Or... (if you don't feel like performing surgery on your current cable, you could always make an extension (or two) whatever length you want...
All you need is some cable, a male 2.5mm stereo jack, and a female 2.5mm jack.

Oops.... I'll have to check my Firefox options...

Well that explains the prices these lenses are commanding...

colour color ?

That was a test - the built-in spell-checker identified the first one (with the u) as an error. This is still pentaxuser.co.uk is it not?

Amusing...

Maybe they could use less horizontal space and more vertical space on the right edge of the page...

I'll have to come back and post comments on the redesign after I've had a chance to see more (been reading this thread for the past 30 minutes or so) but I will say that I liked the colour scheme of the old one much, much more than this...

The base on my (and possibly your) drill press can be adjusted for height, and though this wouldn't, in itself, solve your problem, the column that supports the drill head, and the table, is a round column, so the table can be swung out of the way... Then it's just a case of finding something tall enough to support the "stick-pod" at the right height...

OR...

Clamp a drill (not a drill press) on its side to a workbench, and (very carefully) feed the "stick-pod" into it. You may need to shim either the drill or the stick to centre the hole... (actually, you could clamp the stick to a board and slide it along a board clamped to the table, like a sled along an edge guide...)

Edit : If you cut the end off the stick, save it - drill a matching hole and epoxy a matching nut in (careful to line up the pieces before the epoxy sets) - it'd look better when used as just a walking stick, and protect the tripod bolt when not actually being used.

Agreed. But before I purchased the DA* 50-135, my rationale was "Wow, the same lens now gives me an extra 100mm reach, at the same speed..." (maybe not technically correct, but that's the practical effect) so I'm not entirely sure that argument alone is enough to sway a potential buyer...

If you got stellar copies of the 24-80 and the 80 - 200, and paired them up with a 16(17) - 50 - you have the entire effective range from 25mm to 300mm covered at 2.8 with high performance glass... Toss in a DA*200 or DA*300 and a good TC (maybe Pentaxes announced but not here yet SDM converter) and you'd have covered up to 400mm and beyond with premium glass...

The Pentax is expensive. Having said that, in my opinion, in hindsight, it was worth it. But you wouldn't have convinced me of the before the purchase...

Jamie (saving for the DA* 200 and 300)

I, too, wanted and waited for a 80 -200 2.8 lens, but finally gave up and got the Pentax DA* 50-135 and.... WOW - am I ever glad I decided not to wait any longer... It's the sharpest longer lens I've used.... After using it, I'm working on replacing my Sigma EX28-80 2.8 with the DA* 16-50 - hoping the difference will be as easily noticeable...

AS a card carrying member of PETA I think that.....

Darn - can't even type that with a straight face...

Have to side with Don on this one - There isn't a lamb recipe in the world that can stand up to a properly done strip loin steak...

(In my opinion, anyway )

Sounds like a 12 step program...

"Hi. My name is Jamie, and I take crappy photographs. It had been 3 days since I took a crappy picture, but yesterday... well... I did it again..."