That'll be the Message Gremlins at work

Ahh, the green hex when using my Pentax-A 28-80 is miles out too, as it is with the Sonnar, Flek and Helios. I think if you are going to use manual focus, you need to manual focus. If you are going to turn the ring until the camera says stop, then you might as well let it turn the ring

I like the as-supplied focus screen for manual focussing myself, but tastes and eyesites differ. How are things when you completely ignore the annoying hex?

In this economy, I wish I could guess whether Pentax will survive. I think they'll have to become much more mass-market with their compacts and dSLR to make it through. Love Canon or loathe them, they have every possible end of the market covered which ultimately will get them through. Unfortunately it's not particularly about quality, it's just about getting every market sector talking about your products. Pentax have tended to be high quality and long-term, but these days it's not about that. Sad, but that's life.

Maybe they need to start badge-engineering for the mass market stuff and so increase their appeal at minimum cost? Dunno, just hope they make it, that's all

How far out would you guess it to be? Measuring from the front of the lens would make that measurement out to the tune of the lens length plus flange-to-sensor distance. Unless things have changed, the scale on the lens is the subject-to-film distance?

It'll be 5 percent sensible additions (though given how jam-packed cameras already are, I've no idea what more is needed) and 95 percent stuff added to keep up with the Jones's.

Geotagging can be useful, particularly if you want to return there at a later date - say for a "four seasons" photo series. Also useful to some professions where they take evidence photos etc. Archeologists would probably find it useful too.

I'd like a removable prism housing so I can snap-in a waiste-level finder. I'd also like a conventional cable-release socket. And a plain-vanilla PC flash socket.

Tea maker. Definitely need a tea maker in there

Used to favour Photobox, but like someone else has said here, their QC has slipped alarmingly in recent years. These days I do everything at home. I tried Kodak a couple of times and the prints from them were ok, but not needed anything done recently.

I know it can't really be compared with the MkI version that I had, but I grew to really dislike my kits lens. It just didn't feel nice to use. I ended up selling it with the K100D body. It was sharp and contrasty and performed flawlessly, but it just lacked something, which I can't really put my finger on beyond saying "we didn't get on very well"

Bizarrely, I get on great with the old 28-80 manual focus lens. Wide open it can't touch the old 18-55 and only gets good at f8 and beyond.

Maybe it's a 'character' thing rather than a technical thing

That's a fabulous bit of software All of a sudden slightly wonky, out-of-focus pics become art

I think I'll use it a lot

That would explain the condition of the refurb K110D I bought from you. I was unable to find any signs of it ever having been out of a box, let alone used

I'll be getting one later this month, fingers crossed! That's a good price I think, worth the 'risk' such as it is.