Fair enough question. When we had mechanical cameras, water could get inside quite easily and would eventually cause rust if it went too far.

When electronic cameras came on the scene, water was definitely not on as electronics and cameras do not mix. My mother-in-law dropped her Canon S30 in a lake recently. Instant death, to the camera that is. (I found her a replacement S50 on eBay)

WR offers new possibilities. I have been out in the pouring rain with a K20D and WR kit lens. No problems. I have been out in similar conditions with the K-5. No problems. The DA* lenses should inspire even greater confidence as their sealing is more complex.

Did you not read the post? An offer has been made and now it just needs to be accepted or rejected.

I was very impressed when I tested it for EPZ.

I actually preferred the control layout to the K-5 (by a whisker) but needed the weather resistance and possibly the pentaprism finder.

I was thinking that I would have asked £50 as the publicity or at least the ability to say that your image has been used on the site is something that can be added to your credibility as a photographer.

$75 sounds right to me.

I'm not sure what the changeover date was now. Can anyone remember? I don't think they would say anything at all before it's signed, sealed and a done deal.

After that, what happens should be interesting.

The Q is actually much smaller and with its standard lens should be pocketable. I do carry a pocketable camera at all times.

However, pocketable cameras need a lot of care in use to get the best from them.

So although you're quite right Pentaxophile, I think there's still a case for a compact camera. At the moment I use the I-10 or the W90, but I can see the Q will likely up the quality level.

The term being more generally accepted seems to be CSC - Compact System Cameras - as most do not have an inbuilt EVF.

The problem I see as several-fold:

1. The lenses make the camera as un-pocketable as a DSLR, so there's no advantage in terms of carrying. We still need a camera bag.

2. The small bodies are fiddly to operate and sometimes have controls that are too easy to nudge accidentally.

3. Very small/light cameras are more difficult to hand hold effectively.

4. We can get better quality, more easily, at a lower cost from a DSLR such as the K-r.

What I'm saying is that I'm personally not overly excited by it, and I've proved that by buying two K5s myself. Sue and I have been using these for some time now and they're both fine. Like every other manufactured item, buy from a good source (SRS or Park are good examples in the UK)and if there's a fault address the problem.

I personally wouldn't abandon a marque because of a batch fault, because it could happen to any manufactured product.

There have been other instances and the last Pentax one I recall was the K20D Banding Issue. That too was solved and there's no particular reason to avoid the K20D or the K-5. We can be aware that if we buy from some sources then there mau be residual rogue cameras in the supply chain.

The fault lay with the Sony-sourced sensor, on some cameras only. When alerted to it, Pentax dealt with it, so what else was there to do?

These things happen and are unrelated to price. At the moment Leica are having problems with something as simple as the SD cards in their cameras. No doubt they will solve that in due course, just like Pentax will have solved the sensor issue.

The green background signifies a Helpful Post. It's best used sparingly as overuse can look rather garish, that's for sure.