I think, once I have the money to buy it, I will upgrade from the K10D to the K-5. I paid £700 for the K10D in January 2007, so a grand for the K-5 with its much higher spec probably won't feel too awful - especially once I've sold the K10D and a couple of lenses I never use.

There wasn't enough beyond the 10 to justify the 20, and the high ISO noise and not-much-improved AF of the K7 didn't really enthuse me either.

But if, as I hope, the AF is as much improved as I think it needs to be, to avoid the inevitable howls of derision that will come if it isn't, it will be pretty much perfect for what I want to do.

I was just previewing my final comment...

If, also, the new sensor has higher dynamic range then the K10D's, and the noise levels up to, say ISO 6400 are low, it might have the same sort of impact on the Pentax market as the K10D did when it came out.

... when I saw Mike's post:

What do you use for this Mike?

I haven't done anything with the pictures I took yet, but I will.. I'll include a few problem ones.

This has become an issue for me again... I've just come back from a week in the Lake District, and there was a lot of bright cloud about. In many cases, bracketing like crazy, it was impossible to get anywhere close to usable exposure for the hills without burning out great swathes of sky. It drove me nuts.

K10, not K20, admittedly - did you have one before your K20 to compare?

... does the 14 bit RAW imply anything about the dynamic range?

Dear god in heaven.

Tell me again, someone.. what was the reason Pentax hasn't got a reputation as supplier of pro-level cameras?

I always find that Brillo pads are the best for shifting really stubborn muck. As you can see on this one, they clean the lens up a treat, and barely leave a mark...

[IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/chris5gd/Technical/IMGP4930s-1.jpg[/IMG]

Thing is, I have *extremely* limited experience of other brands. I'd need to actually use the alternative for a bit, before I'd rashly jump ship.

I didn't like the feel of the D100 I played with a couple of years ago, despite its ability to focus in the dark.

I can see no option but to rent, or conceivably borrow, what I might buy, for long enough to have a view.

This is true.

If anything, if 10% were Pentax, it suggests that Pentax is better than the rest, since its market share is so small.

How about a whip round? Someone help me stump up for a couple of weeks rental for a D300S and a good consumer zoom that covers the 50-300 range, and I'll hang out at the airfield for a couple of days and do a proper comparison.

Please don't assume that because I can see where you're coming from, I agree, because I don't

The thing is, if I get up at 5.30am to go to an airshow, wait 5 hours for the display to start, have to fight off all the eejits encroaching on my spot, and ultimately have to spend three hours getting home again, it's not a pleasure for me to lose most of my beautifully composed and perfectly timed works of art because the ****ers aren't in bl**dy focus.

Having spent the price of a not brilliant but still functional second hand car on the kit, I'm afraid I'm not especially happy when it, rather than I, is the limit on what I can achieve.

Hey, guys, I had a thought.

Is this a first... someone pops up, announces they're buying a rival brand, and we end up slagging off Pentax (implicitly at least!!) rather than the rival brand and/or the scoundrel and traitor???