To my knowledge vivitar never sold any lens as a Ricoh mount. Only pentax mounts that happen to fit Ricoh. There is a beware for Ricoh lenses as I believe some of them have a pin that will get stuck on pentax af bodies, but the vivitar should be fine. I have no experiance with that particular lens. I think this has been addressed in other threads as well...might be worth your time to search through them.

Now JR is hitting at the heart of the matter, Pricing should reflect the cost of doing business, and some cost cutting measures go too far. If paying your employees better results in trustworthy knowlegable people, and after sales support, then the price includes a little more.
Case in point, I buy all my mac stuff from one store...why? A friend bought from them and had problems...he recommended them because they went the extra mile for him. I know they take time to help me any time I ask for advice and while there is a big retail outlet carrying mac with slightly lower pricing, I consider the cost difference to be an insurance/extended warrenty on my purchase, because I know they'll stand by thier products.
I buy my pentax equipment from a small pro shop for the same reason.

I agree that service is important. Less than stellar service is a deal breaker.
I disagree that it is worth paying more for.
My philosophy on service is this:
In order to be in business, good service is a given. In fact, it is the price of admission. In todays market, good service alone will not generate sales, however bad service will drive customers away.
You ask a company rep, what sets thier business apart from the others, and if they answer "Good Service", I answer that good service is the consumers right, and all your competitiors can copy that easily...what makes your business better?
I won't buy from a sales rep that tries to bs me. I will buy from a sales rep that is honest enough to say "I don't know, but if you give me a moment, I know who to ask and I'll find out for you right away..."

Sad but true....I bought a used k1000 once...my first camera....wanted all the wistles and bells but couldn't afford....made some of my finest images on that camera. Eventually bought an mz5...shot many weddings and even a celeb or two...then they kept making newer models...now I got an ist ds2....why won't they stop making newer models?
Just go for it already and don't look back...keep looking forward.
Make as many great images as you can before it becomes obsolete...

Funny thing, when people come to my house I show then my images, the cameras stay in the studio until somebody hands me a cheque.

Only other photogs ask about the camera used for the image....
to me it's like back in highschool when your buddies ask you to whip it out and see whos is bigger... I usually responded with "Hey, your girlfriend didn't care, why should you?"

I got my latest (march 06)issue of Popular Photography and there was a review....

I can't believe that Pentax got lower "Ease of use" score than Canon. Because of "Swtch dst msr pt". People who want simplicity use the green mode not the menus!

I used both the canon reb xt and the Ist ds2 side by side during a shoot (seniors complex) and never once had to grab the pentax manual...


the 8 mp cams got higher quality ratings? "Two cameras using the same 6.1 mp sensor-the Nikon d50 and the Konica Minolta Maxxum 5d were behind the Canon and Olympus only in outright resolution..." What sensor does Pentax use?

Pentax behind KM on system flexibility?

Pentax may understand the art of photography but they sure as heck don't understand the art of paying off judges...

It's the "film speed" or sensitivity setting on your camera, if you can set it manually it'll be noted in your manual.
You might also try manually focusing on your subject or prefocussing by pressing the shutter halfway then firing when the subject reaches the point you focussed on. Many compacts have slow reflexes...shutterlag, and af can cause you to miss the shot. Also helps to think of your camera like it was a hot cup of coffee and hold it real steady and don't stab at the shutter release, press it gently and don't do that "I'm nodding my head for no reason, as I press the shutter button" thing people sometimes do....

digital- set higher iso; film use faster film iso800 and try wider focal lengths. if possible use aperture priority at wide open.

For what it's worth, I find studio shots (macro or kids in particular), the supplied video cable from my *ist ds2 and an inexpensive (lcd, but crt would work) tv work great.
kids love to see the shots pop up on the monitor (live preview on my "other brand" compact or evf) as I shoot, and it helps lots with macro shots.
Too bulky for a walk in the park, but has it's uses, in studio, none the less.

Numbers?
Your talking to a guy, who as a kid, argued with his jr. kindergarten teacher that: one plus one could equal a hundred...bunnies...

I was sooooo misunderstood.....
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By the way...I know that there are dust spots, lint, and flaws in the image, but I find that when I'm experimenting, I tend to focus on concepts and ideas. The purpose is to learn and practise. When it comes to making salable images I've often said "The Devil's in the details..."
If I was trying to sell an image like that I'd huntdown a coin collector and offer photograph something more interesting than my life savings that happened to be rattling around my pocket. I'd take the time to clean it up. And I'd use a sharper lens...But the concept is good and I used only what I had lying around. You need a proper Exorcism if you want salable images.