Hm, I much prefer the mono - it's moody. Dreamy. Sadly, with digital pp, we got accustomed to everything being crisp, sharp, with almost unreal contrast. That mono has a very 'film' look to me

+1 for level in a hot shoe from me.

That said, this out of camera business is a bit unfair, assuming equal skill. Cameras vary so much in how they process the jpgs and what sort of presets and adjustments are available that it almost seems pointless? A strange way to approach a competition. For it to be anywhere near an even ground where skill and talent can shine, everyone should be taking a photo with the same camera and the same jpg settings. As it is, users can still affect the internal 'pp' process - depending on camera, to bigger or smaller extend. What camera you have and how much fiddling with settings you're allowed, might be the determining factor when it comes to winners and that's hardly different that actually allowing 'normal' pp.

Either way, best of luck WaypointCharlie.

Welcome to the forums, looking forward to seeing your photographs!

I'd go for it. I gave my son my K100D the moment he started showing interest (12). Just bear in mind that equipment alone is not enough. If you have a good relationship and you're close enough to devote some time to say weekend photo trips with her, than they will have a much bigger value than any awesome gear she gets.
The two things together are a win win I'd go as far as allowing her to pick places/things she wants to photograph. Let her lead with just providing expertise. Make it fun and than, regardless of how long or short lived the interest in photography is, you will have great memories forever

There are some great point and shoots out there but they can be a hassle to operate manually. My mom owns the KS-1 and while it has slight faults, it's a pleasure to use and produces awesome images even in inexperienced hands. That is a great encouragement to continue in my eyes.

Also, at 14, being given something that's considered a slightly more 'serious' equipment is a sign of faith in her ability - you can't really go wrong with that.

The only thing you're risking in the long run is your wallet - if she is persistent, you'll soon find yourself spending money on gear for her not yourself haha

How old is that lens? A lot of people seem to forget that while warranty lasts 2 years in the EU, the equipment is expected to work for I believe 5 years. think it's 6 in the UK - that, among other things means being 'repairable' for a rational cost - roughly less then 50% of the market price of the equipment. Anything above that, and you can negotiate the repair price down to that 'rational' level. Unless you can buy an excellent copy for less than that, I'd repair.

There is only one problem with QS - it's so handy I tend to forget it's not featured on all lenses I have. One of these days I'm going to break one because of that

Bought 3 tripods this year...first one as I needed it right there and there was a 40 quid Hama - rock steady but a pain to operate and it squeeks! The aluminium coating on it started chipping just after few uses. So would not recommend at all. I than got a Manfrotto and it's a night and day as expected - http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/293-aluminum-kit-tripod-3-sections-with-ball-head-qr - somewhat above your budget and only up to 4kgs but it suits my needs perfectly and I can't recomment it enough.

And last, my son picked up photography for his A levels this year and we needed to buy another one - having somewhat limited budget we thought we give this a shot - http://www.amazon.co.uk/XCSOURCE%C2%AE-Profeshional-Portable-Magnesium-Aluminium/dp/B00KNJ2QUA/ref=sr_1_7?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1441356954&sr=1-7&keywords=tripod. Figured we can always send it back if it's not to our liking. However, I can honestly say, that other than a brand name, quality is not much off the Manfrotto I have. For the price, I think it's great. Sturdy, fairly compact, supports more gear the the Manfrotto, ball head is smooth. It even uses a similar mechanism to operate. Guess it's a knock off. Either way, an awesome one. It is heavier though.

If you don't have heavy equipment the Manfrotto 290 is amazing; if you do, I'd give the last one a play. You might like it.

Amazing. The pigeon ones don't even look like photos, they are so 'alive'. Lense is one thing but it's the photographer that matters most. Just super.

I really like all of them. Street photography for me is somewhat a tricky subject. Most 'known' street photographers out there whose work I have had the chance to see I found incredibly dull. I've personally seen one setting up a street scene - which kind of defeats the purpose lol.

Yours have incredible character. There is an atmosphere that I can almost feel. They come across as genuinely 'street'. Interesting subjects and compo/angles. Particularly like the umbrella dude. Thank god you used no flash. It would not have been the same! Possibly great too, but in a different kind of way.

There is time, place and need for perfection in every aspect. For me, street photography is about capturing the feel of the moment and you have done an awesome job in my amateur eyes

The first and the last are absolutely brilliant.

The level of consumerism we're seeing now is unprecedented in every sector. Comparing Pentax to Saab is somewhat pointless - not only we're talking of different price ranges for products - Saab was not your average 'affordable' car when new; we'd be comparing two economically different periods of time.

Ricoh seems to be rather content with how their camera arm of the business is doing - http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2015/03/05/ricoh-interview-placeholder. They appear to be heading forward with a rather clear vision of how they would like the future to shape up. They have stated that the medium format sales of the last model exceeded their expectations. They are doing great with the GR, they are observing increasing sales trend across the brands, and on top of that are happily devoting money to the development of new products.

Just because they do not cater 'fully', or rather, as some expect them to, to the pro market, it does not in any way mean they are ignoring it. In fact, considering the medium format and now, the FF, they are most definitely not ignoring an entire market segment. It appears they are taking a rational approach of pacing themselves in a way that ensures a constant revenue flow instead of opting for a widespread attack on all fronts for increased market share while risking sinking the business in the process by trying to do too many things at once.

I'd be more worried about Leica with their exploiting of their 'legend' status approach, than I am about Pentax vanishing of the face of the planet. But that's just me