1970s Pentax Advertisements

[Steve Roberts]

Hi All,

As part of my general interest in photography, I accumulate (I wouldn't go so far as to say "collect"!) Pentax 35mm SLRs up to and including the K series. Along with that interest, I also keep a watchful eye out for Pentax advertising material, which I usually laminate and stick on the walls of the darkroom. A series of ads I've always admired is that showing the Pentaxes belonging to various noteworthy individuals. Thus we have a shot of a battered Pentax SV captioned "Ken Russell's Pentax" and at the bottom of the page the terrific slogan "Your Pentax becomes a part of you." Other notables' Pentaxes include David Bailey, Spike Milligan, Terence Conran, Henry Fox Talbot (no, I'm kidding on the last one!)

My question is whether anyone knows whether the cameras did indeed belong to those individuals in the truest, literal sense? Alternatively, did Pentax roll up at David Bailey's house one day, present him with a Pentax and say "Now we've given you your own Pentax, can we take a shot of it?" Thirdly, was it (as my suspicious nature leads me to believe) just a blatant con and the people named never actually even set eyes on the cameras depicted?

It was a well-conceived advertising campaign but I would love to know the truth thirty plus years later! All comments and thoughts gratefully received!

Best wishes,

Steve

 

[BradS]

Welll, I don't have any evidence or facts either way but, I suspect that they were "half truths". That is to say, that those photogographers mentioned in the ads did in fact own and use the type but, not the exact one pictured in the ad.

 

[pentaxuser]

Maybe in the 70s there was less risk of trouble with celebs if you used half truths although Bailey as a pro might have had something to say about it! Much more recently David Suchet( He of Poirot et alia fame) featured in the Nikon user magazine. He was/is a genuine Nikon user. Film user then maybe the "other" now. I don't know. I think he accepted an honorary position such as President. So, based on this, it seems likely that they did use Pentaxes or were happy to become users once presented with one, free of charge.

Pentax were a force to be reckoned with then even if it did lose its way much later compared to Nikon and Canon.

pentaxuser

 

[mcfactor]

It's chronologically impossible (according to wikipedia) for Henry Fox Talbot to have owned a Pentax. The Pentax company was created in 1919 in Japan and Talbot died in 1877. Its misleading to say the least to use his name in an advertisement for a japanese camera that was made almost 100 years after his death.

 

[pentaxuser]

It's chronologically impossible (according to wikipedia) for Henry Fox Talbot to have owned a Pentax. The Pentax company was created in 1919 in Japan and Talbot died in 1877. Its misleading to say the least to use his name in an advertisement for a japanese camera that was made almost 100 years after his death.

What!!! I got my pentax strictly on the basis that Fox Talbot had used one. I've been to his house and there is even a pentax in his museum along with other good cameras. I thought that explained why some of the shots on the walls were much better than the earlier one of a window. Very grainy it was. Probably a box camera and chinese film, I thought.

You can't trust anybody these days.

Ah! I have looked again and the OP has in fact admitted that he was just kidding about Fox Talbot being a pentax user

Just to let everybody know that I am a pentax user. I kid you not

pentaxuser

 

[MattKing]

Is there a(n) "I'm pulling your leg" smiley? If not, there should be .

Matt

 

[juan]

The usual deal in the music business, even in the early 70s, was for a musician to sign an endorsement deal with a manufacturer. The musician would receive free instruments as part of the deal, and the manufacturer would advertise the musician as a user complete with photos of him playing the instruments. I'd suspect, though I don't know, that there was a similar deal with photographers.
juan

 

[jd callow]

The usual deal in the music business, even in the early 70s, was for a musician to sign an endorsement deal with a manufacturer. The musician would receive free instruments as part of the deal, and the manufacturer would advertise the musician as a user complete with photos of him playing the instruments. I'd suspect, though I don't know, that there was a similar deal with photographers.
juan

This is the way it often works. Kate jackson did ads for Linclon. She did own or was given a Mark and did test it against a benz and others as the ads stated. What the ads didn't state was that she also owned a benz.

 

[Steve Roberts]

Thanks for all the thoughts on this everyone.

Steve