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Has anyone here been using Pentax cameras and how do they compare to Canon and Nikon professional/hobbyist/tourist offering?

growlist 8y ago
I haven't used them but strongly considered for a while. They offer weather sealing on some cameras and lenses which is obviously great for outdoors. Apart from that they have some great primes but not cheap as their market is smaller, and as such the overall range of lenses isn't as broad. Also the tech isn't quite as advanced as Canikon. Overall though still a fine system, and likely to exceed the skills of most users. That's from a couple years ago, not sure how much has changed with Ricoh takeover.
paulmd 8y ago
The cameras themselves are good. Weather-sealed bodies, had in-body image stabilization long before anyone else, reasonable (although not great) compatibility with older lenses, etc. The first-party lens selection is not up to par with the Canon/Nikon offerings. If a third-party like Sigma makes the lens you're looking for, it will usually come in a Pentax-mount variant, but most of the Pentax lineup is focused on consumer-grade lenses rather than the high-end stuff. That's fine, but Nikon and Canon have entry-level/midrange lenses too, while the reverse isn't true of Pentax with the high-end stuff.
- baldfat 8y ago
  I would say that Pentax has the best Prime Len stock period. Also you can buy a lens from 1980 and it will work (No auto focus) perfectly. I have extra sharp beautiful 42mm and 50mm and a 100mm prime and it cost me less then $250. I love my Pentax. I own a Sony A3 RIII and I still get better portraits on my cheap o Pentax lens. Pentax Prime Limited are amazing and so much cheaper then Cannon or any other brand. Look here for lens: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/ https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/
- pietroglyph 8y ago
  > reasonable (although not great) compatibility with older lenses All Pentax cameras from 1975-on have used the Pentax K-Mount[0], which means that in (almost) all cases you can use most of the lenses made in the last 43 years. I would call that pretty good compatibility. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount
  - Bud 8y ago
    Pretty mediocre, really. The Nikon F-mount dates back to 1959. :)
  - paulmd 8y ago
    I'm specifically referring to the crippled K_af2 mount, which does away with the feelers necessary to read out the aperture setting on older lenses (approximately pre-90s). The lenses mount, but you need to go into a menu on the camera body each time you adjust the aperture to tell it how much the lens is going to stop down. I think it's perfectly fair to ding some usability points for that.
- mark-r 8y ago
  Unfortunately Sigma and Tamron have backed off from Pentax support in recent years. There are still some in the current catalog, but the newest lenses aren't offered. On the other hand, Pentax's just released 50mm might be the best 50 ever.
- brudgers 8y ago
  High end Pentax cameras are still medium format. The peer group is Fuji, Hassblad, Phase One, and Mamiya. Cross shopping the 645z with flagship Canon and Nikon cameras might make sense...or not. At the point it's a business decision, the tradeoffs of medium format versus "35mm" are usually pretty clear. The Pentax product line reflects this discreet gap in the product line. Pentax isn't filling out a product line matrix of IS and non-IS lens against weather and non-weather sealed lenses. The high end of Pentax's 35mm lenses are mid-range in the Pentax product line.
maxxxxx 8y ago
They are great cameras. Great usability and super robust. There are videos where a guy cleans his dusty K-5 with a water hose. Problem is the lens and accessory selection. Sigma and Tamron used to support them but not anymore. The old Pentax lenses are excellent quality but new lenses are coming out only slowly. My biggest gripe was focusing performance. The lenses and cameras can be horribly slow to focus. That's why I switched to Fuji which is much better.
- brudgers 8y ago
  The tradeoff for slow screw drive autofocus is simpler lenses designs. Part of what makes Pentax lenses robust is the absence of focusing and stabilization motors and reduced electronics. It also means there is less reason for Pentax to produce a new lens model, optical formulas don't change much over time.
  - maxxxxx 8y ago
    Even the ones with SDM (no screw drive) like the 50-135 or 60-250 are really slow. My screw drive lenses often were faster.
hrktb 8y ago
I like Tom Hogan's takes on the industry http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whats-the-entry-point.html http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whats-the-entry-point.ht... He is a Nikon centered photographer, but has a (distant) computer background and a very critical eye on a lot of stuff happening.
Fins 8y ago
Nowhere near a professional, but my K-30 has been going strong for years and years for my touristy needs. Not quite as big a selection of lenses, but unless you need something very specific you can find one, and they are quite good. Even an old Soviet Helios with a K-Mount adapter works perfectly, and I think ergonomics and build quality is somewhat better than in a same-priced Canikon.

