[UPDATE: All five slots are already filled. If all goes smoothly, we can do it again.]
The Online Photographer now owns a loaner Pentax Monochrome camera, brand new, that I can send to TOP readers who might be interested in trying it. v
Does that sound like fun?
You don't need to own or shoot Pentax—a complete set of all you need will be included. Except you'll have to provide your own card.
To play, you need only be an established commenter. I can instantly call up commenting history for any reader: how long you've been commenting, how many comments you've made, and all the comments themselves. There won't be any minimum number of comments or cutoff line for how long you've been commenting or anything like that. All I ask is that I be able to see that you're someone who's been around and engaged with TOP for a while, so that I know you're a "friendly" and that you know our culture. If that's the case, I'll trust you with no questions asked.
This is not sponsored by Pentax USA or any other corporate or retail entity.
Here's the deal: I'll ship it anywhere in the contiguous 48 United States, along with a Pentax lens or two. You agree to treat it nice and be careful with it, try it for 10 days or fewer, then ship it along to the next person whose address I'll provide. Shipping it forward will be the only cost you'll incur.
In return, you'll agree to write a short post about your experience to share here on the blog.
The post should be standard TOP blog-post specs: 750 words give or take 500; one to three illustrations.
You can write about any aspect of it you like: what you did with it, what your experience was like, your impressions, your opinion, your feeling about the results, technical analysis of some aspect or other, what you compared it to, how you like the files, whether you enjoyed it or were frustrated by it—whatever you want. NOT ALL of those things are required; any one would be enough. Or something else. Actually nothing specific is required. It's open. You can write anything you care to about your trial period. You decide.
Don't worry if you're not an experienced or able writer, or not a native English speaker. We have a good editor (me).
Illustrations can be pictures you took with the camera; pictures of the camera; a film B&W picture of your own for comparison, perhaps; a graph or chart; or anything you think is pertinent to, or that illustrates, whatever you care to share. It's up to you. I'll include the simple specs in the box.
Let's limit this to five people, say, to begin with. If it's popular and everything goes smoothly, we'll continue.
[UPDATE: All five slots are already filled. If all goes smoothly, we can do it again.]
Call it "The Nomad Pentax."
I think that's everything. Interested readers can reply in the Comments Section (won't be published).
Sounds like fun to me.
Mike
Original contents copyright 2025 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)
Featured Comments from:
I would be interested, but don't need to be in the 1st 5 slots. Thanks!
Posted by: Andre Y | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 04:35 PM
What a great idea! I'm looking forward to the results.
Posted by: Bob Keefer | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 04:38 PM
What a great idea.
And no, I'm not trying to cheat my way into this. I've commented before and I'm in the UK. :-)
With my X-eX cameras and now with my x100vi I often set to one flavour or other of B&W - I really need to "see" rather than "visualise" in B&W.
[If this works, maybe we can do a round in the UK in the future. It would only have to go across the ocean twice. --Mike]
Posted by: Andy | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 04:54 PM
What a great idea! I can't join in as I'm in the UK, but I have the original, technicolor K3iii and I like it very much. I'm looking forward to what the lucky folk who get to use the Monochrome have to say about it.
I'm also wondering which lenses they'll get to use with it.
Posted by: Roger Bradbury | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 05:11 PM
Interesting concept… A pity I am slightly outside the contiguous 48.
Looking forward to the reports already.
Posted by: Matt O’Brien | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 05:17 PM
This sounds fascinating - I'd love to compare the output in low light vs a full frame camera (A Zf in B/W mode) and my 720NM IR Z6, which often serves as my 'Black and White' body in harsh, bright sun where my brain doesn't 'work' for color.
This sounds like fun, and very interested in see folk's take on the camera. (normally post as Rob L.)
Posted by: Robert Landrigan | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 05:20 PM
So cool!
Posted by: Carlos Quijano | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 05:23 PM
This sounds very interesting! As a Pentax Monochrome owner, I don't need to be involved in the loan, but I'll be really interested to read the thoughts of those who borrow it (and, of course, your thoughts as well).
Posted by: Andrew L | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 07:10 PM
I'm in Australia. How about if I buy one myself?
Of course, my wife would divorce or murder me. So there is that.
[We'd rather have you stick around. —Mike]
Posted by: Kye Wood | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 07:23 PM
First off, I am not putting myself in the running for this loaner, it would not result in any useful information for those that really want to know the potential of this camera. I just had to comment on this offer from Mike... Wow! I've visited and participated on many sites in the last 25 years and have never seen such a terrific treatment of the participants by the moderator/owner.
Very nice, Mike. Good luck to those salivating to get picked.
Posted by: Albert Smith | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 07:35 PM
I would love to be included in your list of Nomad testers. Although, I think I have only commented one or maybe two times. Please.
Posted by: Jim Palmer | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 08:21 PM
Hey, Mike! This is a funny time to post my first comment to you (after having been a regular reader for, I dunno 15 years? And sorry! I just don’t really comment on much on the internets), and I swear I’m not commenting in a bid to try out the Pentax (honestly, it’s not for me). But I just wanted to tell you how happy this lovely little camera-share experiment has made me. Society (online or not) could use more exercises in community and trust and creativity like this. So, thanks!
