Not a problem I've heard of (or suffered) but I suppose any complex piece of kit is vulnerable to tiny manufacturing defects. Sounds like you've just been very unlucky.

The K100D is now out of production so unless you're thinking of buying a used example you've missed that boat I'm afraid. The new entry level model is the K-x which has just been announced in the last week and should be shipping in October - nobody has got their hands on one yet but on paper the specs look very good indeed.

That's a tough one to answer without knowing what your level of experience is or what sort of photography you're hoping to be doing. With many K20D's going up for sale as people "upgrade" to K-7's then there are certainly bargains to be had, but coming from a K100D you may not want the extra weight and complexity.

They are doing "Olive Green" which isn't a million miles from khaki.

As for silver I bet that ends up being one of, if not the, most popular colours where a choice may be had.

Given the conditions I think you and the camera did a very good job indeed

It was probably my post that wasn't clear, I was actually agreeing with you

Very impressive Greg

I bought my FA77 from there

The K-m shares the same sensor as the K10D and the K200D, there's nothing toy-like or cheap about that!

I'm really quite excited about the K-x, if the performance is as good in the real world as the paper specs would suggest then I think it'll make an excellent "lightweight / travel" alternative to my K10D.

I'm not aware we have many (any other than your good self) members in NI - a few in the RoI. Not sure why that should be - maybe Pentax cameras aren't very easy to get hold of in your neck of the woods?

I've been using the full version in one form or another since 1995 (v3) - I couldn't face the prospect of having to learn something new now