That's good to know. But then why don't Pentax themselves supply the DS screen with the K10D as standard? The lack of a solid coupling between the aperture ring and the body is a bit worrying though. I suppose buying a set of DA lenses would be the ideal answer although I don't think there's a DA equivalent for all of the lenses I have, and I'm not sure if the auto bellows M can be used with DSLRs.

So it's just the same as on film bodies like the MX and LX? I wonder why some reviews say the screens aren't interchangeable, or maybe they simply mean they're not exactly 'quickly changeable'?

Thanks for your help,

Andy

Thank you!

It certainly has been a great help - there's an awful lot more to this than I'd imagined. I think I'll wait a while longer before going digital - the problem seems to affect the K10D rather than the older DSLR models and improved firmware may fix this in time. Or maybe a future model might have full mechanical aperture ring coupling reinstated. Frankly, I'm not desperate to go digital but the convenience of the format (lower costs, immunity to airport X-ray scanners, heat & humidity and instant images that can be taken again immediately if there's anything wrong, etc) is very appealing and saves a lot of time working with scanners.

A steady hand is needed on MX and LX bodies too so that shouldn't be a problem for me. I wonder if there's a DSLR equivalent to the SG20 screen (grid pattern, useful for getting the camera lined up with horizontal & vertical edges)?

Thanks a lot for your help,

Andy

I've been toying with the idea of getting a Pentax DSLR for a very long time as I have several film bodies and a large collection of K and M series lenses & accessories, and with some caveats, Pentax have stated that older lenses including even those with M42 screw mounts, are usable with the DSLRs.

But in the current issue of Pentax User Club magazine, there's a very good article on using older lenses with the K10D which has in fact put me off going for a DSLR, at least for the moment. Aperture ring settings on older lenses are communicated to the body by a simple mechanical tongue - is it true that the K10D lacks support for this?

What about the K100D - someone else in this forum posted a query in the troublsehooting section about using older lenses with this body and the answer was simply to enable aperture ring control in the menu.

My understanding was that the *ist D and *istDS both supported older lenses as long as you metered at full apetrure and then stopped down manually before taking the shot. Is the K10D different in this respect?

Finally, is it correct that none of the Pentax DSLRs have interchangeable focussing screens? (Few if any of the competitors' DSLRs have interchangeable screens either so this is nota fault of Pentax). If so, it looks like I will have to continue using my LX film bodies for some work.

Andy