GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Pentax is a very good brand and just like other brands you have to be prepared. By that I mean you need backups of just about everything. Camera, lenses (at least have overlapping abilities), strobes, etc.

Mine have never really failed me but as a "pro" once you setup a shoot, you never cancel. Clients do not understand your problems!

I'm very carefully with my equipment but what do you do if something happens? Pull out a backup. That leads to my next part, availability.

Unless you plan ahead, local stores rarely have Pentax equipment. For whatever reason let's say you need a camera. At least a simple Canon or Nikon or even Sony can be obtained locally. Not so with Pentax. Again, be prepared!

zigipha Loc: north nj

remember - professional simply means someone is making money off of it; does not reflect level of ability, talent or knowledge.

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

What does that mean?

picturesofdogs Loc: Dallas, Texas.

Some here seem to think the term professional implies divine blessing. There are "pro's" I wouldn't let photograph my dogs in the back yard.

Pro just means you're getting paid. I would have to think anyone so harshly critical of someone wanting to become pro is somewhat insecure in their own abilities. No one is born an expert.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Agreed.
If you don't know the answer, ask.
One could spend days researching something, or ask a question and get answers that may help reduce the researching.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

:thumbup:

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

As a quick aside, and I'm not a tax person, but you should check with your tax person about how you can write off professional expenses. In some areas you have to actually be in business or start making money before you can write off equipment/travel/etc. as business expenses. If you're going to seriously be a professional this could make a huge difference in the cost of your new equipment.

Good luck!

fantom Loc: Colorado

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Gendarme Loc: Katy, TX

Asking in a forum is part of the research. You can look at specs all day, but talking to real users is a must.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

I would agree with Lighthouse that if you have to ask this you're no where near ready to be a professional... if you actually know what the word "professional" means - as in making your living as a photographer.

I'd suggest you look around at various brands. My favorite happens to be Canon.

bicyclerepairman Loc: North Central Texas

I have also noticed a fair amount of condescending and rude comments. I think there needs to be a "rude dude" section on this site where they can gather and happily insult each other.

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

Not true. While all the Pentax lenses will work on their crop sensor camera bodies, they still manufacture FA series and others that are designed to work on and cover the sensor of a full frame body.

And the FF body is not a rumor. It has been announced by Ricoh and the recent release of two pro-level zooms fully supports this.

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

I agree. But I also think that those who come here would have done some research on their own and/or asked themselves some questions such as what do I want to do with photography, what interests me, what do I like to shoot, what are my goals, hobby profession or something in between. When they come in and ask, what camera should I get. The door is so wide open that I don't think anyone could even answer it without qualifying and quantifying the question. If you even google the web with "what camera should I get?", you're going to get, the top 10 digital cameras for 2015, Dpreview buying guide and so much more.

What I find amazing is that some will actually answer the question and it is usually with what I have in my bag, if not always. That leads to 20 or more similar responses without ever considering budget, goals, abilities, etc.

No one should be treated poorly but I don't have a issue in politely redirecting the OP to other resources and then encouraging the OP to come back here for further mentoring.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Welcome to UHH!

Without knowing a lot more about your plans, it's very difficult to make recommendations.

For one, Pentax makes good gear and more than a few pros use them. Like all camera brands, Pentax has strengths and weaknesses. But, for many specific types of photography, a Pentax can do as well, maybe even better than some other brands of cameras.

You didn't mention what Pentax and lenses you got. That would be the first thing we need to know.

Next, what specific type of professional photography would you like to do and what is your level of experience at this point?

What, if any, shortcomings of the Pentax gear you have now do you feel are preventing you from making the shots you need to make professionally?

Armed with that info, we might be in better position to advise. But, to a professional their camera and lenses are tools to do a job.... And most will only buy what's needed for the job they plan on doing. Hobbyists, on the other hand, often will buy gear just for the sheer joy of owning and experimenting with, and are often a lot quicker to buyt the "latest and greatest". Truth is, it's rare that new gear will ever make anyone a "better photographer" and there are often ways that they could have achieved pretty much as good results with their "old" gear. There's also something to be said for shooting with "familiar" gear, so that you aren't distracted by learning new control layouts and wading through a maze of unfamiliar features, so you can concentrate on the image, not just standing there scratching your head about how to make the gear do what you need it to do.

Some previous posts have also tried to make another points... in some cases rather unkindly... that once you have gained some experience you will probably be able to answer the question yourself, for the large part. You'll pretty quickly get a good idea what your needs are and whether or not Pentax can meet those needs. As of now, without any further info, it's probably best to stick with, learn to use and get the best out of what you've got... before switching brands or investing a lot more in gear.

The "basics" of shooting are little different brand to brand, and can be as well learned on a Pentax as with a Sony, Canon, Nikon, Olympus or any other DSLR.

Scubie Loc: Brunswick Georgia

I finally went all digital and I will never go back to film, unless it is medium format. I still have a pentax 645 for my pro work....