I like the shot. It's unrealistic but attractive and an interesting subject as well.

The problem is that with very close focus you need to be absolutely sure you are focusing on the correct spot. This may or may not coincide with an AF focus point, so manual focus is the norm and focus confirmation would be as bad as using AF.

I use MF, focus by eye very carefully and then leave well alone wholst I completet the shot. This assumes a tripod is used and a static subject.

Talking of which, one of the strangeset things I have heard a camera club judge say is that a still life was "too static".....

That's a good benchmark for quality, but maybe don't be so sure. We have made some very nice A3 prints that have been very successful in competitions with a variety of Pentax and Fuji compacts.

What I will say is that it is much more difficult to be sure that a suitable image has been captured.

The trouble is that you need to use a camera for yourself, rather than rely on speculation.

There are not many really good compact cameras, certaiinly not on a par with a DSLR. Perhaps you should be looking at the Pentax X90, which will be much easier to get results out of than a compact.

Personally I think compacts are quite challenging to get quality from because they are too small and light and all the fiunctions tend to be hidden in menus so you need to be very aware of what you are doing.

Having said that, the I-10 performs very well and does its job with a bit of style.

No, the lenses in question are made in the Taiwan Pentax factories.

As has been said many times on the forum, it's an excellent lens.

You can't except the price you can buy something for. The Sigma would cost you £359 and the Pentax £319, both from SRS.

I would rather have the Pentax for its consistent colour balance with the rest of the range and its compact design. Its performace is fine but I haven't used the Sigma, so I shall leave it to others to compare if they wish.

AFAIK is means As Far As I Know.

Now that there are a few K10D, K20D and GX10 and GX20 cameras and lenses floating around the second hand market, I wondered how people felt about the resale opportunities for the different brand names.

Are the Pentax branded items selling more easily and/or getting better prices? Are the Samsung versions harder to sell and going at lower prices?

This is what I'd expect, but what are we finding?

Most of the Praktica's are M42 but there are also a few Practica bayonet models, a unique fitting.