It depends what you're after John, after years using the little Rollei (it was my only camera for a good chunk of my life) I became quite adept at judging distance, although I'd concede that some sort of focussing aid is preferable. Of course a digital version would doubtless have a screen and live view so that satisfies that desire...

What I like about the 35 that cameras like the I-10 don't address is the completely manual control. The 35 may be basic but it provides hardware to change aperture and shutter speed without faffing about in menus. I'm sure a digital version could add all those extra features like Av, Sv, P, auto focus, movies, etc and that's also fine by me, but if it misses out the basics of quick manual handling then I'm not interested in it. The reason I ended up with a Ricoh GR-D wasn't the IQ (although it's pretty good) but rather the fact it has twin control dials, a hotshoe, manual focus and a proper built in light meter. It's everything I need (and a lot more I don't use) all wrapped up in a package the size of a fag packet that I can (and do!) carry with me absolutely everywhere.

I realise that my requirements are probably only matched by a minority of P&S buyers but cameras like the GR-D, Sigma DP1/2 and Leica X1 show that the market is there. If Pentax (or Rollei ) would join that club then I certainly wouldn't complain!

BTW, given the choice of a fast sharp prime lens or a slower softer zoom I'll take the former every time...

Nothing sad about that at all - I adore my 35B for the same reasons and despite having had (and still have) many compact 35mm cameras since, the little Rollei is the only one that still gets regular use.

If somebody (and Pentax would be as good as anyone) were to make a digital version I'd fight you to be first in the queue.

I don't actually have a 67ii (although I'm currently saving for one ) so I don't know for sure, but you'll probably find a more extensive list will apply to the Japanese domestic market - as is often the way with camera manufacturers. But if you can get what you want done in your own country then that's a good start!

What sort of modifications do you have in mind? And anything on offer may well depend on which country you live in too.

Basically yes, the shutter on the 67ii is fully electronic and can operate at intermediate speeds when set by the camera (even though you can't select those speeds yourself in manual mode). Using the exposure compensation dial while keeping a fixed aperture value will force the camera into selecting those intermediate speeds.

Firstly, I'd say you have a better chance of getting an answer if you directed your question to Pentax in Japan - the UK office are a nice bunch and very approachable but ultimately an outpost where I doubt they have any more design input than we users do. I'm sure they'd pass your query on but they wouldn't have the same eagerness to get it answered that you would...

Alternatively you could ask Ned Bunnell (president of Pentax USA) via his blog. He's also very approachable and quite technically minded - plus he's probably the highest placed native English speaker in the Pentax corporation. Bear in mind a lot of folk ask him questions for this reason so replies may not be instant.

As for CCD's, I don't think there are very many CCD sensors in use outside digital medium format these days (Pentax 645D, Hasselblads, Leica S1, Mamiya 645) - the only one that springs to mind is the Leica M9. CCD's draw more power and generate more heat than CMOS and now everyone wants live view and movie modes their use in consumer cameras is likely on its last legs. In other words pretty much any current model DSLR is likely to have a CMOS sensor, or is about to be replaced by one that does.

I don't use any non-Pentax DSLR's but a quick Google shows similar comments about the inability to turn off DFS on recent Nikon models (all the CMOS ones basically). Canon is slightly different as although they've used CMOS basically forever there is a large community of firmware hackers who will provide you with the means to do whatever you like - as long as you don't mind invalidating the warranty of course. You can't turn the feature off in Olympus or Panasonic either by the looks of things (both use a version of CMOS for the 4/3's sensors). I can't find any specific reference to Sony but as they make sensors for both Nikon and Pentax (such as the one in your K-x) I doubt they'll be any different tbh.

In summary, buy a K10D before they all run out.

I have the same situation with my AF360 and my K10D as Amoringello describes above - it won't change out of P-TTL while mounted to the camera (and the camera's switched on), but if I take it off the camera, switch it to manual and re-mount it it will stay in manual mode.

Not sure why that should be but I've just come to accept it tbh...

I'm actually quite grateful that we didn't have mobile phones (or Playstations or the Internet) when I was a kid. I feel rather sorry for today's youth who I never see playing football in the street like we did...

That sounds plausible to me.

That was my understanding too but there must be something that we've overlooked. Mind you, if I did know the answers I could be a camera designer...