Thanks Don
From what I've read the new DAL35 is the same basic optical formula, just with some of the extra glass shaved off (to cover the APS-C area). There will be less CA, it's true, since the coatings have improved.

But, alas, it's a plastic mount.

Looks like I might end up keeping the DA35/2 at this rate, or selling it for a song later to fund a K5

Matt

Don,
Pentax colours - definitely.

Bokeh - much, much smoother than the 16-45 IMHO. Really buttery. The 16-45 had occasions where the bokeh goes a bit crazy for me. The 17-70 is smoother in that respect.

Contrast and sharpness - pretty much as good as it gets as far as I can see. Similar to the 50/1.4, and probably a bit sharper than the 16-45.

Being able to open to f/2.0 does help too (though the DoF is very shallow!).

Oddly, I seem to find that I visualise more with the 50/1.4 as a "standard" lens. Perhaps I've just got so used to that instead of 'normal' AoV primes!

And, although larger, I tend to use the DA17-70 more and more Versatile, extremely sharp, and lovely bokeh (like the 35/2 & 50/1.4)

Matt

That page should be called "35 Reasons That People Give For Not Choosing a Macintosh"

I switched from WinXP to OS X a little while ago... just wish I could dump all my WinXP machines
Currently running iMac 24 & MBP15.

(And before you all flame me - I'm not a PC newbie! I've been coding for DOS and Win since DOS 3.3 and Win 3.0!)

My favourite parts of Mac OS X:
* 30s boot time. Always.

* 2 or 3s from hibernate. Always.

* No faff shut down. It just does it.

* Audio devices can be hot plugged. I got sooo fed up with Sonar on the PC - having to reprofile USB hardware everytime. On the Mac I just plug it in and it works! Yahay! (Using GarageBand and Reaper.fm - unbelievably cool)

* I plumped for the regular display. The antiglare screen has no glass in front For photo work it's not a problem anyway - just calibrate with a Spyder+Argyll+DispCalGui - and work nearly in the dark. Display is just fine (but very bright actually)

* Burning DVDs doesn't stop you from using the machine at all

* Desktop and GUI is never sluggish. Some apps crash, yes, but you just "Force Quit" and no problem.

* I'm running VirtualBox with WinXP for anything that I don't have OS X software for yet. Even that is really stable!

There was a lovely comparison of XP vs OS X that definitely helped me to make the switch. There are quite a few UI & file operation things you need to know.

Overall, I'm very happy in Mac-land
Matt

...it might be down to the fact that the new DAL 35/2.4 is getting some people wondering

But this has an all metal mount, and from what I can see in the reviews is basically the same lens construction. It's definitely a fine little lens
(Just not seeing nearly enough use for me!)

Matt

[BUMP AGAIN]

Offers anyone?

Nice to see you back Brian

Just my picky thoughts (whether valid or not)... Seems slightly underexposed on first sight, but that may well have been your intention

Additionally, I think the eyes need to be sharper. I can't tell what's happening at this small size, but it looks like the point of focus is slightly too far forward. Particularly in #2 this is causing me trouble Not sure if you've done much PP... but the front of the hat looks sharp, so I'm a bit puzzled (The brain tends to hone in on the sharpest point.)

Matt

...there isn't a manual available yet AFAIK.

The K5 and K7 have an ISO button to press and hold, and additionally one of the wheels can be mapped to ISO.

The K20D, and K10D could be programmed to map the ISO onto a wheel (either front or back)

Whether a quick-ISO-change feature is in the K-r remains to be seen

Matt

Paranoid? Ask the voices in your head!
Matt

Don't confuse the two things

Real Time Clock: requires some power to keep the clock 'ticking'. Usually they run on a very slow oscillator (32.768kHz) and require micro-amps of power to keep going. The memory registers that keep track of the date and time, as well as the electronics are all CMOS circuits. Sometimes a Lithium cell is soldered to the PCB - typical life span is ten years (the real time clock often takes so little power that the battery will last as long disconnected as powering the clock!). Alternatively the RTC can be run from a capacitor with very low self-discharge characteristics. This will give perhaps a day, perhaps a week. When the power is disconnected from the RTC chip the time will reset.

Memory: SD cards and CF cards all use NAND Flash technology. This memory chip requires no power to keep the contents. The contents should stay preserved for a minimum of 10 years - although clever error correction and detection mathematics can extend this time substantially (when the device is booted up after that time the maths allows any changed bits to be detected and reset to the correct values).

But, going back to the OP, the options are:

1. Don't worry about it. Just check the clock and custom options when you put the charged battery back in You'll probably be absolutely fine!

2. Get a second battery and cycle the batteries. This is my preferred option - you've always got a spare if you're out and about

Matt

[EDIT] Missed a decimal point