I don't disagree with what you are saying Alan, only in the sense that as it would need a redesigned body it's a less likely approach.

However, we know Pentax are not shy of doing something radically different, so who knows, you may get what you want one day.

It's possible two elements are coming apart and this is the cement causing the sparkles. In some other makes, effects like this are call "white spot" but I've never actually seen it in a Pentax lens.

Don't forget the Q. You could pick up the Q with standard lens for £299 and for just over £100 the fish-eye lens.

That's about the same cost as buying the 10-17mm lens, but it's an alternative path.

Well let's not digress even further by discussing the digression....

The point I was making was that although the idea of a square sensor has been mooted for a long time, and the idea of a square 24x24mm film format long before that, it's a wasteful format in that nobody using squares routinely. Widescreen is the current pattern for most of us, so APS-C seems a good shape anyway.

So it's unlikely that any square format camera would choose the long side to make the square, much more likely to go for the smaller dimension which would enable the use of existing body size and profile. There's no advantage to the square - it would put some users off and we can crop to square from APS-C if we want to.

Much more likley that this K30 is a K-r upgrade, followed by a K-5 upgrade very soon. Maybe an entry level, call it a K300, after that. Then we have three levels of body, the mirrorless K-01 and the miniature Q. Plus of course the professional medium format 645D. Not a bad lineup at all. Add the new lenses and quite a lot would have been achieved in a fairly short time.

Of course, all we have so far is the sneak preview of the K30, and that's looking good in itself. In seven days or so it seems we may know who got the closest to being accurate in their assessment.

What you have in mind is a perfectly viable option. Eventually you will know where your photography is headed and that's the time perhaps to be thinking of more specialised lenses.

The slight difference in density does deceive the eye. Very hard to say which is which at this resolution.

But what if it was square measuring the short length? A miniature sensor in a DSLR....

Possibly, but Ricoh say not. Who knows what the future may hold.

Well we know it's not really like that - we would be buying the computer stuff anyway, so the only real costs are the camera, Photoshop and some memory cards. Oh, and the bag, the tripod, the flashgun, the lenses.....but we'd have done most of that with film.

I've just had a look on eBay and there are quite a few on offer, but not a single bid on any of them.

Clearly film cameras need to be particular models to attract interest.

I would suggest a nominal price if you can find a buyer. The lens would be usable on DSLRs, but it doesn't have anything special to commend it and probably isn't as good as the current kit lenses.