Most good camera shops will buy direct from the importer. A camera manufacturer can tell from the serial number whether a camera is a legal import into the country or not. If it is a grey import then they may well not honour the guarantee on it. They are within their rights to do this.

Pixmania is well known for it's grey imports - often things from them come with the instructions in French or some other language than English.

If you buy your camera abroad, and have a receipt from that country Pentax will honour the guarantee. You can get a worldwide guarantee from Pentax if you bought it outside the EU, the normal EU guarantee is good enough otherwise. Though it is only a one year guarantee not the two years you get for buying from recognised Pentax dealer.

AS I said on the other thread about them, I don't like them so I'm glad they are not standard. It would be nice if Pentax offered them as an option though.

I don't like them, so no, not as standard, but as an optional extra OK.

I'd love to go too, but it would cost me a fortune, being peak season and all. Just sticking the dogs in the kennels for a couple of nights would be around €100 assuming there was room for them, without the ferry/accommodation costs.

I might be over in Derby and Bucks in October. It would be good to met up with some of you then. I'll start a new topic once I know if I'm over or not.

My Tamron is a pre digital lens. It is a pretty ancient model, designed for film. It is out resolved by the K20D.

I never expected a simple comment to turn into the Spanish inquisition.

Now has anyone tried or found a review of the new Sigma?


Sorry Philstaff we seemed to e getting off topic here

I can only assume it is as John says - the different sensors. It was a great lens on the 6MP Ds, it's a good lens on the 10MP K-m, but not so good on the K20D. I admit I haven't really put it through it's paces on the K20D because my husband likes it so much, first on the Ds (which it was bought for) and now on the K-m.
If I keep on enough about missing a longer lens (something easier to carry than the Bigma that is) then maybe he'll take pity on me and I can get another lens.

I don't have a super zoom, but I am still tempted by one, simply because it would be much easier on holiday, than taking lots of lenses and constantly changing them.
Anyone seen any reviews of the new Sigma 18-250?

My husband has my Tamron 28-300 on the K-m permanently now. It was always my "holiday" lens, but it's not good on the K20D. It's great on the K-m though.

I think he, or the proof readers/printers just left off the D.

If you'd rather have a Euro shop have a look at http://www.fotokonijnenberg.nl/productlist/644/z_systeem.html. Although a Dutch site there is an English language option.

I wasn't going to rejoin this thread, but if it continues in this vein I shall be leaving the forum for good.
Now I may be no great loss to the forum, but I have been increasingly unhappy with the way things have been going here for a few months, and this has done nothing to improve my view of what once was a very polite, friendly and helpful forum, and feel I am not alone in this.