Based on DPR's review of the Sony A7 with legacy lenses this week, people should snap this up.... it performed very well on digital full frame, which I suspect is not a surprise to people who've used one....

I don't insist on Pentax and if I was starting from scratch it'd be a hard choice between Pentax or Fuji X for me (quality of images I got from the X100 was outstanding).

In terms of handling and overall feel, the best dSLR I ever owned was the Olympus E-1 - which also happened to churn out some of the best JPEGs I've ever seen, as long as you kept it below ISO400. However, I was never taken with subsequent Olympus Four Thirds bodies (although I think Pentax could learn a thing or three from the Zuiko zoom lenses - perhaps the best digital zoom lenses made by any manufacturer; shame they were married with a so-so sensor). And although the E-1 is as good as it ever was, it's a digital dinosaur now

The K-7 was the body which made me dump the E-1, and was in many ways what I think Olympus should have done with their higher end Four Thirds cameras. Instead they built the ridiculously bulky E-3/5 and then moved all of their effort into mirrorless in any case. The handling and intuitive controls of the Pentax bodies is excellent, and as I now know where everything is, the camera doesn't get in the way of the photography. I tried to love the OM-D, but failed miserably - the horrendous menu system and cramped controls just got in the way regardless of how good the actual image quality was (very very good). With the Pentax, weather sealing, a good viewfinder and quiet shutter all add positively to the mix too. And the quality of images I get from the K-5iiS is superb.

As for lenses, I love the Pentax primes (and most of my lenses are old MF ones so I'm ready for FF ) but I don't have great love for the zooms, which aside from weather sealing (a great addition to the more affordable lenses) are not obviously better than the competition as far as I'm concerned. But they are more than "good enough" and I find myself using the 18-135 and being happy with the results far more than some of the professional test sites would imply I should.

I'm now in the position where I own two cameras (K-5iiS and MX-1) which cover my needs very well, both offer excellent image quality in their class, and which share good build quality and an easy to navigate menu system which means that switching to another brand (or indeed another body) will only be considered if there are really big gains to justify the bother - I'm not seeing that being terribly likely in the near future.

Cheers,

Jon

Great buyer too

Have fun,

Jon

Sold subject to the formalities....

Cheers,

Jon

He's a regular contributor to the This Week in Photography (TWIP) podcast for those interested. Free via iTunes and not bad despite major bias towards the big two.

Hi - not quite the same lens. The one in your link is a newer HSM version with ultrasonic motor, and not made in Pentax mount. However, optically I think they're either identical or almost identical. And it's a very nice lens.

Cheers,

Jon

Fabulous but under-used (by me) fast standard prime which offers excellent build and image quality. Complete with hood, caps, case and box. I can post some photos but very well cared-for, showing few if any signs of use.

Great value at £199 incl RMSD (excl PayPal fee).

Please PM with any questions.

Jon

You have a PM re the Tamron option.

Cheers,

Jon

I wouldn't trust the B and H website for that....they've declared other items as discontinued in the past when they weren't. It might be more about lack of availability. I have a suspicion Ricoh/Pentax prioritise the markets where they perform better, and I think Japan, Australia and Europe are probably bigger for them than the USA currently.

HD DA 70 safely received - many thanks Mo for easy transaction. Lens is a jewel - Been quite a few years since I last used one of the DA Ltds but for me, this one encompasses what Pentax is all about. And it's even getting sunny so I may get to use it later