A few simple K10D questions

Sorry if these have been asked before, couldn't find the answers on here, so please bear with me.

Batteries - any issues with "compatible" batteries? Recommended suppliers? (Have used non OEM batteries in other devices without problems, so presume OK with Pentax?)

Auto select AF point - is this as useless as I think? 99% of the time I would use manual selection anyway, but thought "auto" might have its uses. Seems to default to centre point most of the time?

Screen protection - recommended or not? Research seems to indicate the screen is tough/resistant to scratches but it just looks, well, vulnerable...

P.S. For those who helped me through my "sharpness" issues, I have got it well and truly sorted now, so many thanks....

I'm using Hama (I believe) and they work great so far.

Never really used auto since I focus manually mostly or I use selective autofocus.

Screen protection... I've never used it and I don't have a scratch on it. The sceen protector gets far more easly scratch then the screen itself so you keep replacing them and the only thing it does mostly is down grade the image quality of the screen.

Battery I recommend: 7DayShop - http://tinyurl.com/crp7c3

Auto select AF point: might have its uses (perhaps during remote control for example), but not of interest if you can have and want control.

Screen protection: unnecessary unless you are particulaly unlucky or clumsy. The bare screen withstands normal use. I'm giving a glass protector a go with my K20D, however. Note that grease is more difficult to wipe from the soft plastic ones.

Hi Darkm the only battery i have is the one i got with the camera so i don't know.

Owned a few cameras never used screen protection and no scratches so far maybe just been luckyI quite like the ones for the nikon's though the clip on plastic type but i don't think they do these for pentax

The auto af focus point i use this quite a bit for my landscapes found it quite usefull

Thanks again guys....

Iceblinker, will try the 7DS battery when they have some in stock.

I don't intend using auto selection too often, just thought it might be useful for any "grab" shots, or if handing the camera to someone else to take a photo. So far it doesn't seem too reliable, in fact my son's £50 P&S seems to do a better job at auto AF point selection....

AFAIK, the dSLR will pick the point with the greatest contrast for auto AF selection. My wife uses her *ist-Ds on auto and has very few issues.

Personally, I opt for either Centre only or SEL because I like to know exactly where the focus point is going to be
Matt

The only time I ever use AF auto point selection is on moving targets and I use this in conjunction with the continious AF option. It is not ideal but it has allowed me to get shots at bird of pray flying sessions.

Most of the time I use the centre point and just recompose on AF lock.

1. I use third-party batteries, from B&H, and have not had a problem or noticed inferior performance.

2. I use center-point or manual focus. To be honest, my eyes aren't good enough to manually focus well with digital viewfinders.

3. If I carried my camera in a camera bag I might not worry about it. I don't. Every day, when I leave my apartment, my camera is around my neck. It rubs against my shirt which acquires some grit from passing cars. I have the Giotto glass cover for the LCD and even it has some scratches. My IstD didn't have any sort of cover and it was totally scratched before I gave it to my sister but since it happened gradually, I didn't notice. She sure did.

Birds of pray...
Hmmm.. are they like a sacred ibis or just the common or church roof variety pigeon?

Cheers again folks.....

Beakynet, as it happens I tried photographing ducks on a pond yesterday, and found auto area to work better than I'd found with other subjects....

(But I will probably stick with SEL for most other things)