Waiting for the kettle to boil...

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/competition%20stuff/IMGP4292.jpg[/IMG]

Taken today @ lunchtime

K10D / FA43 / f2.4 / 1-15sec / ISO400

That's OK then.

They really are very new so you'll struggle to find many hands-on reviews so far, but a pre-production preview can be found over at DPR which goes through all the various features.

If you buy it let us know - I think you'll probably be the first on this forum!

The firmware is effectively your camera's operating system. Once a new camera is released the manufacturer will periodically update the firmware to fix issues that have arisen and (sometimes) add new features that weren't included at launch.

You can download new firmware from Pentax at this link.

Follow the instructions carefully and you should come to no harm. It's worth knowing that revisions to firmware are cumulative so you only need the latest one, not all of them.

Good luck - and given your recent battery experience I'd use a fresh set for the update process - just to be on the safe side.

Be careful! The K2000 is also known as the K-m and it's only just been released. The thing is, in Europe and Asia you should see it badged as a "K-m", if the one you saw was badged as a "K2000" then it was almost certainly destined for the North American market.

Although the cameras are identical in all but name, if the one you saw was a grey import then you may find that any manufacturer warranty is invalid.

Muse is basically the same as Lensbaby 2.0 with the addition of their new Optic Swap system. It's a push-pull design that requires you to hold the lens in place while taking the photo.

Control Freak is basically the same as Lensbaby 3G with the addition of the new Optic Swap system. It allows you to lock the lens in place once you've found the "sweet spot" so is better suited for repeatable results.

Composer is all new (and features the Optic Swap system) and acts more like a conventional lens; ie you twist the barrel to focus and you can set the degree of tilt without having to hold onto the lens.

Previous generations of Lensbaby had fixed optics whereas the new generation's Optic Swap system allows you to change between a coated glass doublet, an uncoated glass singlet, a plastic lens and a pinhole lens (depending on the effect you want to achieve). These have to be purchased seperately though as each Lensbaby only ships with the coated glass doublet (same as permanently fixed into Lensbaby 2.0 and Lensbaby 3G).

I'd put money on there being a faulty cell amongst your four; have you tried running a meter across them to see if one is failing to hold its charge?

I've had many NiMH cells fail over the years and even a couple that have been faulty from brand new - including one from a well respected (and expensive!) manufacturer who you'd think would exercise better quality control.

Hello Tony-O, welcome to the forum

Excellent work - nice to see some real-world examples that bear out the rumours.

I've read several times that my DA12-24 works perfectly from 18mm and upwards on film; if I ever end up with a FF DSLR at some point in the future it's nice to know it'll still give me the same field of view it does now at the wide end, even if the tele end is cut a bit short...

To be honest, if I were *just* shooting fast moving sports / action then I don't think there's anything on the market (from anybody) to touch the Olympus E-3 in terms of focus speed / accuracy. It'll shoot at a respectable 5 fps and has the additional advantage of the 4/3 sensor effectively doubling the length of all your telephoto lenses. The Zuiko 150/f2 (300/f2 effective) in particular is an astonishing lens for low light sports / nature, but of course has a price tag to match...

Which brings me to my point; if you already have some K-mount lenses then you need to factor in the cost of new glass when it comes to swapping systems. Pentax may not have the biggest selection, but most areas are now covered and I think they win hands down in the value-for-money stakes. Camera bodies come and go but a good lens is for life.

I'd give Asahi Photo a ring if I were you; 020 8232 8111

They're in Brentford so not exactly local local, but they do offer guaranteed work on 67's by Pentax trained technicians. Worth a phone call anyway.