Hi again

A quick scout around the usual online second hand dealers:
A mint MZ5n goes for about £120-£150.
A Sigma 28-200 lense goes for around £100.
(These are with 6 month warranties)

So, sounds a reasonable deal to me

Don't forget that a 28-300mm lens, although incredibly useful and practical, will not give the same image quality as shorter range zooms, and certainly not the quality of a prime lenses (like just a 50mm/f1.7). However, don't let that put you off, for £200, it sounds like a great deal.

You can always stock up on lenses later
Don't forget to subscribe to the Pentax User Magazine - it'll get you a healthy discount on servicing should you ever need to get the MZ5n repaired (apart from it being a great magazine )

Matt

The MZ5N is a much better body
Here are some reasons:

* Metal lense mount (MZ50 has plastic) It will last longer.
* Spot metering - useful for difficult lighting situations
* Multi segment metering. MZ50 has 2 segment, MZ5N has 6.
* Supports all older lenses. MZ50 has "crippled" KAF mount
* More solidly built

The MZ50, on the other hand, has "picture modes". However, to be honest, the MZ5N will do a great job all the time.

Here are a couple of pages that should help you compare the two:

http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/bodies/MZ-ZX/mzzx5n.html
http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/bodies/MZ-ZX/mzzx50.html

Hope that helps
Matt

Kim,

Bokeh is not a 5TLA It is the effect produced when out-of-focus bright light hits the lense. The term comes from Japanese ( http://www.minox.org/minoxencyclopedia/b/bokeh.html )

Here's a definition:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bokeh.htm

And different lenses really do have different bokeh. My Pentax 50mm/f1.7 produces a lovely effect that just seems 'harder' on my Tokina lenses.

Hope that clarifies it!
Matt

George,

There's an award winning wedding and portrait photographer down the road from me who went digital. Think he went Fuji S2 (which is basically the same resolution as the *istD, though some would argue this). His experience initially was to keep clear of digital. But then he said he realised they were looking at the outputs on the wrong printer. Once he'd seen the results he switched

I've seen some fantastic large prints in their window, so I know it can be done

(Unfortunately I have done in my knee and can't walk or drive. Out of action for perhaps 2 weeks, otherwise I might go down there.)

Adding to that, there's someone on EPhotozine who uses a wide range of digital equipment. http://www.ephotozine.com/user.cfm?user=14570

I know that there were wedding photographers doing real work with 3Mp pro DSLRs, so I can't see there'll be a real issue with the *istD.

Unfortunately, I haven't printed anything of mine that large, but in terms of Photoshop editing the images look clean and crisp. Once Photoshop-CS handles the Pentax PEF RAW files natively, things should be really nice indeed.

Matt

Hi McBrian,

Glad you've got back into photography
There's a whole heap of good second hand dealers that handle Pentax stuff. These I've had very positive experiences dealing with:

• 
  www.parkcameras.co.uk
  www.mxv.co.uk
  www.ffordes.co.uk
  www.lcegroup.co.uk
  www.clocktowercameras.co.uk
  www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk
  

And of course, there are plenty of others!
Do let us know how you get on.
Matt

(Forum tip: post a question in one place, that way it gets answered and followed up properly )

I've answered your thread in the Digital Photography forum...

Gilly,

(I don't have an S4, but these comments are 'general' in nature, and gleaned from the various reviews)

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxoptios/page8.asp, show the Optio S, at least, had a very respectable shutter lag. They haven't reviewed the S4.
As you might notice from the timings, the shutter lag should be slightly quicker if you choose one AF point, rather than having it on auto.

Checking the www.imaging-resource.com reviews, the S4 should be about twice as quick as the 330.

However, if you are having timing problems shot-to-shot (ie take one, and the next is too slow) then you probably need a faster memory card - don't forget you've got more pixels to write

Generally, "Shutter lag" is something of a problem in all consumer digicams, not just Pentax. Most of the delay usually comes down to focussing - especially at long zooms or in poor light.

There are ways to live with this delay: prefocussing (ie focus on something at the right distance, hold the shutter half way down, then fire when the subject is there), manual focus and setting large depth of field (by choosing Av mode and high number aperture setting).


Matt

Hi!
I think you must have Hanimex lenses with bayonets, but not Pentax bayonet. The Pentax K-fit bayonet hasn't changed, and Pentax have only two standards: M42 screw thread, and K-bayonet.

Admittedly, the bayonet has various flavours (Manual, Auto, Auto Focus etc), but even an early Pentax bayonet lense will fit on the latest Pentax body.

Check this out: http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/index.html
It has a wealth of information on Pentax K-mount.

If you've got a P30 but no lenses, don't worry - there are plenty about. www.mxv.co.uk, www.parkcameras.co.uk, www.lcegroup.co.uk, www.ffordes.co.uk, as well as heaps of others stock Pentax manual K-mount lenses - all at very reasonable prices

Hope that helps,
Matt

Jim,

There may have been a USB driver update for the S4:
www.pentaxusa.com/digitalupdate/

There are probably ACDsee software upgrades too: http://www.acdsystems.com/English/index.htm

I agree with Robert... a card reader is much easier. You can have two memory cards - one in the camera, the other in the PC. It also helps if you are ever away since most Windows XP machines can just recognise a card reader without any extra software (This is what I do with the *istD)

Matt

Thought this might be useful for those *istD owners - 18mm-36mm effective.

http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Reviews/a_Sigma_12-24_f4.5-5.6/a_Sigma_EX_12-...

Galleries:
http://www.seittipaja.fi/index/galleries/s12-24/
http://www.geocities.com/niccleavephotography/12_24mm1.html
http://www.pbase.com/fengtianrui/1224mm_tests
http://dpr.jirman.com/12-24/ (full frame)

Looks crazy!!
Matt