For everyone, assuming that it's a single batch perhaps or part of a batch. The only point I'm making is that the action taken will depend on the actual problem and its extent, all information that we are not privy to. I'm not suggesting concealing the issue.

For example, in a hypothetical scenario where we knew 200 cameras were involved and where they went, then the matter could be dealt with without a major issue. Or the appropriate serial numbers issued for a recall.

If it were a hypothetical 50% of the production then a recall might be considered an appropriate response.

Pentax are dealing with it and as faulty cameras will be replaced it shouldn't be a problem. Returning non-faluty cameras en-masse would probably be a logistical nightmare, so lets wait and see what transpires.

Conversely, a lot of people made to worry could send back cameras that are perfectly fine but have a bit of dust on the sensor. Then there will be some who find no problem, but insist on returning it to be checked anyway.

If it isn't a large number of cameras, then causing a massive scare could be very counter-productive. If it is a large number then that's a different issue.

You can use the A/M switch on the lens to open up for focusing and stop down for shooting.

The trouble is that what you see isn't what you get - digital images are intrinsically soft out of camera and need sharpening. I can't see what could be wrong with adjusting brightness, contrast and colour and also composition as required, just as a darkroom worker would.

In fact, just relax and enjoy doing whatever we want with our images!

[IMG]http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/johnriley1uk/026-K10D.jpg[/IMG]

For sale, one very well cared for Pentax K10D. Complete with SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm II lens plus lens cap and strap.

The camera is in superb cosmetic condition and fully opeprational with one exception. Manual mode works fine, but in any auto mode that requires the lens to stop down some of the time it will not stop down with some lenses. So, for example, in Av mode anything other than open aperture will be progressively over-exposed as the lens does not stop down. This is not with every lens and not all the time, but please be aware of this.

Manual exposure users will not be affected.

Accordingly, a reduced price of £200.00 plus postage at £20.00 for anywhere in the world. In the UK this will be Special Delivery to ensure full insurance.

Payment preferred by PayPal, but UK postal orders and sterling cheques also accepted.

Any questions, please ask.

Looking at the schematics for the two lenses it's obvious that they are similar but they are not identical. In fact, being the same spec they are almost bound to be similar as that is the best configuration for that design requirement.

The 15mm f3.5 is for example inspired by the Zeiss design, although again it is not identical. In fact it changed pretty quickly because the aspheric element was too expensive. The leica version also is inspired by the Zeiss lens. None of this implies a tie-up, just that lens designers will look very carefully at how the best lenses are made and no doubt use that as a starting point.

I have never seen any properly documented assertion that Zeiss and Pentax actually signed and worked with any agreement. Wiki entries on the web don't carry the same weight as properly researched books!

Bad news always travels faster than good news!

Very good questions!

Camera manuals tell you how to operate features. They don't tell you why you would want to.

So I would suggest books and articles on the web on general photographic techniques. Read about landscapes, depth of field, night shooting or whatever you want to tackle first. There's no shortcut to grasping all of photography, but the learning curve is much faster now that we can review the results immediately.

They are just being honest perhaps. Traditionally, focal lengths as marked are just approximations, and of course some manufacturers will try to make things look better than they are.

Most 1970s and earlier 24mm lenses are more like 25mm. Only Zeiss admit this I think.

Zooms are wide open to abuse - after all a 28-80mm zoom sounds much better than a 29-77mm one!