I've just returned fromMartin Mere, and the birds were a bit thin on the ground. However, there were plenty of pigeons around the feeder hides.

Probabvly the easiest thing for you to do is use Pentax Laboratory, which is shipped with the cameras for free. Convert to TIFF or JPEG, after which all programs will open them with no problems.

I agree with Gwyn. If the purpose is to show the qualities of a lens it's much better to show normal, recognisable images with a minimum of processing. Just straight shots tell us something.

To be fair, Mike was showing us his images, not the lens, so the purpose was different.

Peter is quite right. Unfortunately I'm stuck with needing the full version because of some of the work I do, but that's untypical. However, I've never felt the need for Lightroom, so that's something less to buy.

The student price is quite good, but why not check with the course tutors before you buy?

You read too much into a comment Robbie. The I-10 merely evoked the appearance of the Auto 110. Nobody was claiming that was the digital version of it.

Your previous post has been removed as it's unnecessary to have digs at individuals. Do please avoid making personal remarks.

Well although I haven't bought one yet, if I'd been in the K-5 market now I would do because the K-5/18-135 package is now at the right price.

I can't add much to the review except to reiterate that technical tests are not everything and the lens had many merits, not least of which were the handling and weather resistance. The same can be said of the 18-250mm as well, so perhaps it could be looked at in the same was as that lens is?

Re the comment that I won't buy one, I can assure you that as I write my mind has been mulling over what can be sold, rearranged, swapped, and what devious plan can be put into operation that will free up enough cash to do just that....it's just a matter of time, the decision to buy is already made.

Ricoh are buying Pentax Imaging Systems, so I think we can assume they would have wanted the name. That is critical in having a respected brand name to build on.

Not sure about the spotting scopes, telescopes, binoculars and other Pentax optical products that haven't really been specifically mentioned.

Sony did drop the Konica-Minolta names, but basically because Sony was better known at the time and they wanted the expertise, not the names. They kept all the technology and for a long time the products were pretty much the same. Now we are starting to see new developments, but it has taken a while. The Pentax situation is slightly different, but we don't really know anything yet.

People buy things to use and profit from, by and large. I should imagine that Ricoh are spending their money to expand and improve their photographic business and as we have two modestly sized concerns (in terms of cameras anyway) they should be able to benefit from this.

You don't mention the troubled companies that survived for a very long time, or still survive, such as Hasselblad, Rollei and Leica. Or the tiny specialists such as Alpa.

If the axe ever did fall, my Pentax kit wouldn't disintigrate in sympathy with the event, but I feel a lot more optimistic that in fact the future could well be very exciting.

Apparently DNG is almost universal, but some newer cameras need updated versions of ACR to fully utilise it.

Upwards and onwards, we are never guaranteed to be totally free of the need to upgrade.