For authenticity, can I suggest you acquire a wooden tripod

The Manfrotto 055PROB can be laid flat on the ground and the centre column can be remounted horizontally to move the camera away from the tripod legs for straight down shots. The redesigned 055XPROB might be what you are looking for.

I don't think any production models have hit the streets yet so you may have to wait a while for an answer to these, and many other questions we have.

It's a rare mirror lens if it's got an aperture ring. They are usually fixed at f8.

I can't help with your decision but surely as the buyer you don't incur Paypal fees.

That's an excellent price Mike. I'd snap it up (excuse the pun) if I didn't already have one.

It looks like it's the rare Vietnamese pot-bellied version too

Go ahead, if you think you can find one. In the real world, all DSLR manufacturers have the same problem. The big three, Pentax, Nikon, and Canon (I don't count the toy manufacturers) allow for AF adjustment on their bodies.

Piotro,

Where were you to take the Sea King shot. It looks as though you were in the air yourself.

The K-7 is smaller and lighter than the K20D. It is not likely that we will see any more firmware updates for the K20D.

Pentax's past history shows that once a body reaches it's end of production (probably imminent in the case of the K20D) they make no further updates to it's firmware. EG: Version 1.03 was recently released for the K20D which supposedly improved the performance of it's shake reduction (SR) system. That same mod was not offered to K10D owners, a body which shares the exact same SR system. If it's only a firmware change, why not offer it for all cameras that might be improved?

If you were to get a K20D now, then get a K-7 when it's price drops to the same level you will end up with two cameras for less than the price of the K-7 at launch, but you will have had lots of fun in the meantime.

Very dangerous, potentially fatal. Don't do it unless you are experienced in handling electronic components.

A company I worked for many years ago made ionisation testing equipment used for testing the insulating properties of items like vehicle dristributor components. I used to test and calibrate the 'baby' ones at 10,000 volts and a shock from that soon woke you up.

A more experienced colleague dealt with the 'big boys' machine which generated 250,000 volts. Even having taken all the necessary safety precautions before, during, and after testing, all except grounding the main electrode to discharge the residual static after turning it off that is, he touched it and spent the next 20 minutes on the floor unconcious. He suffered no permanent harm.