I've got a feeling this lens is going to be discontinued soon. With the 100mm having had a "WR" update and the 35mm now firmly established as the "Still Life & Product Shot King" it's hard to imagine just who the 50mm would appeal to...

Having said that, at just £269 it does seem an absolute steal.

Actually I think it's the other way around: Seasoned DSLR users are the only ones (that I can see) complaining about this ommission, people moving up from a P&S (who I see as the main target market) have never even experienced a viewfinder, let alone one with overlaid information. They're quite used to the camera making decisions for them and I doubt many (any!) of them give a rat's about the lack of focus point indicators.

Also, is the K-7 really inferior to the K-x in terms of IQ? I can only go by photos I've seen posted on the web but while I admit the K-x seems to have the edge in low light / high ISO situations the K-7 seems superior in brighter light / low ISO situations. I'd suggest that Pentax have, therefore, got the choice of sensors just about right (although probably more through fate than design) with the "studio-spec" sensor in the top-of-the-range camera and the "snapshot-spec" sensor in the entry level model.

I think you'll find the difference between a 10MP camera and a 12MP camera (all else being equal) is pretty marginal to be honest. You'd have marginally more cropping leeway with the K-x but it won't be a night & day difference.

Still, the low light performance and improved AF speed alone should make the K-x a very worthy back-up camera, plus it's small size and light weight. I must admit I'm seriously thinking about getting one myself now that I've had a play with one. The K10D still offers some advantages though; such as the weather sealing, pentaprism finder, dual control wheels and exceptional IQ at base ISO (CCD sensors are still far superior to CMOS ones in good light IMO) so I wouldn't want to swap permanently.

I'll let K-x owners deal with the other bits but in relation to face recognition - about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

FR only works in live view which, in turn, employs a much slower AF system such as the ones found in compact cameras. By the time the lens had locked on you'd probably find the ball's up the other end of the pitch.

On the plus side, I had a play with a K-x before Christmas and I'm happy to report that the regular (through-the-viewfinder) AF seems quite a bit quicker than my K10D.

It would also seem that ISO3200 shots from the K-x are broadly comparable to ISO800 shots from the K10D noise-wise, meaning an extra two stops of light for a similar quality result.

I couldn't tell you. I never actually did any developing myself and it never occured to me at the time to ask, but it certainly gave good results so my Dad obviously knew the trick.

It deserves to, I took some of my favourite photos with a BX20. Don't think it'll reach the giddy heights of the M42 gear though because the lenses aren't as universally useable on digital.

Only if you already have a collection of them, otherwise they won't give any better results on digital than a 35mm lens of similar specification (but will be heavier and less wieldy).

I usually have a good idea what lenses I'll want before I go out anywhere so I tend to carry the camera with one lens attached, spare battery and memory card in one pocket and usually (not always) a second lens in another pocket or pouch (depending on the size of lens).

Going for a gentle stroll around town or the countryside? The DA35 Macro is on the camera and the D-FA100 Macro is in my pocket.

Going to a show or exhibition? The DA35 Macro is on the camera and the DA12-24 is in a belt pouch (too big for pockets!).

Going to a party or BBQ with people shots? The FA43 is on the camera and the FA77 is in my pocket.

In fact for pretty much any scenario I have a one or two lens solution. Accessories such as remotes, flashes and tripods rarely leave my house unless I'm pretty certain in advance I'll need them; at which point I make up a camera bag bundle. I also use a small bag if it looks like rain when I'll take the DA18-55 and Tamron 70-300 (neither of which is waterproof, but both have withstood heavy soakings without complaint and are cheap enough to be expendable).

Of course there are times when I wish I had brought a particular lens or accessory with me, but as my photography seems to follow fairly narrow patterns then it's not all that often.

My Dad used to use one for 120 film with very good results, unfortunately all his darkroom gear was sold off a couple of years back including the little Agfa tank.

I've been considering doing my own 120 film development this year (there's nowhere local that will do it any more) so I may keep an eye on eBay for something similar to pop up

Thanks for the considered judging Dr. Mhuni and congratulations to davidtrout - a very worthy winner.

I have to admit I did like Stefan's Hate Mail / Love Letter entry - an excellent idea very well executed!

Merry Christmas everyone and looking forward to the next comp.