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  1. #1
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    Canon Loyalist Turning to Pentax

    As a long time Canon loyalist I never believed the day would come that I had anything good to say about Pentax.Nor would I have ever imagined that I would sell one of my Canons to raise money to buy a Pentax. Well, that day has come. Over the years I wouldn't even touch a Pentax at a sales counter due to the hostility between Canon and Pentax loyalists in this province. Stumbling across a favorable review on the K-z was enough to send me to the camera counters to check them out.

    For the first time in over 30 years I was handling a camera I could afford that I couldn't criticize. Aesthetically it is a work of art. It fits like a calf skin glove. It's lens and controls don't stick and grind. I love it.

    I like the Nikon D60 I bought this week but my feelings towards the new Pentaxs I saw this week are much stronger. I'm definitely going to buy one before I buy a new Nikon. I look forward to pitting them against each other in the future to see which comes out on top.

  2. #2
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    Re: Canon Loyalist Turning to Pentax

    Interesting. What Canon will you be replacing? And why did you buy a Nikon, too?

    My first SLRs were made by Pentax. That was back in the eighties and cameras were very different then. But I've always had a soft spot for Pentax gear and I've liked the Pentax digital SLRs I've used. But the truth is, all digital SLRs are great now. Being a brand loyalist is sort of silly these days. Even the lowliest digital SLR now is better than the Canon EOS 10D I was using and making money with a few years ago. Choosing a new camera isn't a question of avoiding brands and cameras that suck - none of them do. It's more a matter of choosing what fits you best as far as features, feel and pricing go. I'm glad you found something that works well for you

    I'd like to know more about why you're making the switch. Did you have a problem with Canon or did you just decide you wanted to play the field?
    Photo-John

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  3. #3
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    Re: Canon Loyalist Turning to Pentax

    Quote Originally Posted by Photo-John View Post
    Interesting. What Canon will you be replacing? And why did you buy a Nikon, too?

    My first SLRs were made by Pentax. That was back in the eighties and cameras were very different then. But I've always had a soft spot for Pentax gear and I've liked the Pentax digital SLRs I've used. But the truth is, all digital SLRs are great now. Being a brand loyalist is sort of silly these days. Even the lowliest digital SLR now is better than the Canon EOS 10D I was using and making money with a few years ago. Choosing a new camera isn't a question of avoiding brands and cameras that suck - none of them do. It's more a matter of choosing what fits you best as far as features, feel and pricing go. I'm glad you found something that works well for you

    I'd like to know more about why you're making the switch. Did you have a problem with Canon or did you just decide you wanted to play the field?
    I decided to get into digital photography with a maximum budget of $1000.00. I was totally ignorant of dslrs when I started shopping so I chose to go bargain hunting in the used and new liquidation market.In the used realm I felt I could resell profitably if bought right and ended up not liking a camera.In the new liquidation market I felt that if I made a wrong choice I could resell at somewhere between profit and nominal loss if I bought right.

    So far I've spent $720.00. I now own a Canon Digital Rebel with 28-300, Canon Rebel XT with 18-55 and a Nikon D60 with 18-55. If I resold them all locally I could get about $1100.The Nikon D60 is a difinite keeper. I will be using it for close up and micro.Although I have always wanted a new Nikon, the D60 is so close to new and appropriate to my needs, that I don't think there is much justifiation to upgrade within Nikon. I couldn't afford to anyway.

    The first camera to go will be the Digital Rebel with either an 18-55 or 35-80 because of its weight.Both Canons are going as I upgrade. There are no Canons in my dream quest because their entry level lenses perform so poorly in our local climate.I have about a half dozen modern Canon AF lenses around the house and they all stick and grind when I try to use them.I get depressed even thinking about them. I feel guilty about selling them but it seems most Canon users don't mind their feel. I've been told that local Canon performance is a product of our unique climate. It is dry, dusty and heavily petro chemical polluted. All modern lenses perform below par here.

