Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family.

Yvon Bourque · 26th February 2008

Yvon Bourque, Feb 25, 2008; 02:32 a.m.

It was just a little over a year ago that we started to hear about a new K10D DSLR that Pentax was about to introduce. I owned Pentax cameras all of my adult life, and after reading about the camera on every website I could find, I knew the camera would be a hit. Pentax used to be known by everyone that had anything to do with photography. They were at the forefront of the 35mm revolution. As a young boy, I remember walking to the camera stores in Montreal (That?s my birth place but I now reside is Sunny California.) and looking through the display windows, just imagining how it would be great if I could afford a new Pentax Spotmatic. I would spend countless hours reading every small Pentax ads in every magazine. Yes, I was obsessed.

Many of the improvements and innovations, of Pentax in particular, were envisioned by Herbert Keppler who first worked for Modern Photography and later for Popular Photography. He was one of the first American to realized that ?Made in Japan? for cameras meant good quality at a reasonable price. Of course, German cameras were the elite camera makers at the time, but the prices were exorbitant.

In the past two or three decades or so, Pentax kind of took a back seat to Nikon and Canon. I don?t exactly know why, but ask most people younger than thirty years old, and you?ll find out that most had never heard of Pentax until recently.

Here in the United States, Pentax was at a standstill until after the Pentax K10D was introduced. Now with the K20D announced, there is a big buzz in the photographic world about the newest DSLR from Pentax. It boasts a new CMOS sensor with 14.6 megapixels and great images even at high ISO up to 1600 and beyond. Like its predecessor, the K10D, it has advanced features only found in camera costing two to three times more. It will be another success, and even bigger than the K10D.

It took about six months or more for magazines to test and write about the K10D after its introduction. It took the photographic world by surprise, in my opinion. As of this writing, the K20D is not in stores yet and Popular Photography and Shutterbug magazines have already published articles about the K20D with the camera featured on the cover. Could this be the same Pentax Company that everyone was ignoring a year ago? I?m afraid it is.

Maybe, we have to thank one person for that, at least here in the United States. It seems that as soon as Mr. Ned Bunnell was promoted to President of Pentax USA, things started to change. Full page ads started to appear in magazines, Pentax presence at trade shows increased, the Pentaxians site was created, a new Pentax Professional Services Program was instituted, etc. Changes are everywhere at Pentax USA. John Carlson has videos about Pentax DSLRs on ?You Tube? and so on. I don?t know Mr. Bunnell personally, but I had a chance to shake hands with him at the recent PMA08 in Las Vegas. For a man in his position, he seems to remain very accessible. He even has a blog site and actually takes the time to post articles fairly often. Mrs. Michelle Martin, who is the Media Contact for Pentax USA, has her email and phone number posted with every Pentax announcements and press releases on the Pentax Website. She actually answers her phone and emails. Try to reach people with the same position at Canon or Nikon!

Congratulation Mr. Bunnell for leading Pentax in a new direction and thank you for having a staff that is available and helpful. Owning a Pentax camera is not a ?cash and carry? proposition, it?s more like joining a family or being amongst friends. When you purchase a Pentax DSLR, you get all those benefits on top of owning some of the best DSLR cameras on the market for the price.

I guess you could classify me as a die hard Pentaxian. I?m proud of it.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque http://pentaxdslrs.blogspot.com/

night86mare · 26th February 2008

Originally Posted by Yvon Bourque

I guess you could classify me as a die hard Pentaxian. I?m proud of it.

i don't know about all the other stuff you have mentioned

but hey, the same applies in the clubsnap pentax community, i think many others will agree with me

and of course, aren't we all die-hard pentaxians here?

Vulpix0r · 26th February 2008

Pentax! Pentax! Now just to add more lenses to my collection! :P

NoMoney · 26th February 2008

I like your title of this thread. But I can only see from our local context which the community is very responsive and helpful. Almost forget that it is friendly and easy-going too.

