I think you could be right. Can't see anything from the outside but a bit of grit would be enough to cause the problem. The problem will be paying someone's time to take it apart to find out. I'll report back when he's heard from Johnsons in case anyone else runs into this situation.

Al

I think you've missed the point. When the lens cap is REMOVED, the camera thinks it's still there and switches off. It's clearly a fault. With the best will in the world, it's not possible to "take photos instead of taking exception". To repeat, it's not my MX-1 that has developed the problem but a friend's X5. Gor blimey.

Al

I've no problem with the warning system and usually remember to take the cap off. But if it goes wrong and refuses to turn the camera on after the cap is removed, as it has done with my pal's X5, it would be damned annoying and potentially expensive to fix. (He's sent the X5 off to Johnsons for a quote).

Everything works as it should on my MX-1 but I was just concerned that there's a vulnerability. To be fair, I can't find anyone reporting a similar problem on the net, so I suspect my mate has just been unlucky.

The auto lens cap seems a good idea, but wouldn't help if the sensing system failed and insisted the cap was still in place when it wasn't.

Al

A good thing to have, but I don't think it'll solve the problem of the camera "thinking" the lens cap is fitted when it isn't and closing down. This must be a failure of the sensor mechanism that shuts down the camera if the detects any resistance to the lens moving out on start-up. Pentax should really disable this "feature" unless they can make it fail safe.

Does the automatic cap add much depth to the camera? I'm using one of the Lowepro Newport 30 cases recommended by Gravelrash (thanks for the tip) and there ain't any room to spare depth-wise.

Al

There have been a few comments about the MX-1's insistence on reminding you to take off the lens cap when you turn it on - and none positive.

My mate has just returned from the US with the X5 I advised him to buy and which gave up the ghost the day before he went to the Grand Canyon (earlier post). Turns out the problem is that the camera thinks the lens cap is in place when it's not and turns itself off. He's sending it to Johnsons for an estimate but doesn't hold out a lot of hope for an economical repair.

This seems to be the same system used in the MX-1 - yet another unnecessary electro-mechanical system to go wrong, even when the rest of the camera is working perfectly. Hope this doesn't become an issue with excellent MX-1. Who designs these things?

Al

Action shots are tricky. I used to cover football and basketball games in Canada with manual focus film cameras and was never very good at it. Cropping is even more important for this type of work if you haven't got it right in-camera. You've got to zero in on the action. Megapixels probably do make a difference, and using the right lens to get you close but not too close. And timing is everything. Practice is the key. Good luck. I'm sure others here have the technique down pat.

Al

It's got to be down to the image, although you'd normally compose the shot so it works within the viewfinder frame.

It's worth leaving a little extra space around the image when you're shooting to allow for the inevitable cropping if you're printing on to standard-size paper. My A4 prints all need a tad taken off the sides (plus a little more if it's to be framed), so you don't want to be trimming off anything vital to the composition.

100% viewfinders can be a bit of a two-edged sword -- you get exactly what you see, but remember you may lose the edges if you're printing. They were great in the days of slide film, when you didn't have the option of cropping without a lot of faffing around with masks.

If the shot calls for heavy cropping that won't fit any standard photo frame, you're better off cropping it for the effect you want and framing it with a matt border.

Al

Sadly, I just snapped one up. I say sadly because I got one a couple of weeks ago from Amazon France ... and left it on my car roof on Saturday. Now gone. I just had to get another. The low-light focusing is spectacular, and the IQ and build quality are remarkably good, as other members have shown. Note to self: always check car roof before driving off.

Al

Amazon France are offering a K3 plus DA35/2.4 for 999 euros, which is about £808. May be of interest to some: link

Al

My last two A4 printers have been from the Epson Stylus Photo series, and they've both been excellent. I would assume the latest incarnation, the P50, is just as good (I have the older R265). Unfortunately, the P50 is above your target price range -- about £146 on Amazon. If you're using it mainly for photos, I'm sure the extra outlay would give better results than Epson's all-in-ones.

The ink cost is high, the best part of £50 for six cartridges, but some good-quality compatibles are available for a fraction of that. Haven't tried them with my latest printer but they worked pretty well on my earlier one. If you're producing a lot of prints, it will be cheaper to go to an outside company. But for ultimate control, you can't beat doing it yourself.

Good luck in your search.

Al