Mac,

When I cross the pond, I'll stop in Montreal (first) with a bottle of Bowmore Dusk. It's reckoned to be pretty good, and at a price that's affordable for special occasions without breaking the bank. It costs about twice as much as the standard Bowmore that I tend to drink, and is probably worth it.

G

Mac, I shake my head sadly at your ingratitude.

And as for your disparaging remarks about your compatriot's taste in whisky, I bet if he puts a bottle of this on the table, you'll come a'running:

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=0010000015553

Don, I'm sorry your good name has been dragged into this.

G

Mac,

I find your sarcasm very wounding. Your misinterpretation of my motives betrays a suspicious and venal nature.

And for your information, I'm a regular visitor to the land of the maple. Admittedly the last time was 1984, but I can feel another trip coming up soon. I'll pay a visit to Don, where I'm sure I'll get a warm welcome. He's an open-hearted sort of fellow, who trusts his fellow man.

G

Mac,

As you know, part of the service I provide to our Canadian cousins is to alert them to opportunities that should not be missed.

One such presents itself now.

Many and oft have been the times when discussion has turned to what distinguishes a professional photographer from a lowly snapper. Recently, Mr Ofutter has declared that nothing less than a full-plate Gandolfi, with gilded brass knobs, polished West African mahogany, and Moroccan leather bellows will do, as far as he is concerned. **

But there is another way to impress even someone so hard to please, and the bonus is that you don't have to lay down your beloved Spotmatic to do it.

Roll of drums! Peal of trumpets!

http://tinyurl.com/eqyxl

This is the sine qua non of 35mm kit. Unsurpassed quality. Superb condition. Its own coffin. The price is a snip. Guaranteed to make Mr Ofutter bow low and say: "Hail master, doyen of professionals!".

I'll tell you what. If it would help, have it shipped to me in London, and I'll check it over for you. Gratis. Then I'll drop it in next time I'm over your way. No, don't thank me; it's the least I could do.

And don't neglect to post some piccies!

G (sticking grimly to the lens diet)

** Or words to that effect.

I'm looking at using an array of ten or so power-saving lamps. A 20 Watt one is equivalent to a conventional 100 Watt The fact they use very little power is a major advantage, as is their low heat output.

However, they still need mains power, so they are not for field use - just for travelling light.

G

K10D is indeed the expected name of the "D2".

Pictures have been released, and alas, they don't show a sloping top-plate. However, the body DOES have 2 wheels, like the (P)Z1/-P and *ist D.

If the SR is as good as reports suggest, and if the AF is as good as people hope, it should be quite a machine. There are some suggestions that there will be in-lens AF for the new f2.8 zooms, and presumably also for the long-awaited long lenses. However, that may be wishful thinking.

It is, however, interesting that Pentax has produced a plethora of new DA lenses under 200mm, but so far nothing longer in the range where faster AF really matters.

Compared to even one year ago, these are exciting times for a Pentax owner.

G

There speaks a PZ1-P owner. Hope it's still working fine!

G

I stand corrected.

G

Think about it. To bounce off the silvered surface at the back, the light has first to go through a layer of glass - at an angle. Then it comes back out again, at an angle. This happens several times before it exits through the view-finder.

With a prism, the light enters once, at right angles, then bounces the required number of times WITHIN THE GLASS, then exits at a right angle.

G

Mirrors induce problems because the light is refracted twice, once when it enters the glass of the mirror (at an angle), and a second time when it exits, having bounced off the silvering at the back of the glass.

With a penta-prism, the light enters at a right-angle, bounces around inside, then exits again at a right angle. So, no refracton.

The prism on the D is excellent. But the penta-mirrors on the cheaper Pentax DSLRs are considered much better than those on bodies from Nikon and the copier-cam company.

G