If you want to keep the aperture the same, set Av and select your aperture. It will stay the same until you change it and the shutter speed will vary to compansate for changing light.

To bracket, use exposure compensation to alter the exposure anywhere from -3EV to +3EV (more on the K7) and the aperture will still stay the same. I allocated exposure compensation to the front dial when set in Av, and change the aperture with the rerar dial.

If it's the shutter speed you want to set, then use Tv and let the camera change the aperture.

That's how it works!

Ah, but once you compare like for like then it's on a par. Comparing a cheap plastic lens with a professional one doesn't seem equitable. If I were a Canon user, I wouldn't want the cheap 50mm anyway.

The 50mm is an extreme example anyway, but worth mentioning, and looking across the range where similar lenses are on offer, then I stand by what I said above. It is of course true that Canon and Nikon have lots more lenses, but in many cases these are not lenses that us normal mortals would be buying.

It sounds like the camera is setting itself to a flash mode as soon as the flash is attached. There must be a Custom Setting somewhere to enable what you want.

Failing that, take the flash unit off the camera and trigger it with the built in flash or with an IR transmitter in the hotshoe. This will give better modelling anyway as the flash will be off-axis with the lens.

Very true.

eBay has a mass of Pentax on offer - in the case of film lenses there are more Pentax lenses around than anything else, and all useable as well.

Slowly but surely people are wising up to the advantages of Pentax.

As an aside, I've just been given some other marques to sell on eBay, and looking closely at how they made they are really quite crude and clunky compared to Pentax. Elegance of design is an attribute of Pentax that I enjoy, apart from the photographic qualities!

I don't see the advantage of that Stefan, when there's a perfectly efficient method as described. Maybe in some situations that I never come across.

I think you might find that a few more Pentax Users are coming on board than leaving. For those who don't buy magazines, AP is now brimming withy K-x and K7 offers froma variety of sources. Clearly someone is marketing more effectively.

As for prices, they are now on par with Nikon and Canon, but when making comparisons don't forget to compare like with like. So a 50mm f1.4 needs to be compared to a 50mm f1.4 for example.

The lithium battery powers the memory circuit that retains exposure settings. If your settings are not holding after the camera is switched off and on again then this battery needs replacing by Pentax.

I think this only applies to the original 645.

Quick Shift is the feature on most Pentax DA lenses that enables a manual focus tweak after the AF has locked, without having to switch anything into manual focus. It's especially useful in close up and macro work.

It lacks light, leaving the image a bit flat. Dramatic after-the-storm lighting would transform this.

Eyes always for a portrait. If the eyes are sharp, you've hit the spot.

Centre focus, lock on one eye (they are all pretty much in the same plane here) hold and recompose. Use Quick Shift to fine tune if necessary.