Yes, this makes a lot of sense, thanks to you and Gartmore for taking the trouble. It's not going to be high on my pre-lottery win priority list, but I understand the principle much better now.

Maybe it's just that my knowledge and skill aren't up to scratch, but spot metering doesn't seem to be what it used to be with film.

More often than not, I find now that the thing I want to spot meter is a lot darker than the background, so the sky (as it usually is) ends up getting horribly burned out, which ruins the shot.

So what practical use is it with digital these days, where it's more important to expose for the highlights, and then pull detail out of the shadows?

Why does it command such high prices?

There's one about to go for £300 or more, and this is pretty typical, from what I've seen recently.

Why is it so desirable?

I'm not sure it's anything to do with the power of the built-in flash, although obviously you won't get good results if you're too far away, as I'm sure you know.

But the metering does seem to be quite sensitive to reflective backgrounds - I find a subject close to a white wall, for example, will often be underexposed, presumably because of all the light reflecting off the background, fooling the metering into setting the flash to output less light. Very much like the underexposure issues with backlit scenes.

It can be annoying when I just want to use the thing as a P&S.

All true, but doing this will not save the settings to User Mode, which is what the OP was asking.

If you do this with User Mode selected, the menu RAW selection as you describe will last only until you turn the camera off. When you turn it back on, it will have whatever was last saved to User Mode as I described.

Whereas, the same menu RAW selection in Program mode, for instance, will save the setting, so that when you next switch the camera on, Program Mode will remember what you set.

To save the current settings to User Mode, you have to go to the Setup menu, scroll down to User, scroll right to see the settings, and click Ok to save them. Only then will those settings be remembered in User Mode when you next switch on.

If you set up, say RAW capture, DNG format, in, say, Program mode, it will save it for Program mode.

If you want it to save it in User mode, you have to go to the Set-up menu, and explicitly save the current (Program, in this example) settings as User mode.

Then when you select User mode, it will reflect what you saved as User Mode, when you were in Program mode.

Then you can go back to Program, select PEF instead, and it will save that. Thenceforth, Program will be PEF, and User mode will still have the previously saved DNG setting.

Think of User Mode as a snapshot of settings that you choose, and can go back to whenever you pick User Mode. Which doesn't change the customised settings you've picked and saved for all the other modes.

I think it's brilliant.

Unless you have very specific reasons for getting the K100D, I think it boils down to whether you are the sort of person to find the extra potential complexity of the K10D intimidating.

Reasons would include:

- Lower Cost
- Size (the K100D is smaller and lighter)
- Batteries (the K100D takes AA cells, which are available everywhere)
- Higher ISO (the K100D goes up to 3200)
- Better compatibility with very old lenses (the K100D does not, apparently, have the metering issues with very old manual lenses that the K10D does)

However, the higher resolution, better controls (two dials rather than one makes a bigger difference than you might think), greater customisability, bigger buffer (so more continuous shots before it runs out of steam), more sophisticated flash options, more flexible exposure compensation, allegedly better shake reduction, all add up (for me) to make the K10D significantly more capable.

I was in the same position as you a year ago (ME Super, not much picture taking for some years). I don't regret getting the K10D.

http://www.pentaximaging.com has a ton of useful information about the whole range.

I guess there's no way of buying the body only, without:

- the battery
- the charger
- the software bits and pieces
- the strap

I've already got all those, as well as more SD cards then I can shake a stick at.

I know the retail prices of the bits on their own is more than they're sold for as part of the kit, but it would make the camera a bit more affordable for those who already have a K10D.

I know it would make selling it harder, later but even so..

I've never disputed this.

It would be nice if everyone with talent such as that contributed to the forum's body of knowledge and helpfulness, as well as benefiting from it.

And the second one had just as much of a racket from mirror-slap, and the AF was just as slow...

And, dammit, the pictures were no better!!!



I am ogling his Metz though...