    I was drawn towards Pentax for three reasons. The most important was Pentaxs ability to use older lenses. I really despise our throw away culture and I can't afford to buy new lenses every couple of years. Other major issues were price, low light characteristics and shutter speeds. The real clincher for Pentax above all that is that they look, feel and handle so wonderfully. I haven't been so excited about buying a new camera since I bought my first Canon AE1.

    The dream quest is three cameras. One with an 18-250 to 300, one with close up micro and one everyday camera. The everyday camera is something I can afford to lose if its stolen or damaged by foul weather. The othe two cameras are for serious outdoor photography in fair weather . They will never leave my sight when out of the house.

    One of the three will be Nikon and the other two will be Pentax. Mountain photography quests will involve both a Nikon and a Pentax.I enjoy pitting competing brands of cameras against each other.At present the most sought after upgrades in my stable are virtually any used Pentax DSLR over 8 mp and either a new K-x or K-r.

  4. #4
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    Re: Canon Loyalist Turning to Pentax

    I like the Pentax system for the value, size/weight, and most importantly the glass. So it sounds to me like you are making this move for the right reasons. I hope to add a K5 body at some point but for now the K-x is meeting my needs and has paid for it's self more than a few times over. I could even see picking up a K-r if I needed a second body before I was ready to shell out for the K5. But a few K5 features that aren't in the K-x/K-r line keep me wanting (intervalometer & weather sealing).

  5. #5
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    Re: Canon Loyalist Turning to Pentax

    Quote Originally Posted by mattb View Post
    I like the Pentax system for the value, size/weight, and most importantly the glass. So it sounds to me like you are making this move for the right reasons. I hope to add a K5 body at some point but for now the K-x is meeting my needs and has paid for it's self more than a few times over. I could even see picking up a K-r if I needed a second body before I was ready to shell out for the K5. But a few K5 features that aren't in the K-x/K-r line keep me wanting (intervalometer & weather sealing).
    I'm really impressed by the Pentax build quality. I still haven't picked up my k-x or k-r but I am really looking forward to it. My enthusiasm for Nikon is rapidly failing. I can't make any sense out of the lens compatabilities. It seems that every camera has a different range of compatabilities. Nikon also has so many different lens systems I doubt that I'll ever figure it out at my age.

  6. #6
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    Re: Canon Loyalist Turning to Pentax

    Quote Originally Posted by Oldhippy View Post
    I'm really impressed by the Pentax build quality. I still haven't picked up my k-x or k-r but I am really looking forward to it. My enthusiasm for Nikon is rapidly failing. I can't make any sense out of the lens compatabilities. It seems that every camera has a different range of compatabilities. Nikon also has so many different lens systems I doubt that I'll ever figure it out at my age.
    Just keep in mind the one feature the K-r has over the K-x is illuminated focal points. With the K-x you don't and just need to know where your points are assigned. I generally just shoot with the center point so I know where it's focusing, but for some this is a significant omission. For that reason unless the K-x was super cheap I'd go for a K-r if I needed one today.

  7. #7
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    Re: Canon Loyalist Turning to Pentax

    Quote Originally Posted by mattb View Post
    Just keep in mind the one feature the K-r has over the K-x is illuminated focal points. With the K-x you don't and just need to know where your points are assigned. I generally just shoot with the center point so I know where it's focusing, but for some this is a significant omission. For that reason unless the K-x was super cheap I'd go for a K-r if I needed one today.
    I'd rather see nothing in the viewfinder other than the subject I am trying to capture. I like detailed info below my subject but I'd rather not have bright dots and squares all over the place. I find them really annoying. I assume there must be some way of turning them off on most new cameras.

    Locally the k-x kit is available at $530.00 and the best deal on the k-r kit is $650.00. There are also a few really good deals available in the used market . Unfortunately, I haven't had any significant cash during the past two weeks so I haven't been able to acquire anything in the Pentax digital realm yet. I'm trying to sell my Canon Digital Rebel but so far there has not been one bite on our local buy- sell site. Normally any dslr under $300.00 is a fast sell . Since I listed the Canon nothing seems to be moving for other vendors either.

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