My first SLR way back when, was a Pentax. I think it was a Pentax P30n. Then I hit the mark when I got hold af a Pentax LX and a MX along with a 100mm f/2.8 Macro and 35mm f/2.8. I was completely sold. I also owned a couple of autofocus models. First the SF7, which was crap, then the Mz5 which was a really nice camera. Before I sold out, the Mz5 was the companion camera for the LX. It had a traditional shutter wheel, and control ergonomics that felt much like the LX.
The LX was the nicest (is that a word??) camera I’ve ever owned and used. It was small and fairly light. It had moderate weather sealing, and very robust. The auto exposure was very unique, used only by Pentax and Olympus, with TTL reading for ordinary exposures as well as flash. The meter measured the light that reflected off the film during exposure, and closed the shutter when it was enough. Really good for low light shots. It also had a very precise film advance mechanism that enabled you wo rewind to a previous shot on the roll and do a second exposure. On lots of other cameras you could see the spacing between the frames vary, but not on the LX. The handeling was excellent, and the controls was very traditional. It was a camera I could use very fast. Unfortunately I sold it off during my student days. I needed the money to buy into a sailplane (yes, a real plane you sit in and fly, but without an engine).
When I started my quest into digital photography, I instinctively headed over to the Pentax shelves, but at the time it seemed like Pentax had wandered into the dark age with both their dSLRs and their lenses. I went for Canon instead. My Canon gear have seen a lot of use. The 5D is a work horse that produces really nice images, and the lenses are stellar, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as I went for L-glass. But there are some issues. As much as I want to like it, the ergonomics of the knobs and buttons are not quite fit for me. I just can’t get used to it. Also, the gear is very bulky. The lenses, apart from being big and heavy, has only one slight disadvantage. The multicoating is not as good as Pentax SMC. Even the old glass I used to have behaved better when pointed at the sun than the expensive modern Canon glass I own.
Oh, and the viewfinders; The Canon 5D has a very good reputation for a big and bright viewfinder these days. A couple of years back, I found my old Pentax Mz5, which I didn’t sell for some reason, and I was shocked when I looked through it. the Mz5 is a very small camera, smaller than all of todays “small” dSLRs, more like the Panasonic G1. The viewfinder, on the other hand was way bigger and brighter than the Canon 5D. I had a comparable lens on it, a 28-70 f/4 vs. EF24-105 f/4. The prism house was so much smaller to look at than on the Canon, and Pentax also managed to squeeze in a pop up flash as well. But the view …… aaah .. somthing to kill for. And worth mentioning, this was the low end model at the time. I had about the same viewfinder experience when I looked through a Canon 1Ds mkIII the other day, but this camera was also equipped with the 85mm f/1.2 lens.
Well, a couple of years has passed by, and Pentax has found their way back into the sun. The lens lineup is better than ever, and the newly announced K7 seems like a real killer. I’m going to be first in line to try it out when it hit the stores this summer. The K7 with its weather sealing, small size and 100% viewfinder. As much as I like my Canon lenses, I will definitely consider the K7 when it comes. Combine it with a 16-50mm f/2.8 and a 50-135mm/f2.8, it should be a good replacement for my Canon gear. Add the 55mm f1.4 and the 21mm as well, and it may well be a killer kit.
Good thing the camera isn’t in the stores yet so I’m forced to think it through.
If I’m going down that path, maybe I should start with the K7 and only the two mentioned primes. It could be healthy for my photography.
I know what you mean. I had 2 Pentax MXes and an SF-1. I liked the manual MXes better–it was a great backpacking camera and I put a lot of rolls of kodachrome and fujichrome through it.
The K7 looks great. Personally, I’ve got a Panasonic GH1 on order and I’m interested to see if I’m going to like it or not.
I have looked at the Panasonic too, but not held in my hands yet. The advantage is that you can use Leica glass, but there is not that much system lenses to choose from yet.
I’ve never owned a Pentax, but I do know what you mean about the feel of a Canon. I had always shot Minolta and when I decided to step up to a DSLR, I looked at both Canon and Nikon. I got to play with them both and, by far, the Nikon felt a lot better in my hands and the controls seemed to make since, so that’s what I shoot.
It will be interesting to see what happens if you get your hands on a K7 and a good lens.
I have owned a LX and K2 since 1981 and IMHO the LX is the best designed, best thought out, most beautiful, easiest to use 35mm SLR ever made by any manufacturer. I bought it at the time after using Nikons and all the so-called pros telling me that ‘pros’ only use Nikons or Canons…you know what I say? SO WHAT?
Nothing beats Pentax ergonomics and nothing has excited me in cameras since that time until now. The K7 has captured my imagination like the LX did and is a thing of beauty to lust after. The equivalent Nikons and Canons D300 and 5D are by comparison to the Pentax footprint clunky, heavy, unwieldy bricks and I cannot imagine why anyone would want to carry them around all day. It would ruin my enjoyment of photography. Way to go Pentax! I hope they have found their way back into the sun as you say.