Are you referring to the lens distortion and abberration corrections? AFAIK if the lens is 'DA equivilent' then you should get auto corrections when the item is activated on the camera (control panel).

In PDCU on the lens distortion corrections tab the 'auto' items will be active and the focal length will be pre set on the slider also.

All other 'JPEG adjustments' (such as custom image parameter, shadow / highlight corrections, white balance fine tuning, sharpness etc etc) are available on the camera for any lens.

Thanks cabstar - I'm guessing that would be part of the full P-TTL compatability with DA lenses?

So I'm guessing that if in manual mode on the flash, when you set the iso and aperture, then the flash would provide the correct distance to be from the subject? I was hoping to start using this kind of technique to get better exposures in situations where the TTL system might be inaccurate.

The Nikon unit I've seen used in the book I'm reading also has a power setting that automatically updates the required distance as you dial in a different power setting. I'd love to be able to do this on a Pentax or Metz unit - seems very useful and reliable.

I've been reading up a bit on shooting with manual flash, but the writer of one book I've got uses Nikon so all the examples are of a Nikon unit. In Manual it does provide a clear distance figure when you input aperture and iso, so you can try and get the subject the right distance away.

I am in the market for a flash - those who have used both Pentax and Metz - do you know if these both also provide this distance information on the display?

They weren't trading as normal in the Bayswater branch an hour ago - I overheard an assistant refusing a customer a refund because 'we have gone into administration - we're in receivership, there are no refunds now'.

The onboard flashes could be more verstile if we had greater manual control - at present on the DSLRs we have up to +1 /-2 stops, mostly useful for fill-flash type situations. If we had proper flash power ratio control (1/4th, 1/8th, 1/16th power ect) it would be easier to use the built in for fully manual shooting - with a zoom and putting the camera at the right flash to subject distance, we could avoid the all too common whitewashed effect.

I only chose to become a Pentax user because of Jessops! I think I got the last K7 they had in the Croydon shop and there's not been any more seen since. It was only because the camera was there to hold and try out that my mind was made up so quickly - I knew nothing of Pentax DSLRs before that, only that Pentax was a good long standing camera name.

I would never have chosen the Pentax on Amazon on written specs alone, although for the price these would have still have lept out at me. Too many people trying out cameras in the shops then buying online no doubt plays a part in this.

But now as a Pentax owner I have stopped going in to the numerous Jessops I pass regularly - its just dispiriting.

K7 does too ! Another one of the strong reasons I chose to buy into Pentax instead of the more expensive competition.

I am not doubting your knowledge of the OS and how it is supposed to run 'out the box'. I am saying that it was was wrong of you to disregard and push aside the very real initial experiences of 'this customer', which were poor enough to convince me that (for now) I will avoid the new OS.

In moving to a new machine I need security that the interface will provide me with a rock solid reflection of the content I place on the machine, every time 100%, and reassurance that my current collection of software will install and run smoothly, and that I'll be able to easily and quickly configure things as I do now. That is the experience I need at this point. I determined that this new product would not provide that.

I am willing to spend time in future reading up and learning about new Windows features and how to configure it, but that'll take time, and no doubt things will be adjusted as a result of user feedback. For now I don't have that time, and I need to just upgrade to a faster machine and keep on doing my stuff. So the new OS is not for me.

No, you're wrong. There're an example of the OS interface not providing what this customer wants, so he won't be buying it.

I clicked on the windows shortcut many times myself, every time up comes an error message 'invalid shortcut'. Actually the Peter Jones guy was very knowledgable in general, He was realistic about the options and didn't try to push something that apparently didn't work and was unsuitable for the user. If he had a windows 7 machine for sale with suitable specs I'd have bought it from him.

Cheaper too! But a lot of us are commited to Windows through our software options - Apple is a viable alternative for some, and the big name programs are available on that platform, but the hardware is expensive and the range of compatable programs more limited.

I don't need to upgrade my OS, it works fine, I need to upgrade my laptop to a more powerful specification - its just that most of the new ones out now have Windows 8.