I don't think anybody mentioned Photoshop increasing DOF.

I would assume that the photographer would use a small aperture with an ultra-wide lens and do one of two things.

The first could be to keep the camera back vertical and parrallel to the subject (and I'm talking about architecture here) and only use the top half of the frame. This ensures no falling over effects.

The second could be to include all the subject to fill the frame and use the Transform tool in Photoshop to make "corrections" later. This works pretty well, but of course there is a limit.

"Correcting" images in this way is of course a misnomer as the correct perspective is indeed a building looking as if it is falling over backwards if we point the camera upwards. When we look at such a scene our brains accept it and automatically "correct" it. In a photograph we will accept receding lines in railway tracks, but not in buildings.

I'm not sure that we usually try to "correct" receding railway tracks, but it might be interesting to try....

Thanks David.

The software solution to tilt problems is the Transform tool in Photoshop. This works extremely well, provided it is used moderately, as always.

Tilt and Shift lenses for 35mm cameras have all but disappeared but the Pentax 28mm Shift does turn up on eBay from time to time. The price expectation can be quite high!

That explains it, the Pentax one does not come with such a filter.

As far as I recall the lens is a 1:2 macro. I am a little puzzled by the statement quoted though. Pentax have never supploed a filter to make 1:2 lenses into 1:1 magnification lenses, although they have supplied special extension tubes.

Pentax filters are generally SMC, although there may well be exceptions.

It might well be quite deliberate to prevent use of an unsuitable battery type. Not every camera can use the CR-3V.

Enthusuasts who are relatively "in the know" probably make up a very small percentage of buyers, so I doubt that there will be much of a negative effect.

The K200D is pretty much like the *istDS and similar cameras, so maybe that production in a generic sense is drawing to a close.

SMC coating?

It's a simple construction, similar to the manual focus Pentax macro lenses, and it does deliver a very respectable performance.

As regards construction it's incredibly clunky for a Pentax lens and constructed of what seems like a mass of plastic. However, it is a good lens, just not as pretty as usual for Pentax!

We were out at -2C today and both K10Ds were operating normally, but I guess -7C is pushing it a bit. Keep the camera warm, inside a coat perhaps, and only bring it out to take the shot, otherwise it's back to film!

Get much colder than that and film becomes brittle and tears when wound on, exposed metal parts of the camera stick to exposed skin...roll on Summer.