Why did you buy a Pentax?

[EDL]

So what swayed you to Pentax over a Nikon, or a Canon, or Sony, or...?

[Ads]

[slackercruster]

AA batteries, running on 4 of them...at least in the older Pentax models.

I used to use Nikon and Hassy in the 70's. Quit and sold out.

In the 80's bought a couple of cheap Pentax K1000's bodies for $98 each new. Then quit film and got a cheap PS dig camera in the late 90's.

In Jan '12 got back into photography and got outfitted with numerous Pentax dslr bodies ($140 - $285) and the finest Pentax and 3rd party glass. Very happy with them.

Just wish Pentax continued with the 4 AA battery power option. I never make prints and only view on the 'puter. So 6 -12 mp is OK for me. Really you can't tell the difference with mp very much on the 'puter unless you blowing up a cropped section. But would like a FF 24mp Pentax running on 4 AA's if they was such a beast. We all seem to go for the bigger and better ego booster.

I also considered going Nikon D800, buying 3 bodies and some lenses for $24,000. If the D800 ran on 4 AA's I would have dropped the $24K without a blink. But fudge all these greedy cam companies that screw the consumer with their proprietary packs. I wont buy them. Nikon lost $24 k in biz from me. Sure it is nothing to Nikon, but still lost biz all the same.

But...when all is said and done...Nikon is the best.

[cgipson1]

AA batteries, running on 4 of them...at least in the older Pentax models.
<SNIP>
I also considered going Nikon D800, buying 3 bodies and some lenses for $24,000. If the D800 ran on 4 AA's I would have dropped the $24K without a blink. But fudge all these greedy cam companies that screw the consumer with their proprietary packs. I wont buy them. Nikon lost $24 k in biz from me. Sure it is nothing to Nikon, but still lost biz all the same.
.

You do know that you can use AA's in Nikon's Battery grips, right? Canon too!

[GnipGnop]

Spent a couple months reading up on forum posts and reviews of the Canon 7d, Canon 60d and Canon 5dMKii. Borrowed a friend's 5d. Went into stores and played with a 7d and 60d. Really wanted to stick with Canon because they treat their customers very well (in my experiences). Really liked shooting on my Canon S90 (where I learned how to shoot manually).

Happenstanced onto a review of the Pentax K5. Did more research, and literally could not find a bad review on it. Researched the glass and found it to be of excellent quality as well (and also being able to use ANY K mount lens without adapters). Went to a camera store and played with a K5 and 7d to refresh myself, and found the controls on the K5 to be exactly how I think the controls should be layed out (as little button pushing as possible).

Liked it so much I bought one the very next day.

Oh, and you can use AA batteries in the K5 grip as well. I don't know why anyone would want to bother with bulky AA batteries either, but to each their own.

[o hey tyler]

AA batteries, running on 4 of them...at least in the older Pentax models.
<SNIP>
I also considered going Nikon D800, buying 3 bodies and some lenses for $24,000. If the D800 ran on 4 AA's I would have dropped the $24K without a blink. But fudge all these greedy cam companies that screw the consumer with their proprietary packs. I wont buy them. Nikon lost $24 k in biz from me. Sure it is nothing to Nikon, but still lost biz all the same.
.

You do know that you can use AA's in Nikon's Battery grips, right? Canon too!

1600+ shots with OEM batteries in a grip in the 5D Mark II... I'm not sure AA's would perform as well, but I could be wrong.

[Skidmark]

I bought a ME Super back in the eighties and some glass. Then in 2010 decided to get back into photography, so I bought a K7, since I allready had a bunch of glass that I could use. I really like the layout and navigation of the menus. My wife has a D5100 and my Pentax is much easier to set than the Nikon.

[boborone]

I got the Q because I haven't used anything but a point n shoot for the last 10 years. Read up on small interchangeable lens bodies and liked this one. Good camera for me. I still have my Nikon SLR from high school. Not needing the full DSLR capabilities this thing is perfect to carry around and take great pics with. It's like a DSLR I can have fun with.

[irfan.in.tx]

I got the K-x a couple of years ago for the following reasons:
-Kit lens rated better than other major kits.
-In-body stabilization.
-Compatibility with some excellent vintage lenses (both K and M42 mounts)
-Value for money.

[mjhoward]

"Why did you buy a Pentax?"

Because they were all out of Playtex and Tampax.

Bazinga!

[Jaemie]

"Why did you buy a Pentax?"

Because they were all out of Playtex and Tampax.

Bazinga!

*Le facepalm..*

[skid2964]

AA batteries, running on 4 of them...at least in the older Pentax models.
Just wish Pentax continued with the 4 AA battery power option.

They have ... all their entry and mid level camera use AA, the K-x, K-r and the new K30. The K-r and K30 can use both, proprietary Li or AA...

[rmagers]

What irfan.in.x said nailed it for me as well. I had an old K1000 with several lenses. I liked being able to start out using these and have to buy new right away. One of these is 70-300 Macro that love. Manual focus but it still works quite well.

[Sagitta]

Getting stuff like this...

Waldo County Storms; Waldo County, Maine (Explored!) by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Head of Falls; Waterville, Maine by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Hilltop Aurora; August 5-6, 2011; Knox, Maine by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Sunset on the Sebasticook; Benton, Maine by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Nutcracker by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Golden Hour Spike by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Predawn; Winslow, Maine by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Day 42 - Tau Tau by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

Moonrise; Unity, Maine by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

With this. Average lens price is about $15. The two most expensive were the Sigma 70-300 and FA 28-90. My K-x has gone down for the count (my fault), but I plan to jump back in as soon as the rumored successor to the K-5 is announced.


Lenses by Jody Roberts, on Flickr

[mjhoward]

Getting stuff like this...

I think maybe, just maaaybe this might have a bit more to do with your skill level than you choosing a Pentax
That first shot is just awesome by the way. Good work!

[Sagitta]

Getting stuff like this...

I think maybe, just maaaybe this might have a bit more to do with your skill level than you choosing a Pentax
That first shot is just awesome by the way. Good work!

Oh, no, it was my inborn cheapness that was my primary reason. I have an old K1000 kicking around somewhere with a couple lenses (where, I don't know... they're still hiding) so when I went to get an SLR I went for something compatible with my old lenses so I wouldn't have to buy anything out of the gate beyond the camera itself. The fact that I can go into a thrift shop and grab a 30 year old lens and slap it on my camera without the need for an adapter is amazing.

My last purchase before the camera died were a pair of old Sears lenses from Goodwill. One is an old 50mm f/1.7 that's sharp as a tack, the other is a 135mm macro with that funky soft focus effect. I paid $25 for the two of them. Old, cheap glass on a camera that gives excellent quality shots? Yes please.