The Cameras
This list was written to accompany the Exhibition Odyssey. It is by no means a definitive list of all the cameras I have used and owned over the years only those that have served as my primary camera at some time.
I've dabbled with a lot of cameras from Canon and Nikon to Sony but have always returned to Pentax. In the beginning this was very much driven by cost. As time passed and technology developed etc. I found that other brands became less intuitive and practical to use to me personally and in some cases simply didn't feel right in the hand.
The classic 35mm SLR well known to most if not all photographers. Introduced in 1976 and only ceasing production in 1997. A hugely popular camera with photographers being robust and uncomplicated to use. I used this almost exclusively from 1992 until 2006.
Released in 2005 and part of the first DSLR range produced by Pentax. Once I had this camera I knew there was no returning to film. It was not my first digital camera as I owned several point and shoots, but it was my first DSLR.
Released in 2006 and ceased in 2008 the K10D was a significant upgrade on the *ist DL. I’d been asked to cover a wedding that year I knew I needed a primary and a secondary just in case, so it was a good investment.
The K-5 entered my service in 2012. It was a steal as it was only produced between 2010 & 2012 so was considered end of line. Again, a significant upgrade on the K10D which became my secondary.
I forget what happened to the K10D but in 2017 I invested in my current primary, the K-3-II which was produced from 2015 until 2018. This camera is my favourite DSLR to date having benefitted from Pentax’s own journey into digital photography.