can we trust review sites?

so right, John. I'm wondering if Pentax is the only one with backward lens compatability?

As for it being the photographer, during the San Francisco State College police riots in 1968 I was freelancng along with a friend, Roy Shigley, who also used a Spotmatic, when a cop came up and said, "Gee, that's a nice camera. What kind is it?" Roy told him, whereupon the cop smashed it with his billy club and walked off. Oddly, the lens was jammed at f:8 and wouldn't unscrew, and the shutter would only fire at 125th. Undetered, Shigley simply shot everything for days at f:8/125th, using TriX, and bought a bottle of Rodinal.

I saw him one day in the local diner, eating breakfast and occasionally rotating his stainless steel Nikkor developing tank that he'd brought with him. When I expressed my surprise, he said, "Rodinal roulette," and kept eating. My point is that he continued to make a living and worked around the problem. Couple of years later I saw a show of his. Some of the images, blown up to 16x20 had, as you might guess, spectacular grain. My girl friend at the time said they reminded her of Andy Warhol, only in black and white.

Ted

I just read this post string whilst looking for something else , last night I also read the latest BIG 2 review in this week's AP: Canon D5 v. Nikon D200 . The latter corroborates most of what has been said above. The reviewer was dancing around the subject like "a cat on a hot tin roof", for fear of upsetting two of their main income streams, possibly their highest in monetary terms.

OK, these two camera's are probably higher spec'd than the "entry level" *ist D range, but this article is typical of its genre, regardless of a camera's "level".

I am now about to compare apples and pears in 'spec terms' but bear with me. I have now had an opportunity to use, albeit for a short period of time, both a Canon D-350 and Nikon D-70. I own an *ist DS.

All three are comparatively easy to use, and output 'quality' was comparable, to A4 at any rate. Where they differed was their build and design, all those things that are so difficult to put numbers too; like ergonmics, feel, aesthetics, style, look, balance. Comparing the three models just mentioned Pentax wins hands down. I am not knocking Canon or Nikon, they are good cameras, but Pentax seems to make the difference, for me at any rate. Try the eyes closed test: handling them will point you someways to what I mean.

I asked the owners, who I know well, why they opted for the choice they made. They both basically cited the sales blurb. When they asked the same question of me, I replied that the DS fulfilled my criteria and it felt right in my hands.

There's another article in this week's AP letters page, forecasting the demise of Pentax, and I have to be honest and say that a seed of doubt is germinating in my mind. For those with greying temples, my concern is that Pentax could be heading down the Betamax cul-de-sac; in the front row with sound technology AND design, but lagging way behind when it comes to communicating it to the market-place.

ps How do I find the Yahoo Pentax User Forum please ?

I'm not aware of a Pentax group, as such, on Yahoo. However, you may mean the Spotmatic Group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spotmatic

G

And the sad thing will be that, as allways, the consumer is the victim of this all. Marketing and advertising allways wins from the real qualities of a product, no matter what kind of product it is.

Maybe the partnering with Samsung is a good move for Pentax, just let us all hope that it is not to late.
I allways get strange looks when I am using my DS. People ask you why I didn't buy a Canon or Nikon.

Just as mentioned above, I am concerned about Pentax heading into the direction Betamax, V2000 and DCC went.

There is a task for us users there as well. I have noticed when people see that you have a DSLR, that they ask you for advise on what to buy. I am telling everyone to take a serious look at Pentax (for all camera ranges) and urging them not to take the sales blurb seriously and try the camera out before you buy it.

The Yahoo group George sites is the one.