My Bad?

[francis lee]

So... what’s bad taste? Friends & relatives alike have been commenting about my preferences or taste over my choice of uh... anything to everything!

Bad taste or is it bad choice? Was it given or is it even an option to begin with, in the first place???

My photography buddies, friends & colleagues, some wonders… some puzzled & some even laughed when they found out that I’m a Pentax user. Well especially when its coming from the point that I’m actually a Photographer & I ought to be using ‘real’ camera like any of those Nikon or Canon chaps; never mind if they’re professionals or not.

Well, I have no doubt that those Nikon & Canon are good cameras & in fact! They are in many ways better than my Pentax. Period! Then why the hell am I still holding on to Pentax for the last 29 years? To be honest here, my 7 years with the press has seen me buying off my company’s expendable photographic equipment at a low low price & they are in perfect working condition. Nikons & Canons… I kept them for awhile & gave them all to my beloved students; Yes… Gave and kept my Pentax.

So… the million dollar question on your mind probably... “Is Pentax that good?”

A sure ‘Yes’ from me & of course the other brands are offering lots of singing & dancing features that my Pentax don’t because it rely on me, the photographer to do the singing & dancing (and I’m good…) performances. Most were overly overkill in terms of putting bells & whistles on to a light-proof box or the currently digital cam. My Pentax makes me a better photographer as it assures me that there are no short-cut (in which there already is…see others!) in learning photography.

Ok… guess a better explanation is I was born in a poor family. I understood what poverty is & knows how to appreciate what real & true values can do to one’s life. Hardship is nothing as it will make me a better person, a stronger person. Now, I'm a working adult & I can afford the better things in life because of …??? poverty & my poor parents. I’m better off now doesn’t mean I’m about to change my parents because they were once poor. This is about reflection; this is about the environment that moulds a person.

I travel to photograph as a hobby & in an unexpected turn, photography allows me to travel the world & document it. It sits me in the Business cabin without forking out a single cent. It pays for the bread (sometimes dipped in shark-fin soup) on the table & food for the soul. It shows me the most beautiful side of mankind & also her freaking side… This is what photography gave me, this is what Pentax show me. My Pentax makes me realized that… I learnt from it & it grew with me. Can you betray it? Can you sell your parents? Not me.

So there you have it people… all about my bad taste and I chose to stick with it even if its bad to you, its my life… Be interesting.

[Craig]

You're Good!

[blackcloudbrew]

Right on!

Tim

[Ferry_Cung]

Just Do It With Pentax

[spyglass]

I don't think it matters what make of recording device you ultimately use...... it is the individual behind it that makes it fly. People that get caught up in name brands, egos, gadgets, or always having the best tend to spend more time and energy in that pursuit instead of honing their skills and expanding their imagination. Being able to envision a shot, see potential all around you, create images that affect people on a personal level, and have a solid working knowledge of how a camera works is 90%.

Don't let the horde pull you down.....with assimilation, commercially driven brain washing, and theft of personal identity.

"The best choice is your own choice" 


Spyglass

[JIMBO]

Francis, I don't think it would matter what equipment you used. Your photo's speak for them selves and I think you could make a phone camera picture look great. I am always first drawn to the under dog when it comes to equipment like this. I use the Palm phone [about the same market share on phones as Pentax does on cameras] Anyway, I am glad you shoot Pentax for only one reason. I get to enjoy your photo's on this web site! JIM

[francis lee]

Thank you all ! My exact sentiment...
We ought to spend more time polishing our photography skill rather than to engage in this mindless argument over equipment.

Cheers to all !!!

francis

[mjwooten]

Good Morning! I echo Spyglass' sentiment.  My first REAL 35MM film camera was a gift from my, still a good friend, first ex wife!  K1000 with a sunpak flash.  After two or three rolls of film, the manual metering, though not always spot on, I developed a knack for looking at a scene, checking the meter....and dialing in the exposure/shutter speed. No "A" on the lens, no "A" setting on the camera...figure it out...then shoot.  It endured rain, sleet and even some snow for 17 years and, although I admired the Super Program and dreamed of owning one with an auto winder, I stayed true.  In 2002, hard times befell me and I had to sell it all.  However, when I got back into photography in 2004, there was no doubt the road I would choose...Pentax.  Like selecting a car that, no matter the brand, gets you from point A to point B, it's a personal choice and a "comfort zone".  Pentax is my "comfort zone" and probably always will be. 

Well spoken and well said by all!