I wish you'd warn me when there are self-portraits about - I might have just eaten!

The Wakehurst Place shot is a beauty, imagine what the detail would have been like if you'd stopped down to f/8! Sorry, that sounds like criticism, but from your comment in the image info you know that would have been better. But then a slower shutter speed wouldn't have captured the gulls so well. Whatever, a big thumbs up to the camera, lens and the photographer.

Dan

Another review, short but sweet...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/reviews/pentax-k10d-digital-slr/2007/01/17/1168709762893.html

Dan

You are awful - but I like you!

Hope the move goes well.

Dan

George, you're an unforgiving sod at times.

"You know so little about DSLRs that you are afraid of their "mindless complexity", and yet you think you need a professional camera, which incidentally, would cost you thousands."

There's nothing wrong with not knowing something, or indeed for wanting the best, even if you're not entirely sure what that is.

As far as I know, Viewfinder shoots landscapes, and I think he has a 67, so it's probably fair to say he doesn't necessarily need lots of bells and whistles. I'm guessing, I don't know him, but like you I've had a quick glance through his previous posts.

If the man's happy with the quality of his current gear, and doesn't need digital, then there's every reason for him to wonder whether to go down that route. Viewfinder is just wondering out loud, and asking our opinions, which is one reason this forum is here.

If I was in his situation, I'd have no hesitation going down that route. Obviously neither would you. But for whatever reason, Viewfinder isn't sure, and it may be because of factors we don't know about. Perhaps he does a lot of work for calendars, and they're still asking for big transparencies. Who knows.

Saying things like "It also has an idiot mode, if that's what you require" isn't helpful or friendly, is it?

Not everyone is as intelligent as you George.

Dan

Hi Viewfinder,

I was reluctant to 'go digital' for some time, prefering to get a slide scanner instead, but then I got an istD ten months later. I'll admit that this model is a much less (potentially) confusing model than the K10D. You can't customise how the command dials work for instance, and the options for processing the images in-camera are obviously missing.

I can see how an advanced camera like the K10D can seem daunting when you look at a review like that as have page after page of "you can do this, you can do that..." - it seems very complex.

What I found after getting my D, was that I used it in basically the same way as my manual SLR beforehand. I use Manual most of the time, occasionally aperture priority, very occasionally program. The biggest difference to my old SLR was that I set the aperture and shutter speeds using the dials, rather than the ring on the lens and a shutter speed dial on the top-plate, but I soon got used to that.

I would take that to mean that you want to have control of the camera, and to be able to control it the way you want. The K10D offers unprecedented options for configuring the camera to be used exactly how you want. Surely, this is a good thing, isn't it? It allows you to take control, and if that means that the first few weeks are spent tweaking settings, and altering controls to act in the best way for you, in the longer term, you end up with a highly personalised camera.

Going back to your Box Brownie - if you had felt uncomfortable with the way you altered the aperture, what could you have done about it? Nothing, you would have had to adapt to the camera. With the K10D? I can think of three different controls for the aperture (depending how you set it up), you would choose the best for you. The camera adapts to you.

Once you've done that, the camera will definitely 'stay out of the way'.

Dan

P.S. As far as 'enthusiast', 'hobbyist' etc, is concerned, I would bet this is based purely on the price-point, rather than features. It's spec compares with the Nikon D200 and Canon 30D, neither of which you are likely to see refered to as 'hobbyist' cameras.

My first camera was a Praktica MTL5, which got me started nicely, especially as it was only about £25 in 'Cash Convertors'. After a while, having seen a couple of features in mags about Lubitel TLRs, I got one of those (a 166u), which produced some nice 6x6 trannies when used with care and Velvia.

I saw another Lubitel TLR (the '2', the earlier, more solid model) in Oxfam for a tenner, so got that. Both my lubitels have been modified with hot shoes, so that I could mount a spirit level, and I'd worked out the hyperfocal distances for each aperture and marked these on the lenses too. Oh, and on my Praktica, I made a wooden handgrip for it, which improved the handling for me.

When I decided I wanted a better SLR, I looked around, and again in Cash Convertors, found a Chinon CE5 (PK mount, with Aperture priority mode), with power winder and 50mm lens. Got another Chinon (CM9?) from a guy at work, but that wasn't nearly as nice. Used to scratch and jam the film every so often too.

Then saw an MZ-5n (guess where!) with 24-70mm zoom and got that, but to be honest very rarely used it - the CE5 did me just fine, produced images I was happy with and felt great in my hand. Good answer to the "you must have a fantastic camera" statement too.

Went digital with my istD two years ago, all the above haven't been used since, but still got them stashed about the place.

Dan

One o'clock sounds great to me too - I can get my shots of moss, lichen, people looking at moss and lichen, and some derelict buildings, then come over to you lot!

Better charge my batteries...

Dan

P.S. Reuben, arriving on a bike allows you to join the hippy club, beard or no beard.

Wife says can she come along as she's had a thing about beards since she was 5, when she saw Robin Hood (the cartoon version with a bearded fox as Robin).

She's got a page on her website devoted to beards.

I think for your own protection, I'll leave her at home. 'Luckily' she broke her toe this evening so you'd have no trouble outrunning her.

Dan

It's a beardy, Astra drivers day out! I've got a green one, T reg, no rust.

If it's better to meet earlier, don't wait on me, I can catch up with you (might need someone's mobile number though).

Or I could just listen out for the mutterings that "a group of plain-clothed wizards just went by".

Dan