Anyway, if Singapore can be marketed by Pentax "himself", I guess the community would increase @ a faster rate, just like what Canon and Nikon is doing. How I wish there is a "www.pentaxslr.com.sg"

southernoise · 26th February 2008

I don't hold such emotions towards my gear other than Pentax was there when I had limited budget. Now armed with a bunch of Pentax mount lens, there's no reason for me as a hobbyist to switch camp at all.

fengwei · 26th February 2008

Nice write up,Yvon. And welcome to the Singapore Pentaxians' Family

Was in California 9 years back, really loved the weather and fun places over there...

fengwei · 26th February 2008

Originally Posted by NoMoney

"www.pentaxslr.com.sg"

Maybe we should register one like www.pentaxians.org.sg

gigahz · 26th February 2008

Originally Posted by fengwei

Maybe we should register one like www.pentaxians.org.sg

Great Idea

Vulpix0r · 26th February 2008

Would you guys be supportive enough to maintain the cost of the webspace and bandwidth?

NoMoney · 26th February 2008

Perhaps by using a blog site to host our web?

bLuRbEnG · 26th February 2008

So wat to post there? News n stuffs on pentax and photos taken wif our pentax DSLR??

NoMoney · 26th February 2008

Our own user group mini review of equipment? Sharing of technique and of course photos?

fengwei · 26th February 2008

Actually don't need another site lah. We got ClubSnap and some other Pentax forums already, no point getting another one I guess.

Local Pentaxians just come back here once in a while, post your photos or whatever you like to share. The most important thing is to enjoy using your Pentax gear and take lots of photos

P3ntx · 26th February 2008

How incredible that you could gave us little attention..really have this feeling on what you had said.. a great family of community of Pentaxian clubsnapers we have here. Feel home here. Imagine, if we are an organisation, look at the problems solving /knowledge sharing teamwork, sometimes I ask myself what can't an organisation be like this.

ilario · 26th February 2008

As a graphic design student i saw some wonderful Pentax ads, cutting edge and creative, how much i hope they put in more effort in promotion here in Singapore! That'd change everyone's thought

I mean, almost every bus we can see Canon and Nikon!

night86mare · 26th February 2008

Originally Posted by Vulpix0r

Would you guys be supportive enough to maintain the cost of the webspace and bandwidth?

don't think cost is a problem

the problem is maintenance of the webspace and updating it

always tedious, and always gets boring after a while

bLuRbEnG · 26th February 2008

Fengwei is rite, we have clubsnap forum and other Pentax forum is more than enough...

creampuff · 26th February 2008

Maybe it's about time for a Year of the Rat Pentax photoshoot/gathering...

istDeS · 26th February 2008

Yes the Pentax community here is too small to start another site. The current pentax sites we can access is very adequate already.

istDeS · 26th February 2008

Originally Posted by creampuff

Maybe it's about time for a Year of the Rat Pentax photoshoot/gathering...

Since you bring up, maybe 21/3 Good Friday is a good date?