growlist 8y ago

I haven't used them but strongly considered for a while. They offer weather sealing on some cameras and lenses which is obviously great for outdoors. Apart from that they have some great primes but not cheap as their market is smaller, and as such the overall range of lenses isn't as broad. Also the tech isn't quite as advanced as Canikon. Overall though still a fine system, and likely to exceed the skills of most users. That's from a couple years ago, not sure how much has changed with Ricoh takeover.

paulmd 8y ago

The cameras themselves are good. Weather-sealed bodies, had in-body image stabilization long before anyone else, reasonable (although not great) compatibility with older lenses, etc. The first-party lens selection is not up to par with the Canon/Nikon offerings. If a third-party like Sigma makes the lens you're looking for, it will usually come in a Pentax-mount variant, but most of the Pentax lineup is focused on consumer-grade lenses rather than the high-end stuff. That's fine, but Nikon and Canon have entry-level/midrange lenses too, while the reverse isn't true of Pentax with the high-end stuff.

baldfat 8y ago
I would say that Pentax has the best Prime Len stock period. Also you can buy a lens from 1980 and it will work (No auto focus) perfectly. I have extra sharp beautiful 42mm and 50mm and a 100mm prime and it cost me less then $250. I love my Pentax. I own a Sony A3 RIII and I still get better portraits on my cheap o Pentax lens. Pentax Prime Limited are amazing and so much cheaper then Cannon or any other brand. Look here for lens: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/ https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/
pietroglyph 8y ago
> reasonable (although not great) compatibility with older lenses All Pentax cameras from 1975-on have used the Pentax K-Mount[0], which means that in (almost) all cases you can use most of the lenses made in the last 43 years. I would call that pretty good compatibility. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_K-mount
- Bud 8y ago
  Pretty mediocre, really. The Nikon F-mount dates back to 1959. :)
- paulmd 8y ago
  I'm specifically referring to the crippled K_af2 mount, which does away with the feelers necessary to read out the aperture setting on older lenses (approximately pre-90s). The lenses mount, but you need to go into a menu on the camera body each time you adjust the aperture to tell it how much the lens is going to stop down. I think it's perfectly fair to ding some usability points for that.
mark-r 8y ago
Unfortunately Sigma and Tamron have backed off from Pentax support in recent years. There are still some in the current catalog, but the newest lenses aren't offered. On the other hand, Pentax's just released 50mm might be the best 50 ever.
brudgers 8y ago
High end Pentax cameras are still medium format. The peer group is Fuji, Hassblad, Phase One, and Mamiya. Cross shopping the 645z with flagship Canon and Nikon cameras might make sense...or not. At the point it's a business decision, the tradeoffs of medium format versus "35mm" are usually pretty clear. The Pentax product line reflects this discreet gap in the product line. Pentax isn't filling out a product line matrix of IS and non-IS lens against weather and non-weather sealed lenses. The high end of Pentax's 35mm lenses are mid-range in the Pentax product line.

maxxxxx 8y ago

They are great cameras. Great usability and super robust. There are videos where a guy cleans his dusty K-5 with a water hose. Problem is the lens and accessory selection. Sigma and Tamron used to support them but not anymore. The old Pentax lenses are excellent quality but new lenses are coming out only slowly. My biggest gripe was focusing performance. The lenses and cameras can be horribly slow to focus. That's why I switched to Fuji which is much better.

brudgers 8y ago
The tradeoff for slow screw drive autofocus is simpler lenses designs. Part of what makes Pentax lenses robust is the absence of focusing and stabilization motors and reduced electronics. It also means there is less reason for Pentax to produce a new lens model, optical formulas don't change much over time.
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  Even the ones with SDM (no screw drive) like the 50-135 or 60-250 are really slow. My screw drive lenses often were faster.

hrktb 8y ago

I like Tom Hogan's takes on the industry http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whats-the-entry-point.html http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/whats-the-entry-point.ht... He is a Nikon centered photographer, but has a (distant) computer background and a very critical eye on a lot of stuff happening.

Fins 8y ago

Nowhere near a professional, but my K-30 has been going strong for years and years for my touristy needs. Not quite as big a selection of lenses, but unless you need something very specific you can find one, and they are quite good. Even an old Soviet Helios with a K-Mount adapter works perfectly, and I think ergonomics and build quality is somewhat better than in a same-priced Canikon.