On Mon, 19 Aug 2002, Keith Whaley wrote: > Bruce, an honest question, in light of the attitude of disdain > displayed in your message... > Why are you even a posting member of this list, if you think so little > of Pentax?
As much as I disagree with what Bruce says sometimes, I find it hard to argue with most of his points: > "Rubenstein, Bruce M (Bruce)" wrote: > > I have no idea why anyone who shots 35mm for money, and shoots typical > for pay subjects, would use Pentax in the first place. If you disagree with this, why? At least Bruce offered some reasons for his assessment. > The whole line is for amateurs: low priced entry level at one end and > expensive "boutique" items at the other. Hard to argue with this, except to point out the uselessness of "amateur" and "pro" as general terms. But where Nikon has the F80, Canon the Elan 7, and Minolta the Maxxum 7, Pentax has... the MZ-5n. A great retro-style camera, but nothing that tries to compete with others in its price range. > Pentax never had an AF line that could compete in the pro market for > film cameras, Again, the "pro" is subjective, but I personally dislike Pentax's AF myself. I find it fast enough, but way too noisy. And where Canon and Nikon are putting selectable spot focus even on their entry-level models (F55/F65, Rebel G/Rebel 2000), Pentax doesn't offer it on the MZ-60 or MZ-7. Even their MZ-6 (MZ-L) only lets you choose the center sensor if you want spot AF. As for 'pro' 35mm cameras, Pentax's focus tracking can work fine in many situations, but it's not as good as Canon or Nikon's system. > and they won't for digital either. Subjective; I'm reserving judgement. > Aside from MF, pros do not buy Pentax. There is no DSLR that Pentax > could come out with that would cause a pro to switch to Pentax (Does > anyone seriously believe that there are hordes of people out there > waiting with baited breath to be able to use SMC lenses on their > digital bodies? Do you think that there is anyone, at all, who doesn't > already have SMC lenses that gives a rat's a**?). Debatable. A lot of people talked about switching to Contax after the "N" was announced. That camera turned out to be a hunkajunk, but if they'll consider switching to Contax, then why not Pentax? > Waiting for Pentax to come out with a piece of equipment that you > really need, always has, and always will be a mistake. I would have > died from old age before Pentax ever came out with a true equivalent > camera to the F100. I agree. If you're a pro and you need a piece of equipment, buy it, even if Pentax doesn't make it. Pentax does seem to be slow to introduce a lot of new products. I think that's stupid of them, and I think that they're shooting themselves in the foot by not jumping on the digital bandwagon, but that's besides the point... don't hold your breath. If you complain, there's no point complaining just to us. Call Pentax, write letters, threaten them with switching brands, see what you can do. I'd love for Pentax to be a vibrant presence in the upper-end 35mm and digital market, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. chris - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
