I've got all three...
Took the Rapid Strap connector off the strap, and put my OpTech strap through that.
Combo with the RT1 with my Manfrotto plate.

I like the Rapid Strap a lot, but I often think it would be handy to not have to remove the strap connector in order to put the camera on the tripod. It becomes second nature to just let the camera drop, so many times I make a mental note "when I remove the camera from the tripod, do NOT just let it drop to the ground before re-attaching the strap".

I have Pentax Camera Utility 4.32 running on Mac OS X Lion 10.7.1.
Dunno if thats the same thing, but it has a tab named Laboratory.

I never use it, but it seem to open, run and do some minor things. (had to install it to debug an issue some time ago)

Anything in particular you're wondering about?
Are you having trouble, or just want to know if it will work?

Its a shame the firewall reports blocking of ports. This is stupid. If the user wants to see that its doing what it is supposed to do, he can check the logs.

This Pavlovian software behavior trains most users to become complacent about all warnings.
Most will simply click "OK" on anything and everything -- in the end making things even worse because we fail to notice important warnings amongst all the crap that we constantly have to ignore but click through anyway, all day long.

This sort of software behavior should be illegal!

Best firewall for incoming attacks is your router.
If you have DSL and connect directly to the Internet, it might be better to get a router anyway to put between your PC and the DSL modem.

All software firewall and anti-malware can be disabled by a lot of good malware out there.
Your Hardware Router is a much tougher beats -- assuming you actually do two things!
1) CHANGE THE ADMIN PASSWORD on the router.
2) Turn off uPNP on the router. uPNP is Microsoft's standard for opening gaping security holes in every product possible.

cool. nice to hear i'm not the only one.
note, be sure to get the latest Adobe Camera Raw an Lightroom updates. Although I guess they're a bit old by now.
I pointed out a bug to Adobe a few months ago with multiple exposure that gives a severe magenta color cast when using RAW.

Not asking about exposure bracketing but actual in-camera multiple-exposure. (where the camera stacks and blends a series of images on top of each other.)
I did't recall if all Pentax cameras include that feature or not.
FYI, I've looked up on Google and it seems the K-x should be able to do this.

Again, I have not don'e any one-to-one pixel-peeping comparisons, but it might be a decent alternative and save a lot of money for a very similar effect.

I've rarely found a use for it in the past due to the excruciatingly slow processing, but the latest implementation is actually useful for creative effects. Just be sure you have the exposure control checked ON, otherwise almost all will result in being over-exposed.

If this is to show movement such as flowing water, have you tried multiple-exposure? (Does the K-x have it?)
I did this a while back because I only had six stops but needed 10+ for the effect I wanted.
It probably isn't exactly the same but it blends real well to give a smooth silky look. It certainly looked similar enough to what the person next to me got with 10-12 stops of ND)
I don't know about the K-x, but the K5 finally makes multi-exposure usable. The K7 and prior processed each image before allowing the next photo to be taken. The K5 allows you to take all photos, then merges them after the fact... allowing greater usability.

Anyway, I'd always suggest going with something that will fit your largest lens and get step-down rings or adapters. Always cheaper than multiple filters.
Multiple NDs give more flexibility in the range of light you want to cut out, but also give the ever increasing potential for poor quality images.

Another options is the Singh-Ray Vari-ND filters. I think they go above 8 stops now.
But you pay for the convenience!

What were the limitations you ran into that the K5 could solve?
Can you work around them or otherwise live with them?

Well, then there's your answer.

Which OS?
Windows 7 may be able to handle that without having two independent video cards.
Windows XP defnitely cannot. Even with the color power toy, allowing calibration of two monitors, the color will only hold for a few hours, then go wonky again.

Most likely it is the monitors, like Don said the two will likely never match exactly.
You're going to need to tune that LCD brightness down to, I believe 60-80, to match the CRT. (I think it was on "The Grid Live" podcast - er, um maybe Techzilla??, anyway, they just mentioned this sort of issue with brightness differences even though calibration is otherwise "equal").
The software probably puts the LCD at 100-120 by default. LCDs by from the factory are probably more around 200, i.e. excessively bright.
I set my iMac down to about 100 and the other LCD monitor to about 110 and the match is almost exact.


If the LCD is TFT, you're likely not to get color accuracy. But you seem to have that covered.

I would just suggest to checkmark the Auto EV Adjustment. Without it, each shot taken will add to the exposure. OK in the dark, but for daylight shots you'll end up with blown-out images in now time. So keep that turned on to allow the camera to correct the exposure.


Also.. just as an off the wall note... if you use Adobe Camera RAW or LightRoom, be sure to get their latest updates, as ACR had a bug when handling multiple-exposures shot in RAW for Pentax and some Nikon cameras, causing a heavy magenta cast to your images. I'm not sure if it affected all models of Pentax.

Love this one:

http://www.upstrap-pro.com/

Its sort of ugly, but the upstrap does not slip and is amazingly comfortable when hanging around your neck for an entire day. I've got one on each of my cameras.

Bought the RapidStrap. Loved the idea but not the strap.
So I took the hardware and put it on the UpStrap. Best combo I've ever used.
Would love to see one with steal wire to help eliminate cut-and-run thefts, but other than that, its great.