Ron Spillman, that's a blast from the past, makes me feel older than my 60 plus years!

Welcome to the pleasure dome, I mean Pentax user website!

You won't go far wrong with one of the new breed of Pentax's [K5/II/IIs/K3] IMO they provide better value for money than similarly priced offerings from 'Canikon' they have a good degree of weatherproofing, better ergonomics and excellent build quality.

I could go on and on but more than enough has been said about them, at the end of the day they work for me.

Look at how Fuji has in a sense reinvented it self in the 'Enthusiast' market with the X series cameras, in particular the X-Pro1

I use my K5 for most of my 'Walking' photography as I live near the coast and I appreciate the weatherproof qualities of K5 and 18-135 DA lens.

However I increasingly use my Fuji X-Pro1 camera for a lot of indoor photography as it is comparatively inconspicuous, also the Fujinon lens are IMO truly excellent lenses some of the best I have ever used.

I use a mix of bags, think tank and kata for my DSLR, domke and billingham for my mirrorless camera

Good point! Mind you I am quite attached to it

I have a Gitzo Reporter complete with gitzo pro ball head that I bought in Techno in 1987 for £99. Still going strong, will probably see me out

I believe that the concept to be a good one for mirror less camera's.

Personally I use a zing neoprene pouch when out walking with a rucksack, as I just tend to leave the 18/135 lens on my K5, not only does it provide a good deal of protection for my kit, but saves me from carrying more gear than I need, or advertising the fact I am carrying camera gear.

We should not discourage innovators, no matter how garish their designs!

Whilst I have a variety of camera bags for different occasions and kit, quite often when out walking I carry my K5+18-135, in a 'Zing' neoprene camera pouch, which then goes in my 'Exped Cloudburst 25Lt' sack*.

This has two added advantages a/ the sac is waterproof b/ does not shout camera gear inside! Also the sack carries everything required for a day's walk.

* http://www.facewest.co.uk/Exped-Cloudburst-25.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=...

Like Mannesty I also use the Minolta DualScan IV, no longer available, likewise I use Vuescan software which is excellent and well worth the money as it is a one off cost, allowing you future updates, very useful when switching/upgrading operating systems.

I spent two winters scanning about 2000 slides to my computer, it was only then I realised how marked the slides were, after a lot of editing they cleaned up well.

We know that [analogue photography] negatives and slides can survive fairly intact for decades, this cannot be said for digital media, so who knows what may happen in a decade or two from now, the reappearance of analogue photography?

I have kept my Minolta DualScan IV, who knows what tomorrow brings.

Live long and prosper 'V'