K-x Bulb mode write-time slow?

Firstly, I'd say you have a better chance of getting an answer if you directed your question to Pentax in Japan - the UK office are a nice bunch and very approachable but ultimately an outpost where I doubt they have any more design input than we users do. I'm sure they'd pass your query on but they wouldn't have the same eagerness to get it answered that you would...

Alternatively you could ask Ned Bunnell (president of Pentax USA) via his blog. He's also very approachable and quite technically minded - plus he's probably the highest placed native English speaker in the Pentax corporation. Bear in mind a lot of folk ask him questions for this reason so replies may not be instant.

As for CCD's, I don't think there are very many CCD sensors in use outside digital medium format these days (Pentax 645D, Hasselblads, Leica S1, Mamiya 645) - the only one that springs to mind is the Leica M9. CCD's draw more power and generate more heat than CMOS and now everyone wants live view and movie modes their use in consumer cameras is likely on its last legs. In other words pretty much any current model DSLR is likely to have a CMOS sensor, or is about to be replaced by one that does.

I don't use any non-Pentax DSLR's but a quick Google shows similar comments about the inability to turn off DFS on recent Nikon models (all the CMOS ones basically). Canon is slightly different as although they've used CMOS basically forever there is a large community of firmware hackers who will provide you with the means to do whatever you like - as long as you don't mind invalidating the warranty of course. You can't turn the feature off in Olympus or Panasonic either by the looks of things (both use a version of CMOS for the 4/3's sensors). I can't find any specific reference to Sony but as they make sensors for both Nikon and Pentax (such as the one in your K-x) I doubt they'll be any different tbh.

In summary, buy a K10D before they all run out.

Thanks Hefty1, I intend to follow up on that. I looked at Ned's blog, but found I could only post to it if I had a Blog Account, and I don't, so I guess I'll try Japan instead! Time for me to dig out my 'how to be polite in Japanese' book...

Side note - I'm feeling regret at having dangled the taunt out there, in return for my subscribing to PU Magazine. I've just received an email that says it's all over on the printed magazine front - which is a big shame! Just my flippin' luck, though. Buy a new Pentax, get pointed at the 'official' (but independent) Pentax magazine, and wallop, watch it vanish. All in the same month. I feel sad for the team on the mag, though. I hope they're all able to get work elsewhere very soon.

I can turn DFS off on my D700 (which has a cmos sensor) - I haven't taken any astro shots, but in general long exposure use it doesn't seem to do a whole lot anyway, apart from use time & power that is...

With all the free startrail software around now, that only requires a single dark frame for noise reduction purposes, you'd think the manufacturers would allow it. There's so much guff in the menus nowadays, that an extra option isn't going to hurt.

There is actually a petition here: link

Can't hurt!

Maybe paraphrase the letter and send an email to Bunnell as well?

Signed - thanks Pentaxophile.

If I could email Ned Bunnell without signing up to Google and joining the accursed Blogosphere, I would! I'll find another way, don't 'ee worry!

Signed here as well.

An update...

I tried to find an email address for Pentax Japan, though their website seems to make a point of not publishing anything other than telephone & fax numbers or street addresses in Japan. I s'pose I could write them an old fashioned letter, but I'm not sure I know how to work a pen anymore...

I reasoned that it was probably pointless emailing the UK Pentax Service Centre, on the grounds that they're probably just a contractor, and not actually part of Pentax (and even if they were, they'll probably be about as far removed from the design decision making process as we are).

So - does anyone have any useful 'direct' email addresses that might be handy? Preferably one that doesn't mean I have to sign up to a blog account or join the St John's Ambulance, or become a freemason. Though I am grateful to Hefty for pointing me at Ned in the USA... I still *might* join up just to hassle him!

As luck would have it, I bumped into our local Pentax rep in LCE last weekend, and mentioned the whole DFS saga to him. He had no idea about it, and less idea still about the 'outcry' out here on the internet. I told him there was a petition with several hundred signatures on it, and that a lot of forums carry some quite angry threads about not being able to turn it off (above 30s), on several different cameras. He genuinely seemed concerned - so I asked him to feed it back into his command structure. I can only hope that he will.

Alas, he didn't have a business card on him, so I wasn't able to quickly take his contact details...but he let slip that he is the Pentax rep for my favourite independent camera shop too, so I will grab his details from them, next time I'm in! (and with my current accessory-buying addiction, that'll probably be in the next few days! :lol

God help him after that...