Bret, a RGB led system should solve that problem.
Don't know if there are systems that are photography orientated and use such set-up though...

The 18-55 does focus quite close, I don't know if you like to photograph flowers or small objects but you should be able to really see the transition from sharp to blur if you focus to an object nearby.

If so it wouldn't matter since it only records black and the black a pixel further is the same black so SR on or of shouldn't do a thing there.
Who says the blackframe was even in focus to begin with

It could be though that maybe the current of the SR has something to do with it...

That's good news, hopefully the rest in the EU will follow

Or DA*55 and all the upcoming DA* and SDM lenses.
I'll try to find the interview where they said it's to complex to design a dual focus system (KAF2) so all will be screw-drive (KAF) or SDM (KAF3) from now on.

I'm really in for that, even with the current models.

There are enough people with the knowledge of writing the firmware, if Hoya was smart they could use those people as one of there own and test features and codes they write and use it in there official firmware if it really works correctly.

It's of course Direct light a ringflash, the red is from the retina (choroid to be more precise) of the eye, the blood in there make it red. You sine directly light in someone eyes then of course that will bounce back and pick up the colour of the blood...

Indirect light is the solution or don't let them look into the lens, there might be other solutions but those are all I can think off...

What red-eye reduction does is give a bright flash so the the iris close and that restricts the light of getting in the eye, problem is that it doesn't look so good.

Well the colour is different and most have a narrow spectrum of light.

They could make a RGB led system, and if I'm correct they could make that so that you can balance that. I'm not 100% sure about this though...

What does Paint shop pro with DNG?

I use all Adobe products, Lightroom + Photoshop CS4.
Lightroom convert my RAW into DNG and I do all the manipulations with that. The great thing is Lightroom can open the DNG in Photoshop without a Problem and DNG is very well support in Photoshop so I work on a DNG file in there without limitation in what I can do.

If Paintshop doesn't support RAW well, I don't know what Photoshop Elements do with DNG...
Like the others said Tiff in 16bit is also very good.

Just a little note Dynamic range has nothing to do with bitrate... well it has but there is more to it.
Read this. link

How can it not be the FA 50mm 1.4?

Of course you can also decide to get the Limited collection, if you get the DA21, DA70 and DA40 or DA35 then you've a pretty versatile kit that fits in your pocket and has a good image quality.

I went for the DA40 over the DA35 simply because it has slightly better bokeh and is a tiny bit sharper in the corners where the DA35 is sharper in the centre. Also the macro didn't interest me since I have a DFA100, so the choice was simple.

Nope the Metz 48 can do it as well, but it's wireless is a bit crippled and you can only use it as slave and not as master or controller.