Good decision (to move back to Spain). Look me up if you ever get anywhere near Mazarron, Murcia.

Good luck with the move and the fund raising exercise.

BTW, what's the job, Guardia, Trafico, Local Policia?

You may well be 'write' ( ) but the OP didn't mention long term archival requirements, and neither did I. I am talking purely about having a second copy (or more) to recover from if/when things go pear-shaped.

Long term archive is a completely different kettle of fish and I agree, DVD +/-R media is better than the DVD +/- RW options and at least 2 copies on media from different manufacturers would be my preferred option + a fire safe (which I have, and use) to keep one of the copies in.

Now, I'm going out for a ride . . . . back later.

Paranoia works for me, I have a hot spare as well. Paranoia rules . . . OK Yah.

Seriously though. Something I read on this thread (I think) didn't ring quite true. DVD can be re-written if you choose DVD+/-RW media and you have a similarly capable drive.

Fot the normal (Matt? ) home user/photography enthusiast, an additional external HDD (or 2 even) should cater for 99.9999999% of your backup needs. They are sooooooo cheap, it's a no brainer really. My recommendation is a Seagate device. The 5 years warranty has a lot to do with that recommendation.

It's actually not difficult to make one. Choose your enclosure, USB2, Firewire, or both, and add your choice of hard drive. Easy peasy.

My preferred choice of storage is RAID but that does not prevent accidental file/image deletions. My preferred choice of backup is a separate hard drive. External USB hard drives have enormous capacity and are not expensive nowadays.

I also backup to tape, but that's another ball game and much more expensive than an additional HDD.

Wecome to the forum AfcDave,

You will find most of the technical info. you are ever likely to want to know about your Pentax branded kit at http://kmp.bdimitrov.de .

I have no personal experience of any of the equipment you mention but I used a Super-A, the successor to the ME Super having essentially the same body, for many years until it finally died. I used a Pentax-A 50mm 1:1.7 lens on it and was always pleased with the results. your 1:2 lens is a little less sharp and is not best suited to low light working but is nevertheless an excellent lens.

You will experience mixed emotions on here regarding digital only v digital + film capable lenses. Get to know the kit you have before embarking on any lens buying spree, stick to Pentax SMC lenses, and follow any or all advice you get from this forum. You'll not go far wrong.

As with any forum, ask questions and you'll get knowledgable and qualified answers and remember, there's no such thing as a daft question.

John,

I was rather hoping that the OP might share some valuable wisdom/knowledge/experience which helped him make the choice in favour of Samsung over a Pentax badged product. Instead he has simply picked each of my comments to bits and made it personal.

I was initially trying to be helpful and illicit information at the same time. It didn't work. Apologies to all (including the OP) for that.

I'm sure he will be well pleased with his purchase and hopefully I haven't put him off of this forum for good.

I still reckon the Pentax remote is a better option than a TV remote

The Samsung and Pentax bodies are essentially the same, mechanically and electronically, as far as I know. Like the Intel based Mac and Windows PC, it's the software/firmware that makes it work, together with the accessories, support, and availibility of expert advice.

Pentax make cameras and other imaging equipment, endoscopes and the like. Samsung make everything from earth movers to mobile phones and just about everything electro-mechanical in between. Ask yourself which of those two companies has more commitment to photographic imaging.

If you are happy with your purchase of a Samsung badged Pentax camera, which is as different from a Pentax camera as a Canon or Nikon by virtue of its firmware, I'm happy for you.

Why then join a Pentax forum where most of the contributers here have little or no interest in Samsung products, even if they are manufactured in a Pentax factory. I could of course be totally wrong and in fact, The Pentax product might even be manufactured by Samsung. Who knows, I don't.

Good luck with your new camera and perhaps you'll share some of the results here.

It seems you might be a bit late to ask for advice if you've already ordered Samsung. Will you remember the savings you think you've made when it's worth nothing in 6 months time once you've realised your mistake and want a proper Pentax instead?

The use of a cable or wireless remote is dictated largely by the individual shooting scenario and often, either will do as well as each other.

If you decide on IR, compare the sizes of a TV remote (as previously suggested) to the Pentax remote. TV remotes are all gigantic in comparison. The Pentax remote is roughly half the size of a compact flash card and smaller than a Sony memory stick. I know which I'd prefer to carry around.

Dust will adhere to the glass filter which covers the actual sensor for mainly one of two reasons. 1) Static, this should be easily cleared by the cameras dust removal system. 2) Sticky dust will be less easily removed by the cameras dust removal system.

So, think about the environments where you have used the camera and determine which is the most likely. If the dust is sticky, it might well need some chemical removal process.

It is possible (very rarely) to get dust between the glass and sensor and no amount of cleaning will remove it. This is most likely to have got there during the manufacturing process and will need specialist (warranty) attention.

You know the part of the guarantee that states "This does not affect your statutory rights"? Well, if you live in, and purchased your flash in Europe, your statutory right . . . is 2 years warranty (despite the 12 months often quoted elsewhere in the guarantee). If it's less than 2 years old, get it fixed for free.

Out of interest. I tried my AF360 on my K10D and istD bodies. I can set HSS mode on the flash and as soon as the shutter speed goes above 1/125th (istD) or 1/180th (K10D) The HS icon illuminates on the flash. Further, I can set any shutter speed that the camera is capable of.

Hope that helps.