameras will do a decent job. (Sauna is finished now and am sweating like hell!)


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## Jeremy Z (Feb 7, 2012)

I think Pentax has realized that it is more profitable to market to amateurs than to pros. Amateurs buy many more cameras than pros do.

As for the upgrade path, it is true that they don't make a lot of super long, fast telephotos any more.

However, think about what you really need, and what you can actually afford. Not a lot of us could or would afford a 300mm f/2.8. They're something like $10k, right?

Check out their lens line-up for their digital cameras:
PENTAX Digital Camera Lens Lineup 

They have a 200mm f/2.8. This is a great sports lens. Equivalent to 300mm on a Pentax camera with 1.5x crop factor. Add a 1.5x teleconverter for 450mm f/4. Not bad, right? Especially considering how good the images are from a Pentax dSLR @ ISO 800. They also have a 300mm f/4 and a 60-250mm f/4 with ED glass. Being honest, how many amateurs can afford an equivalent lens in f/2.8?
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/...7298_smcpentaxdastar200mmf28edifsdm_large.jpg

Their Limited series lenses are much loved, and to my knowledge, Canon and Nikon have nothing to compete. These are compact, with all metal and glass construction, yet they have top optical quality. I'm going to pick up one of these shortly as a sharp, all-around prime lens:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/...6798_smcpentaxda35mmf28macrolimited_large.jpg

Their pancake lenses allow us to effectively make an SLR the same size as an old-fashioned rangefinder. Very easy to carry, very good optics. World class SMC coatings (co-developed with Zeiss T*) This one is brand new, and only protrudes 1/2" from the SLR body.
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/products/873_1328028660_DA_40mm_F28_XL_Vertical_large.jpg

They make a fish-eye zoom, too, for those so inclined:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/...5_smcpentaxda1017mmf3545ediffisheye_large.jpg

Other parts in the upgrade path, here's their high-end, full-power bounce flash. I have one, and it is fantastic. Swivel, bounce, backlit LCD, built-in diffuser and reflector card, GN 178 (ft.) @ ISO 100, wireless control, quick-lock shoe, 330 VDC power input, etc. This is every bit the match for Canon and Nikon's top-of-the-line bounce flash. This was probably a better investment for me than my 55-200 telephoto zoom. Worth every penny.
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/products/85_1314750700-1847317925_af540fgz_large.jpg

Macro ring flash:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/...094748242_af160fcautomacroringflash_large.jpg

GPS unit:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/products/74_1317336303_gpsunit_large.jpg

Focusing screens:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/...118_li80afscalemattefocusingscreen_medium.jpg

Battery grip/vertical grip:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/products/60_1314750291-1673108750_batterygripdbg2_medium.jpg

Wireless remote:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/products/63_1314750183-1675783674_remotecontrolf_medium.jpg

Wired remote:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/img/products/64_1314749671-657092021_cableswitchcs205_large.jpg

Power supply for cameras:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/...50083-1254186202_acadapterkitdac50_medium.jpg

Here's their accessories page:
Digital Camera Accessories -PENTAX DSLR Accessories

Sigma makes lenses for Pentax mount, and some of them pretty high-end, such as the 30mm f/2.8 that is missing from Pentax's own line-up:
Product Finder - SigmaPhoto.com

So does Tamron, like this 17-50 f/2.8:
http://www.tamron.com/en/photolens/di_II_hi_speed/img/pic_a16_02.jpg
Being honest, what else do you need from a camera mfr.? What is missing from the upgrade path? Pros might be disappointed to see f/2.8 prime telephotos above 300mm are absent. Or tilt/shift lenses for architectural photography. However, Pentax did make them at one time for their film cameras, and they're still out there on the used market.


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## Jeremy Z (Feb 7, 2012)

slackercruster said:


> If you check out the resolution specs on Pentax glass, they are about 55- 60% as sharp as Nikon and Canon. Other isuues pop up though like CA with Pentax glass.


Whoa, that's news to me. What's the source for this data? Are you comparing apples to apples?


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## markj (Feb 21, 2012)

nice shots


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## EchoingWhisper (Feb 22, 2012)

The Sigma lenses are actually pretty good compared to Canon/Nikon, pros may find their sealing not as good, but the optical quality doesn't lag behind very much.


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## morganza (May 25, 2012)

My uncle is trying to sell one on ebay, not sure though for how much.


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## o hey tyler (May 25, 2012)

Jeremy Z said:


> *What is missing from the upgrade path?*



A full frame body in their lineup. 



morganza said:


> My uncle is trying to sell one on ebay, not sure though for how much.



Old thread is old, but welcome to the forums. You must have used the search function, not many people do that. :thumbup:


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## EchoingWhisper (May 26, 2012)

DxOMark - Compare lenses


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