And thank you for, you know, all of this for all this time.
Posted by: Mike Conley | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 08:58 PM
Being a Pentax user who loves b&w this would be a dream come true.
Posted by: Stephen Cowdery | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 10:39 PM
I owned a Pentax Monochrome for a few months, and although the quality was very good, I didn't fall in love with the camera's ergonomics. It will be interesting to get others' points of view, and I applaud you doing this for your readers.
I've experimented with various monochrome cameras including the M9M, M246, and Q2M. Of those, the Q2M was by far the best (amazing image quality), but 28mm isn't my gig. I currently have a 720nm IR converted Fuji X-T30II, which is quite fun. Fuji needs to make a monochrome version of the X-T5 or one of their GF cameras.
Posted by: Doug Vaughn | Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 11:51 PM
This sounds like a lot of fun! I like the idea of crowdsourcing the testing from the community here.
There was one thing yesterday I realised: not everyone now has access to a camera shop to try these cameras. I guess you can rent them but it is not the same.
I got that realisation when I finally ordered a print from Picto, a printer based in Bastille, Paris. It was ready the next day, so on pickup I go in and ask if I could see the print. Sure go ahead, help yourself, and he pointed to the left.
There was a massive print viewing station with appropriate lighting, gloves, tape to repack the print, and blades to open it. It was bigger and better than any print viewing conditions I had at home. I was completely blown away.
But then I thought: who actually ever gets to do this? Who lives in a large town with a good printer? Not everyone, that's for sure.
That's why I love this idea of a floating review system. The opportunity to try something new and great shouldn't be constrained to where you live or where you are.
Pak
Posted by: Pak-Ming Wan | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 02:07 AM
I've been retired for several years now, but my immediate gut reaction was "Oh no. Another test camera incoming".
Posted by: Luke | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 06:55 AM
Parallel, but slightly off topic ….
I’ve owned a Pentax “Monochrome” since November 1963. Shot a lot of b/w pictures with that S1a.
Thing is, those old monochromes now produce wonderful colour images, using Adobe’s Photoshop Colorize (OK, 85% of the time, with AI).
Posted by: XK50 | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 09:35 AM
I'm extremely interested, Mike!!!! I've been shooting black and white film for the past five years and have often wondered about shooting digital.
Posted by: Bob Rosinsky | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 09:51 AM
I am not in the running as I had a LUMIX converted by the same man who did your Sigma. I love it and will be interested in seeing the comments. I think that monochrome cameras appeal more to people who print than to others. You can’t match the look with a Bayer array in my experience.
Posted by: James Weekes | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 11:33 AM
I’m not a regular. I’m a long time reader, but not a regular commenter so I won’t ask. But I do want to say this is a great thing you’re doing… Props to you!
Matt
Posted by: Matt Stevens | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 12:15 PM
Longtime Pentax dslr user here who has just started shooting bw film on my very old Pentax Program Plus. Would have loved to try the mono but am Canadian so don't qualify. I am very much looking forward to the results of your project.
Posted by: Mark Richards | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 01:34 PM
This is a wild and crazy idea! Amazing and well done.
I think you are wise to stick to the US though (as much as that pains me as a Canadian). I looked into some loaner camera gear from a US dealer and the hassle of dealing with customs killed that fast. There's a non-zero chance that I would have to pay duties as it crosses into Canada, and that the dealer would have to pay them on the way back. It's very cumbersome, and now with the tariff madness, likely worse.
I look forward to reading the short pieces that people who get their hands on this camera submit.
Posted by: Rob de Loe | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 03:08 PM
I got all excited there, even though I don't know if I'm an "established commenter". Then I saw the contiguous US states. Sigh. I'd have paid the extra postage...
Posted by: Keith | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 05:10 PM
I love this idea! I would be interested.
Posted by: Lisa s. Gorrell | Friday, 18 July 2025 at 07:20 PM
this is the best idea since the first print sales.
Posted by: peter lenz | Saturday, 19 July 2025 at 07:12 AM
@James Weekes "I had a LUMIX converted by the same man who did your Sigma," I'd love to know what model Lumix, as I keep eyeballing my GX8 for conversion.
Agreed re printing; using a carbon based inkset ramps up the pleasure.
Posted by: MikeR | Saturday, 19 July 2025 at 10:09 AM
This is really kind of you, Mike - I have two monochrome cameras and have learned to love how they render, working with them is a very different mental process for me than shooting with color. I’m looking forward to the user reports.
Posted by: Ken Ford | Saturday, 19 July 2025 at 10:53 AM
I had K-3 III Mono back in Feb. 2024 and did comparison with some other monochrome (custom made, debayered) cameras like K-1 Monochrome and Nikon D850 Monochrome.
Posted by: MG Leisure Monochrome conversions | Sunday, 20 July 2025 at 12:30 AM