Their memberships can be extended by 12 months, as appropriate. Cash? Shudder....

e-mail modified to avoid spammers latching on to it.

My brother-in-law managed over 1200 shots with the Lithium batteries that came with his K-x, so Lithium AA cells do seem to be the best option.

You might need to try one to see if it suits. Some people love using pens, others prefer the mouse.

The new Pentax spotting scope looks interesting. When the DSLR adapter becomes available that will be a relatively inexpensive 1500mm lens.

If you want starbirsts and the images to look like a firework display, then f/8 and leaving the shutter open during a burst is the way to go. The B setting is your friend here.

I found this was successful at Southport firework displays.

If shooting JPEG, don't forget that dark frame subtraction will mean a long pause between shots as the camera removes the noise pattern from the shots.

The winner of this one will of course be the judge for the landmark #300, so let's have a keen attempt to win that prestigious job!

Just to expand on that AF will work just fine with close up lenses.

With 645 it's better if lenses are kept quite modest because they can become very bulky and heavy. In the studio it may not matter too much, but on location it could become quite a burden.

The 150mm is fairly compact. The 120mm Macro would do, but you'd probably have to soften every shot as it might reveal a bit too much texture for comfort in skin.

You already shoot brilliant portraits, your website has some excellent shots. I would go for the 150mm for the 645N - it's an ideal portrait lens.

You've defined quite a few parameters, although you may have to rethink the viewfinder, but to be honest you are IMHO asking the wrong people.

Why not discuss it with your son and find out what his thoughts are and what he would like from a new camera. As he's already doing so well he may surprise you with his thoughts and he might have definite requirements of his own.

Incidentally, I've seen plenty of 10-year-olds using DSLRs quite happily, so no need to eliminate any camera type upfront.

Hope that helps and you find yourselves sharing a discussion and coming to a mutual solution!