So...I just bought a much sought after decent copy of the A35-105/3.5. 2nd copy I've seen in some months on Pentax Forums. I only need a couple more lenses to really complete my kit. I want a semi-decent MF 300mm prime, a fast 85mm, a 100mm macro (though I find my 16-45 with extension tube is *very* macro capable as is my FA 28-80....) and a good old M 135/3.5 would be a nice edition for some portrait work too. These old lenses are super well built and should last me some years. I have a growing collection of digital lenses too. I'd love a limited or two to add in....one day. My point is that I love old Pentax glass, and there seems to be no shortage of it going for alright prices. I know I love to whine when I notice KEH magically nearly doubles their prices overnight, but in reality this is a good thing anyways. Scarcity increases value and the way things are going, all of my glass will likely sell more for what I bought it for. When I look at what it would cost to replace some of my most used lenses in Canikon flavors, I cringe because I'm still getting amazing bang for my buck. People seem to love my pictures too, and I love the way old glass renders images. I think it is somewhat unique in a world when 90% of people out there are shooting canikon and using the same small set of lenses. If I had a bit more cash going on, I would love to get an old 67 and switch my film work from 35mm to 6x7. I'm not feeling overly optimistic about how Pentax has progressed since Ricoh bought them, but at the same time, that was their swan song and their only chance at staying as a camera manufacturer. Without Ricoh, Pentax wouldn't exist today. It seems like they might be content just keeping it a boutique brand. I hope that isn't the case, but without seeing new compelling products instead of a few rebadged compacts and a slew of rehashed DSLRs built on mostly 2010 technology, not to mention that Q10 and now Q7 are just only marginally better. The Q7 was a nice move, but they couldn't even redesign the shell for a new sensor? I don't get it. As polarizing as the K-01 and K-30 were, they were *different* and interesting. Now we just get some DSLRs that are basically a K-30 with a new shell. Even the buttons are in the same exact place, so we can gather that the internals are 99% the same as the K-30. Meh. We need a true K-5 replacement. Badly. I'm sure that the next few generations of DSLRs will be ok, but on the day that they abandon the DSLR or K-mount, I will be certainly looking long and hard at another system. For right now, the combination of tough bodies, weather sealing, decent to amazing IQ, vintage glass, and the best DSLR ergonomics ever are working well for me and what I want to do. As long as it says pentax across the pentaprism housing and takes my lenses I don't ultimately care if Hoya or Ricoh or even Quantaray own it. Ok...maybe not quantaray...but still.....
I like Ricoh and their GR-D camera is a stunning piece of technology, so I wish them the best. I just hope they don't give up on Pentax or cannibalize whats' left of it. I want to still be a Pentaxian 10 years from now. Its true about it being like Hotel California. Pentax for life! (and yes I'm likely just a blind, idiotic fanboy....the K-1000 and later K-7 both won my heart so sue me....) On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 6:51 PM, Zos Xavius <[email protected]> wrote: > The sony proprietary hot shoe was NEX only I believe....(I could be > wrong), but I believe that sony is going back to a standard hot shoe > that will take mostly anything. > > On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 6:43 PM, P.J. Alling <[email protected]> > wrote: >> I remember reading that Sony has replaced the Minolta proprietary hot shoe >> with something else weather it's another proprietary mount based on the ISO >> standard or something else, I don't know. The local Camera store that >> carries Sony only has the NEX line in stock. >> >> >> On 7/3/2013 6:10 PM, John Sessoms wrote: >>> >>> From: "P.J. Alling" >>>> >>>> When Pentax was first acquired by Ricoh, I read on someone's photography >>>> blog that Ricoh, wanted a prestige name on a prestige product, but >>>> unfortunately between Ricoh and Pentax they thought that Ricoh was the >>>> prestige name. Pentax/Ricoh imaging was just an interim name until the >>>> merger of assets was complete. Will they rebrand the SLR line as Ricoh, >>>> who knows but if they didn't intend to continue making SLR's Ricoh could >>>> have killed the K-50 and K-500. They didn't so we'll just have to wait >>>> and see. >>> >>> >>> I don't really care if the name on the front of the camera or the lenses >>> is Pentax or Ricoh, as long as my K-mount lenses still work & we don't >>> go back to the days of that problem where the lenses got stuck & you >>> couldn't get them to come off. >>> >>> Sony bought Minolta & the name went away. But, old Minolta lenses are >>> still compatible with Sony's Minolta lens mount (AFAIK) & you still have >>> to use an adapter to mount a hot-shoe flash on that funky proprietary >>> mount Minolta had. >>> >>> So, I don't think this is the end of the world ... YET. >>> >> >> >> -- >> There are two kinds of computer users those who've experienced a hard drive >> failure, and those that will. >> >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
