I think you'll probably have to complain then

Matt

...having to slow down here for a month or two (lots of personal stuff happening), so please excuse me if my posts start slipping some more
Matt

I had one item that I wanted (a CD by Beth Hirsch) that said something similar. They kept me updated... but in the end they couldn't get it
But it took, I think, about 3 months to get to that stage.
Matt

Just to add to the melting pot...

One thing that's often overlooked when discussing exposure errors is the white balance setting. A variation in WB can skew the histograms all over the place and affect the judgment of exposure.

There is also the question in my mind as to the spectrum sensitivity used for the metering - for example, whether it's sensitive to IR or UV - and whether the metering "sees" more light in these regions which the sensor does not.

And finally... the focus screen. I think I might try swapping the *ist-D focus screen onto the K10D and check out what difference that makes (apparently it makes a big difference for the manual metering, so maybe it affects the other metering modes too??)

Matt

I'm surprised...

I've just had a go at using a Canon 30D with 24-70 f2.8 L series lens and it was unbelievably slow at focussing even in moderate light. I find the K10D much, much faster, and the *ist-D was perhaps slightly quicker (EDIT: slightly quicker than the 30D. The K10D is very fast indeed!)

From what I understand, though, the 31, 43 and 77 Limiteds were designed with some serious focus damping to allow for silky smooth manual focus. A consequence of that is that the AF is (AFAIK) slower than the other Pentax AF lenses.

All the lenses I have are SMC-F, SMC-FA and SMC-DA and they are very very quick at focus - but I find a right pain at MF because they are completely undamped.

Maybe that's the "problem" you're experiencing... maybe someone who has the Limiteds can confirm the difference in AF speed...

Matt

I would start by switching the AF to centre only (there's a custom menu option on the K100D) and checking whether the focus is better. Maybe the camera was taking focus on something that had higher contrast.

Additionally, do not use the Red overlay indicators as a guide to accurate focus! The red only shows which focus point is being used. You must use the Green hexagon at the bottom of the viewfinder for manual focus - that is the only reliable indicator.

Failing that - as has been mentioned, get it looked at
Matt

I reckon any announcement of new lenses would be disastrous - Pentax has a fair amount of egg on its face over supply already For us enthusiasts that's just about manageable (LBA not withstanding), but for a pro that absolutely requires equipment on demand that isn't good for their reputation. Ben - you may be ok having a better than usual access to Pentax supply

I'm still wondering what on earth happened to the 645D? Has it been ditched, like the MZ-D? It's gone all very quiet.
Wonder, wonder, wonder...

Matt

DON'T use EV adjustment on the day Just shoot RAW and trust the camera. If you blow out in RAW (as you have done a touch) there's nothing you can do. If it's slightly underexposed, then Silkypix can push the exposure properly

Glad you've got the controls working ok!

Re: the flash image - you can see the hard shadow behind the guy in the red jumper - that's the flash "punching" through the darkness. Ambient light here looks very low indeed. If you lowered the ISO that "punch" effect would increase... or the background would be totally black

But it looks like you're onto a winner here

Matt

* Custom Menu
* Page 4/6
* e-dial in Av mode - set to 4

Even if you have it set to "1", you can hold down the OK button to show the ISO (and holding the OK and the Green will switch to Auto ISO)

Also note that if you set the Auto range to be 100-800, you can still override that and push it up to ISO1600 manually.

And, don't forget that if you override the ISO and you go outside to take shots - press the Green button (or pull down the ISO to something sensible like 100 or 200)!!

HTH!
Matt

You're running the Free version of Silkypix, aren't you?
Fine level control is only available in the purchased one (I know... more outlay! Welcome to the world of photography )
Matt