On 03.6.6 5:29 PM, "Caveman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I submit we should do a survey and see why the current PDMLers are > sticking here. I suspect that a large percentage is still with pentax > because they still enjoy the manual focus era cameras and lenses.
I do not necessarily think so. I do not think it is all about AF vs. MF etc either. For a real novice who never had an SLR before, they might go to C/N simply because of their name (nothing wrong with it) or Pentax because of the bang for the money, which is also an important factor. But the majority of the members here are experienced ones, far more than average. These are the people who can tell the difference between lenses of different brands, and came to realize a long time ago (way before I did) that the camera spec is not everything. Yes, Pentax spent a lot of resources to cultivate the P&S market to the point where they almost own it ( so to speak) but that's because the market demanded it and Pentax could fulfil it. SLR was a small market, but Pentax has been producing cameras which really fits average people's hands well, and capable of doing most, if not all, of the things. User interface is excellent. For knowledgeable people, that was fine and all they needed. Most of the "modern photography" argument is concentrated on AF performance and Pentax is not up to date in that regard but adequate. But the reason I could not part my PZ-1p is because of its superb (in my opinion) AF performance (I know, I know :-). I experimented many brands and quite a few models but I cannot trade PZ-1p's low light AF focussing ability with anything else, multipoint or not. After using other brands (I still occasionally use them), I formed my habit of using the focus lock which gives me the best confidence that the focus is right where I intended. To me, this is even faster. I do appreciate IS and even eye control (yes, it works for me once you got a hang of it), so I do not dispute that some latest modern conveniences help us. But that does not cause me to sell Pentax and switch entirely to Canon. I like small and portable 35mm cameras like Pentax's. After using MZ-3 with 43Ltd, or even 28-105 PZ, bringing out a Canon with 28-135 IS feels huge. I use 645N for deliberate portrait and landscape shots when I know in advance what I plan to shoot. In other times, the portability is very important for me. F5/1V are totally out of question no matter how advanced the features might be. Absolutely no interest in one of those monsters. I even bring out APS SLRs for outing (well, don't laugh:-). I actually have 2 each of Vectis S-1, Pronea6i and Canon IXe's because they are discontinued and you cannot buy them new any more. I like the concept of cassette for film, and wish they applied it to 35mm. For the usual 4x6 or 4x7, APS gives me more than satisfactory results with the best portability. I can take full advantage of rather limited featured camera. In the reasonably experienced hands, and within certain size of prints, APS is just fine. Vectis S-1 with the accessory cage is unbeatable kit for camping or fishing as it is splash proof (including external flash). If my main 35mm was not Pentax, I would have dumped the whole 35mm and kept 645N for serious photography and APS SLRs for the portability and travel photography. Where 35mm come in would be filled with digital. So, there are different reasons by different people for using Pentax. To say tht F100 is a modern photography equipment and laugh at Pentax is rather pathetic. And finally, Pentax brand has something magic in enthusiasts' mind. In Japan, Pentax has far more respect and experienced people keep coming back to Pentax. So this is my long answer to a short question :-). Cheers, Ken
