I wonder if one took 16 ist d's and mounted them to a grid, with a wired release, and stitched the files with a photoshop action, if that'd count as a pro large format camera?

I can't answer specifics about Pentax compacts, but I believe they have thier place.

All compacts have slow reflexes and shutterlag, but with good tecnique you can overcome these.

when possible use manual focus or prefocus, then recompose wait for the right moment and fire. use burst mode and your second shot will often be sharper than the first shot.

use the optical finder when possible.
when not possible, open both eyes while shooting and use your ohter eye to track the moving subject, when the af catches up release the shutter.

use a tripod and slowest iso setting...when that gets difficult...add more light...

we had a fellow contact this group a while back asking for photo submissions for Pentax and after he checked some images on my website, he asked about 10 images he liked, and 8 of those had been shot on compact, and evf digicams, (wrong brand) unfortuneatly, I hadn't had my *ist ds2 long enough that many images on my website were older.

here's an example i did with a pentax ds2 and ftz500
flash set to srtobe, two other vivitar 285s with wein peanut slaves,( had photosensors off the vivitars and short wires placed in the sensor connectors to "short circuit" the flashes to get the fastest flash burst possible).

I usualyy do my "double exposures" in photoshop (esp orton image styled effects)

note this image has both strobe effect and 4 copies pasted together in ps, so it serves as a nice example.

I see Monte Zucker (www.montezucker.com) will be doing a workshop in London next year -Jan6-9.
while he's certianly no Yosuf Karsh, he's certianly well known stateside.
Anybody know of any seminars/workshops for photography/business in Eastern Canada for July (Toronto-to-Nova-Scotia?) I'm interested in finding out...need to attend something to please Revenue Canada, else it qualifies as a vacation, not a business trip.

I've been reading up on cinepaint as well and must say it's impressive and promising.....I'm giving serious thought to building a linux box for video storage, and because I've always wanted build a kick a$$ system myself.

there's no black list here..only the threat of a bunch of tanked-up on good wiskey, squirrell hating, golf club toting, pentaxians arriving at your door, to laugh and joke and besmirch other camera brands.....
we might get you thrown outa' yer house, but never blacklisted....
that do appear to be a nice lens though...would've made the difference between having a nice landscape shot with a deer in it, vs a nice deer shot against a full moon backdrop.....for the shot I posted above.

thank you for that compliment Mac....
these daze I'm bored with squirrell golf.
I find that if fed a strict diet of hydrogen peroxide and silver wire, the squirrells become the ordinance. Just like Rocky (and Bullwinkle), but with wicked heartburn.

wish I had that lens handy the other day...
but if there's drinking and besmirching to be done, i say lets both hook up at Mac's place....I'm trying to find a photo seminar or conference in Montreal or further east so I can write off the whole trip. ok George? Mac?


oh yeah details:
*ist ds2 pentax 28-200 @ 200, 5.6 1/20 sec iso 800 jpeg
photoshop work:
noise reduction
smoothing in sky
high pass sharpening on land
unsharp mask to moon
contrast (moderate)
saturation (moderate)
logo

Any of you electronics experts know if L.E.D.s give off any sound?
Most lights sources give off some, but I wonder if leds hum or buzz at all and if so how much?

just for an idea...
one 13 watt bulb gives an incident reading of of 1.7 iso 200, at approx ten feet with this set-up.
so it would appear a two or three light arraingement would work nicely for alot of people looking assemble a portable light kit that won't break the bank.
if you guys want, I will post some serious portraits with this kit next week, to see what you guys think.