Focal length input: Yes, tricky with a zoom. Try and input the length you're going to use (for example 80, 135 or 200) as this value will be fixed as long as the lens is attached to the camera. Although I've got quite a few old lenses they're all primes - zoom technology is one area where things have come on a long way in the last 30 years so I don't tend to bother with old ones.

Metering: This will usually be pretty accurate with lenses set somewhere around f/4 - f/5.6. With a wider aperture you'll often find the camera will underexpose, with a smaller aperture the opposite will happen. I tend to take a picture at my chosen aperture, check the histogram to see how far under/over it is, then apply the appropriate amount of exposure compensation - works pretty well if you're taking a series of shots at the same aperture (which I often do) as the under/over exposure is usually fairly constant.

Flashing F--: There's no communication between camera and lens so you'll always have this on the body and in your EXIF data when using a non-A lens.

You'll get the hang of it all pretty quick.

I'd say those figures are pretty close, give or take a few pounds. I'd maybe expect a bit less for a ME Super body and a bit more for a MX body (so they sort of cancel each other out) but the lens prices look about right.

Looking at recent sales on eBay the FA 28-200 seems to fetch around £75, the F17-28 is much rarer and I could only find one example from the last three months - sold for £218 by a dealer in Switzerland.

I'll give you £40 each for them though...

The lack of a viewfinder doesn't worry me, after all this would be (for me) a replacement for a compact camera not my SLR. As such it's competing for my attention with the likes of the Panasonic LX3 and Sigma DP2 - neither of which have viewfinders either.

If the new Samsung looks anything like the ugly blob in the post above then Olympus are looking a better bet by the minute...

I wonder if Pentax will ever get into this market? So far as I can see their previous compact-camera efforts (film and digital but excepting the Auto 110) have been decidedly half-hearted at best.

My Dad always told me he used to paint out lens defects with black paint - sounds mad but apparently it works! Like John I haven't actually done it myself though...

I bet! The E-1 appealed to me when it was launched but I wasn't in the market for a DSLR at that time. If Oly had ever released a proper successor then I probably wouldn't be on this forum now.

Still, the K10D has proved to be a wonderful purchase and the K-7 looks a lot like the E-1 MkII that Oly never made so it's all worked out for the best in the end.

If it was second hand from a shop then you still have rights, if it was a private sale then you're on your own unfortunately

Well, previous interchangeable-lens Ricohs have used a K-mount so maybe..?

I'm not rushing to spend money just yet but I like the way certain segments of the camera market are moving!

Hello Mickey and welcome. There are a couple of members that are based in Japan but I haven't seen either post in a little while - perhaps your presence will draw them out again?

That's why I'm waiting on Samsung. If they produce something comparable in size but with better K-mount integration then they'll probably get my money instead.