AFAIK, SRS buy direct from Pentax, not a distributor. I also think, that as a distributor, unless you are a trade retailer, you can't buy from Intro2020 directly. . . but I could be wrong.

In my business, I'd certainly get more than a little upset if my customers were able to buy through distribution channels.

ACR 3.7 DOES support K10D PEF's.

Y'know, a tripod is a bit like a shirt. There is not one that suits every occasion.

I have 4 + a monopod, and I use them all at various times. The 190 stays in my car along with the monopod and I use those for wandering about the landscape. My 190PROB is mainly confined to studio type work or to hold my larger lenses.

You need to decide what you are going to be doing with it, and I don't just mean plonk a camera on top. You also need to decide on what type of head you will put on it. Ball heads are popular and versatile, but they don't suit every possible scenario. I recently removed my 488RC2 ball head from my 055 and replaced it with a 804RC2 3-way head for a specific project. It made a real difference to camera positional control for that project. Now the ball head is back on.

If you a going to be tramping the hills 'n dales you'll want something light, but robust. The 190's are smaller and lighter than the 055 range.

If you are doing studio work you'll need something entirely different, probably heavier and rock solid.

I chose the 055PROB because the centre column can be removed and reattached, parallel to the ground for top down work (the legs don't get in the way now). Very convenient.

Photoshop CS2 supports RAW PEF's from your camera. If you are running only the 'shrink wrapped' version, you'll need to connect to the internet and upgrade your Adobe Camera RAW software (the bit that does the conversion from RAW to JPG/TIFF) to the latest version. I think this is V3.7 for CS2. Don't try and use the version 4.x, it will not work.

You mean . . . I can come out of my cave now?

Dirk,

I too enjoy aerial photography and I have to congratulate you on being able to command an aircraft and a Pentax camera, at the same time.

I enjoy the luxury of having a pilot who does the tricky bit, fly the plane, and even then I have enough trouble taking the photo's in turbulent air.

A recommendation: If you've got one, use a polarizer. It'll cut down reflections from the canopy and punch the colours up a bit. If you haven't got one, get one.

Well done and thanks for sharing your images.

Regards,

Correct, which is why I wrote "These lenses have an undesireable exposure problem when used with a K10D".

I was rather assuming that a present day K100D user might one day become a K10D (or newer) user and might avoid future disappointment by not collecting the wrong glass at this stage.

You could try searching this forum for the answer to this question which has been asked countless times before.

The simple answer is, any Pentax Bayonet (K Mount) lens will fit and will work with your camera. Some older lenses will impose restrictions on how you can use them with your camera.

The most compatible, allowing the use of most, if not all, of the camera/lens capabilities are designated 'A' Series, or newer.

These however are manual focus lenses. If you need/want auto focus, you need to buy SMC Pentax-F, SMC Pentax-FA, SMC Pentax-DA lenses. My advice would be to avoid SMC Pentax-M series and older lenses unless they fulfill a specific need that newer series lenses can't offer. These lenses have an undesireable exposure problem when used with a K10D. This issue is not yet fixed, but we here hope it will be, and soon.

Your camera manual has a comprehensive list of useable/suggested lenses, and their limitations, if any.

Did you have any duty or VAT to pay?

It probably will break in the manner George described and yes, they are fixable if you have the patience.

The fix is very simple, reassembling the lens is not.

2 small leaf springs are attached to the inside of the aperture ring by plastic posts having their top melted to retain the said springs. This melted bit pops off and the leaf spring jams the ring so that it rarely moves beyond f11 ( I can't remember which way).

The DIY remedy is to glue the spring in place with araldite, then reassemble when its dry. Don't hurry it.

The extremely difficult part is ensuring that all of the several springs and ball bearings go back in the right place. If not, your lens is bin fodder.