26th February 2008	#1
Yvon Bourque New Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: California Posts: 16	Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. Yvon Bourque, Feb 25, 2008; 02:32 a.m. It was just a little over a year ago that we started to hear about a new K10D DSLR that Pentax was about to introduce. I owned Pentax cameras all of my adult life, and after reading about the camera on every website I could find, I knew the camera would be a hit. Pentax used to be known by everyone that had anything to do with photography. They were at the forefront of the 35mm revolution. As a young boy, I remember walking to the camera stores in Montreal (That?s my birth place but I now reside is Sunny California.) and looking through the display windows, just imagining how it would be great if I could afford a new Pentax Spotmatic. I would spend countless hours reading every small Pentax ads in every magazine. Yes, I was obsessed. Many of the improvements and innovations, of Pentax in particular, were envisioned by Herbert Keppler who first worked for Modern Photography and later for Popular Photography. He was one of the first American to realized that ?Made in Japan? for cameras meant good quality at a reasonable price. Of course, German cameras were the elite camera makers at the time, but the prices were exorbitant. In the past two or three decades or so, Pentax kind of took a back seat to Nikon and Canon. I don?t exactly know why, but ask most people younger than thirty years old, and you?ll find out that most had never heard of Pentax until recently. Here in the United States, Pentax was at a standstill until after the Pentax K10D was introduced. Now with the K20D announced, there is a big buzz in the photographic world about the newest DSLR from Pentax. It boasts a new CMOS sensor with 14.6 megapixels and great images even at high ISO up to 1600 and beyond. Like its predecessor, the K10D, it has advanced features only found in camera costing two to three times more. It will be another success, and even bigger than the K10D. It took about six months or more for magazines to test and write about the K10D after its introduction. It took the photographic world by surprise, in my opinion. As of this writing, the K20D is not in stores yet and Popular Photography and Shutterbug magazines have already published articles about the K20D with the camera featured on the cover. Could this be the same Pentax Company that everyone was ignoring a year ago? I?m afraid it is. Maybe, we have to thank one person for that, at least here in the United States. It seems that as soon as Mr. Ned Bunnell was promoted to President of Pentax USA, things started to change. Full page ads started to appear in magazines, Pentax presence at trade shows increased, the Pentaxians site was created, a new Pentax Professional Services Program was instituted, etc. Changes are everywhere at Pentax USA. John Carlson has videos about Pentax DSLRs on ?You Tube? and so on. I don?t know Mr. Bunnell personally, but I had a chance to shake hands with him at the recent PMA08 in Las Vegas. For a man in his position, he seems to remain very accessible. He even has a blog site and actually takes the time to post articles fairly often. Mrs. Michelle Martin, who is the Media Contact for Pentax USA, has her email and phone number posted with every Pentax announcements and press releases on the Pentax Website. She actually answers her phone and emails. Try to reach people with the same position at Canon or Nikon! Congratulation Mr. Bunnell for leading Pentax in a new direction and thank you for having a staff that is available and helpful. Owning a Pentax camera is not a ?cash and carry? proposition, it?s more like joining a family or being amongst friends. When you purchase a Pentax DSLR, you get all those benefits on top of owning some of the best DSLR cameras on the market for the price. I guess you could classify me as a die hard Pentaxian. I?m proud of it. Thank you for reading, Yvon Bourque http://pentaxdslrs.blogspot.com/

26th February 2008	#3
Vulpix0r Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Posts: 2,792	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. Pentax! Pentax! Now just to add more lenses to my collection! :P

26th February 2008	#4
NoMoney Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ang Mo Kio Posts: 1,206	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. I like your title of this thread. But I can only see from our local context which the community is very responsive and helpful. Almost forget that it is friendly and easy-going too. Anyway, if Singapore can be marketed by Pentax "himself", I guess the community would increase @ a faster rate, just like what Canon and Nikon is doing. How I wish there is a "www.pentaxslr.com.sg" __________________ Let's get rolling :)

26th February 2008	#5
southernoise Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 525	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. I don't hold such emotions towards my gear other than Pentax was there when I had limited budget. Now armed with a bunch of Pentax mount lens, there's no reason for me as a hobbyist to switch camp at all.

26th February 2008	#6
fengwei Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bukit Gombak Posts: 9,105	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. Nice write up,Yvon. And welcome to the Singapore Pentaxians' Family Was in California 9 years back, really loved the weather and fun places over there...

26th February 2008	#11
bLuRbEnG Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 257	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. So wat to post there? News n stuffs on pentax and photos taken wif our pentax DSLR?? __________________ Pentax K20D, DA 16-45mm & DA 50-200mm

26th February 2008	#14
P3ntx Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: West Coast Road Posts: 642	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. How incredible that you could gave us little attention..really have this feeling on what you had said.. a great family of community of Pentaxian clubsnapers we have here. Feel home here. Imagine, if we are an organisation, look at the problems solving /knowledge sharing teamwork, sometimes I ask myself what can't an organisation be like this.

26th February 2008	#15
ilario Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 163	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. As a graphic design student i saw some wonderful Pentax ads, cutting edge and creative, how much i hope they put in more effort in promotion here in Singapore! That'd change everyone's thought I mean, almost every bus we can see Canon and Nikon! __________________ Functional disorder

26th February 2008	#18
creampuff Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: East side Posts: 3,364	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. Maybe it's about time for a Year of the Rat Pentax photoshoot/gathering... __________________ http://ideastoprint.blogspot.com/

26th February 2008	#19
istDeS Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: "River end" Posts: 2,916	Re: Owning a Pentax DSLR is more like being part of a family. Yes the Pentax community here is too small to start another site. The current pentax sites we can access is very adequate already.