Insurance replacement? They should be informed that the K20 is discontinued, no longer available and the K7 is the nearest like-for-like option.

Got the earlier f4-5.6 version and use it often. Cracking lens, surprisingly versatile and never regretted breaking the bank to buy it over three years ago.

Dealt with Rocky twice before, no complaints. Had a look at his site yesterday and something tempted me - reckon this is the same thing...

Agreed in principle though Apple are a real phenomenon - getting people to pay over the odds for slickly presented pieces of mid-level technology is a triumph of marketing. Also, Apple products can - unlike Pentax - be found in prominent places in all major stores.

Judging from early reaction the existing user base aren't particularly enthusiastic about the system, so to attract new customers it's going to take some clever marketing AND a solid increase in brand visibility (read: getting the product onto shelves of these struggling retailers) to gain the Q some momentum, regardless of product merit.

John, it's not just Comet that are in trouble - that they are is a significant indicator of the downturn in spending on non essential consumer items, including cameras.

Thanks for concentrating on that point though.

I think the Q is going to be a tough sell for Pentax, at least in the UK. 'Serious' photographers, who sometimes take themselves far too seriously (but do spend decent money on kit) will mostly see it as underspecced. The casual user will be put off by the price and even the prosumer is likely to overlook it for an all-in-one solution or budget DSLR. The Q is in danger of disappearing into the very niche it's trying to carve out.

Two things will make or break or break this system - street price and marketing. It needs to compete strongly with M4/3 offerings on price and be backed up by some clever ads and positioning. With mainstream retailers really struggling at present and Pentax UK's marketing record I'm not particularly optimistic, though the quirkiness means it may do well in other markets.

All just IMO of course and I still look forward to trying it out, though I won't part with my hard-earned for one.

Most of those 'Canon pros' will be using full-frame cameras though - the DA* 50-135 is the equivalent of that range on APS-C and #3 in the list.

Odd effect on this, the haze almost makes it look like a planet within a planet... I like it! Glad to have given you a fun idea to pass a rainy morning.

Or should that be 'Planet Massena'? I've posted one of these before and had another go in Nice in April. Thought the pattern on the floor would be my downfall but it came out okay(?)




K-5, Sigma 10-20. 360 degrees panorama, jpegs stitched in Microsoft ICE and wrapped in Photoshop. Cloned out one pole that went out the side of the pic.

Taking consistently better pictures but also far fewer. Seem to have lost motivation and, when it does strike, some patience too. Really don't feel I've covered much new ground so far this year

On the plus side the K-5's 100% viewfinder and digital level has made composition easier and resulted in less cropping.

Overall another 'treading water' here, looking for that project to grab my attention once more...