Totally agree. A camera is a means to an end. The feel and ease of use is much more important than minor aesthetics. I have a K5ll which has small scratches on the protective hard screen as a result of small accident. The fact that that the camera was not damaged in any was much more important to me then and now than its "adjusted" cosmetics caused by the screen protector.

In an USA based, International K3 Forum there is a thread "Why I Won"t Buy a K3" which has some what varied from the title subject matter to become more of social thread covering everything from cheese sandwiches to the weather with some even more irrelevent topics in between.

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/172-pentax-k-3/239325-why-i-wont-buy-k3-warni...

It is just a lot of fun. In this season of (I hope) good will I thought we should start one here. So here goes.

I would like to start it by wishing all members and their families the happiest of times at this Christmas and peaceful New Year no matter what your beliefs are. I wish you all good fortune in your picture taking and image making and that all competition enterers actually find a sysmpathetic judge.

I hope to those that want them get lucky with their photographic gifts. I emphasise with those who would really like a voucher for a K1 but would not be able use it because a decent outfit (camera, lenses, flash, battery grip etc.) would weigh too many (back breaking) kilos (stones for anyone over 50) and would therefore have to settle for a voucher for a cookery course instead.

With Burns Night coming in a month I think a good topic to start with would be "100 Imaginative Ways to Cook and serve a Haggis", followed by "Gourmet Turnip (Neeps, Swedes) and Mashed Potato (Champit Tatties) Recipies". The courses would naturally give full instruction on Haggis choice (Wild Mull, Farmed, Tiree etc.) Turnip Picking and suitable Potato Varieties.

Happy cooking and eating.,

Lonewolf

Glad you found it useful.

Check the firmware version as well. It might need to be updated. Hold the Menu Button down when switching the camera on. Firmware version will show on the LCD. Release the Menu Button when you get the details. Version1.07 is the latest. It can be obtained here
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/download_digital.html.
The download page will give full instructions as to how to up date it. Just click on the "content" entry for the K5ii/K5iis.

I would go for the K5ii with its low light capabilities. It may not produce quite the same level of detail in RAW files as the iis as it retains the anti-aliasing filter, but it is a really solid workhorse in the Classic sense. Its also notable, as looking at some other manufacturers recent products, that the 16mp sensor still appears to have a bit of life in it. The K5 is also a good candidate, but I think that the tweeks that resulted in the K5ii make the ii a better one.

The K3 could be a posssible future candidate with its 24mp sensor and innovative anti-aliasing solution, now that that they appear to have sorted out the mirror flopping issue in 1.11. and providing that they can sort out the current LCD luminance problem introduced in 1.20 (sooner rather than later). The K3ii (the "Astro") does add a number of new features which those interested in photographing stars or stationary objects such as buildings and still life from a tripod will find advantagous but, for general use, the K3 has all the essentials.

Just noticed that Jessops have the K5ii on sale for £379.97.

Their prices for the K50 and K3 are pretty good too

Interesting that that UK wide that the K50 seems to be selling for less than the K50. I wonder why.

Thanks to all who have replied. My suspicions are confirmed. onlinefred62 it is then. Good to know that the seller appears to be reliable. Cheers, LochNess

Anyone know of a UK source for an ACMAXX 3.0 Hard LCD Armour Protector for a Pentax K5ii.

In my mind "point and shoot" covers any camera without a built in viewfinder, sophisticated or not. This includes some top end compact cameras and compact system cameras.

I note that Canon is promising a G17. I am hoping it will not be a "point and shoot" like the G16 but will have a built in viewfinder like earlier models....essential for taking pictures in holiday sun and, at times, British Summers.

Agree totally with the last sentence.

I am aware of a number pf photographers who have down sized in order to reduce the weight (and the bulk of their outfits). The quality of their pictures has not changed as a result. I think it is very much horses for courses. For most amateurs APS is large as is required with (Nikon's) 1" and 4 thirds also very good for many. For myself I would like to downsize to 1'' because of the lighter weight lenses as much as anything else, but for my comfort zone I still prefer an optical viewfinder, a decent grip, weather resistance and (preferably) a top LCD. and a sensible price so I stick with Pentax / Ricoh.

For me, LR and Elements would be the ideal starting point and use Adobe TV and YouTube for your learning materials.[/quote]Would definitely go for Elements. Lightroom can be left until later as Elements I am sure comes with Camera Raw. Camera Raw given with Elements is not as sophisticated as Lightrooom but is a very good starting point if you are new to RAW. JPEGs can also be processed by it, if more sophisticated processing oof them is required. "Open File", choose file, change format to "RAW" from the "FORMAT" Drop Down Menu at the bottom of the Screen and then click on "OPEN". Suggest using DNG for your Raw files when you are ready for them as PEF is not always processable by 3rd party editing tools.