I have, for my sins, always been a Nikon user. However, having used Nikon for many many years (forgetting of course that my first camera was a Pentax ME), I was becoming very frustrated for various reasons. I sold all my Nikon Kit ... and was in a state of confusion as what to buy next. And then, by chance, I happened to be searching the Net and on this occasion was pointed to a site about spotty dogs. I opened the web page and saw a picture that my dad took, with his Pentax when I was 12, and that was nearly 40 years ago. I shook as it was one of the last pictures he had taken before he died in 1969 ... I made my mind up .. I invested in a Pentax. To honour him perhaps .. but his image lasted a long time .. so maybe mine will. Thank you Pentax.

Clutching my brand new Pentax ME Super I climbed the steep gangway of the merchant ship, MV Andes, and set sail from Birkenhead to Panama. Between stints of chipping rust, I soon learnt how to use this wonderfully compact camera. Ten weeks in the humid rainforests of Costa Rica followed. The photos I took financed further adventures in Peru, India and Uganda. The camera never failed me. Then I lent it to my young nephew... He put it on the roof of his car and drove off. Despite a dented lens it still works perfectly as backup for my MZ-5N.

Clambering over the portrait background, a flower clad balcony of my Dad’s studio, I slid down the post that held it up, raced to the bank, withdrew my weekend earnings and exchanged them all for the camera proffered by a couple who’d turned up at the local photographer’s to see if they could flog it. I’d been accidentally locked in the studio whilst churning out newspaper wedding prints. My bid for freedom procured my first camera, which it turned out, was a Pentax ME Super. It opened up my world, literally! I’ve been a loyal Pentax Girl ever since.

I bought a Spotmatic after seeing a photographer saved by one in Vietnam. He was tagging along with my platoon when we drew fire. We took cover and returned fire. The photographer, who was looking for a picture to die for, so to speak, must have been given away by the reflection from his lens as a shot knocked the camera out of his hands. The bullet had entered the front element of the lens and come out the side. The photographer changed the lens and went on shooting – more carefully. That was when I became a Pentaxian!

1979 and a twelve year old boy stares longingly at the glossy brochures promoting the Pentax MV and MV1, the Japanese geisha looked amazing. Way out of my pocket money buying power. I then saw a second hand Pentax SV in my local photography shop (still now trading). I had been given an Olympus Trip for my birthday, so when it was plain to my parents that photography was here to stay, given my bedroom darkroom, they gave in to my pleading and paid £30 for the SV. This camera took my most personal image i have ever taken.

I’d always been interested in photography but as a mum with two small kids, I couldn’t really afford it. Then digital arrived… I scraped up £100 and bought a cheapie - a Mustek GSmart. Image quality was rubbish but I was in love. Snap, delete, snap again. Fabulous! A year later I bought a Minolta Dimage but I took it back when a software problem developed. Then it happened again. Finally a nice man at Jessops steered me towards a Pentax El-200. ‘Do yourself a favour, lass’ he said kindly. ‘Better camera’. Bless him! I never looked back.

To my obvious delight, my Dad bought me an ME super for my 16th birthday. I had admired its beautiful design and simple functionality and wondered why so many competing cameras were so large, unwieldy and ugly. It was as good to use as it was to look at, and a joy to take anywhere and everywhere. To this day, the ME super works flawlessly, testament to the great design and workmanship. Great to see the digital models continuing the design philosophy but with all the modern features that make photography so much easier, and dare I say, more creative.

It's not much of a story, but I bought my MX whilst at university in London about 1978 and slowly built up a collection of M-Series lenses, mainly buying secondhand - the 35 mm f2.8 was always my favourite! Many, many rolls of film later and whilst looking rather battered, it's been back to Pentax once already and might be going again shortly, the camera still works, the lenses are still sharp, smooth and clear. Absolutely brilliant, not least the build quality puts much modern kit to shame.

I brought my Pentax back in the 80's . It had to be a Program A, couldn't afford its big brother the 'Super A' . I kept it for twenty years, never needed anything else. Its still in my camera bag but sadly not used anymore. I went though far too much film far too quickly with it. I remember, sorting out a film jam under bed covers in a darkened room. The manual focus, just before auto-focus was invented. Photographing a friends wedding and managing to annoy the official photographer. Holiday photos taken on the Norfolk broads.

I was using my fab Pentax 67II with 135mm macro lens one day. It was mounted on a Benbo tripod at a low level, to get a close-up of the bark of a young birch. After moving the tripod back and forth and up and down for about 10 minutes to get the best shot, a lady walked by saying "You're what I call a proper photographer." Before I could respond she'd gone. Was it the effort I'd put in to get the shot? Actually I think it was because she felt I was using a 'proper' camera.

It was love at first sight! You were beautiful to hold and behold. Strong, reliable, reasonable; we grew intuitively together in confidence and expression. You exposed me to new perspectives and we travelled the world together. Then it happened. I fell in lust with another body, and let you go to someone who had always had their eyes on you. And now my heart aches when I see them holding you; so focused and composed. They don't make them like you anymore! I miss you badly. I want you back! "The grass isn't always greener!" Forgivness K, 100xs, D!

I'll keep this short and sweet just incase you don't read it :) I purchased my first pentax mz-30 10 years ago in canada, I couldn't wait to use it!! The time of year my family and i were there was salmon run season, i was only 16. We drove down to the river with a friend of ours that lived in british colombia, she knew all the hot spots. The very first picture i took was of a bear covered in blood across the other side of the river eating a huge salmon, It's still my favourate picture, it probably always will be. I still have the same camera now and i'll be taking it to alaska next year, it's never let me down.. james