Come on then all, lets pull out those little booklets and start studying.

I actually do rather enjoy reading instructions, but I accept I will forever remain in a minority. I bought a very good guide book to the K7, the Magic Lantern Guide by Peter Burian, and I thoroughly recommend it - it puts the settings into a practical context, and gives working examples of why you might choose one particular option over another (such as what might be the effect of linking AE-L to the active focus point, or not, - something I had not spent much time pondering previously).

But it helped brilliantly (to me, completely new to DSLRs and Pentax)to quickly get my camera set up for manual lenses, and many other usability features.

Yes, I see your point - this rising affluent class you refer to is the part of the equation that I am not seeing here in Britain!

I'm not claiming to know much at all about markets, not in the UK and certainly not global. I'm just thinking about the different technologies and the kind of photographers that will actually spend the money on them. Perhaps there are some key differences between countries and continents? (We all know that camera makers call the same camera a different name in different countries.)

No doubt the marketing people do their research thoroughly, so they must believe they're on to something with the new Compact Systems. I am aware that the largest camera chain in the UK went through a financial crisis in recent years, largely due to the shift (in the lower end of the photography market) away from compact digitals to people using their mobile phones instead. I don't think this loss has been made up by corresponding sales of DSLRs and the accessories needed to go with them.

So maybe there's another big shift in buying trends about to start?
Interestingly, here and on the other thread about a wishlist for the next Pentax DSLR, there hasn't been the suggestion that Pentax will go the same way as Olympus, Fujifim etc in offering a CSC system. Most people here are looking at gaining extra and improved features for their new Pentax DSLR, making it an even more specialised and elite item. This was the sort of advancing trend I was alluding to in suggesting that DSLRs in general might become more specialised (and rarer).

johnriley wrote 'If you had chosen a different week you would have been delighted by full page spreads for Pentax cameras and lenses, including the 645D.

There's not much to be gleaned by who pays for some advertising on a particular week.'

I'll keep a good lookout wherever I read, but in general I think you have to be looking fairly closly in most of the Photo Press to spot much Pentax on offer. we are fighting a losing battle in spreading the good word when Joe public is swamped with promotion of the other brands.

As I hinted at above, it seems that the '2nd tier' manufacturers are pushing more and more into the CSC arena - presumably they think it's going to take off? I have my doubts, as most of this equipment (eg. Olympus OM, Fujifilm X-Pro, the high end Lumix range), are actually seriously expensive sytems to buy into, and most will be starting from scratch.

Who is going to be buying all this stuff in great numbers? Surely not the 'masses' taking pictures for facebook on their phones - so if not them, then it must be current or potential DSLR owners. This will surely hit the DSLR market, impacting Canon & Nikon mostly.

Could the tradional DSLR be about to become a more limited and specialised item than it currently is?

I did feel a bit low on the train last night looking through the latest Amateur Photographer, seeing page after page of adverts featuring all those 'other cameras'. It just went on and on! I saw a Nikon D4 for well over £4000. What is the point putting this into Amateur Photographer??!

Also have others noticed the big shift towards these CSC style cameras? I'm looking at all these big glossy pages of Olympus and Fujifilm models, most of the ads showcasing their electronic viewfinders. I do wonder about the point of these cameras, and is there really a big market out there for them?

I thought the camera market had divebombed because the masses take their photos on phones now! Is there really a critical mass of serious photographers who will be snapping up these CSC's instead of DSLRs?

My first post a few months ago was an enthusiatstic rant link expressing my satisfaction with my own 'offbeat' choice, having spent weeks in and out of shops trying Canons (I was a Canon film SLR user for a few years), as I thought I needed to keep on using my Canon lenses. Well, that might have been sensible if I was buying an EOS5 or EOS1 series (ie Full Frame), but I was looking at spending £500-600.

I had never tried Pentax before, but upon picking up the K7 and DA18-55 (II)WR I was hooked - and all for £499! What a package! (See, the enthusiasm has not waned). To go to Canon and get the wide angle lense I needed, with similar features, I'd have to have bought an EOS7, with a lense, and thats some serious money. So value for money wise, I believe your choice and mine to be a good one.

The in-camera SR obviously does save money, especially if you use the older lenses (not an option on Canon) - I think it is fair to say that generally the Image Stabilisation feature that is 'on board' the Canon lenses is regarded as better (from the odd review I've seen), but if you are realistic and keep your demands for SR only up to 2 stops or so this should not be an issue, and the Pentax system is so versatile.

Like your Skoda, my Seat Alhambra is full of VW gear, and likewise our Pentax cameras have some great components made by other quality makers, and at a bargain price. Have no doubts - you made the best choice.

Sorry sorry, yes! I see it now - duh! Under the Gallery section on the main page, the My Photos section. OK, now I'll start looking in here and reserve my most severe critism for whatever I find.

Thanks Pentaxophile (and John earlier) - I am fairly new here and I have been perplexed by the talk of the 'My Photos' section - I also have only seen the Gallery section and when I upload it goes straight there - I can see all my uploaded shots under 'My Portfolio' as my own collection, but each photo just goes to the front of the Gallery then gradually disappears over the page as more are added by others.

So is the idea that we start a new topic and add a photo using the Image button, then inviting general comment on the shot? And what is meant by the 'My Photos' section (which I can't see) - it appears that people are saying that this is where we would put photos in order to get critisism -but how?

I havn't used a DSLR from any other maker, but from reading reviews a lot I am aware that some Canon bodies have a 'customisable' menu option - a bit like the idea behind the 'User' mode on Pentax. You can create your own customised menu page with your most used options accessable one the same page.

I have found the User mode helpful - I have it set up to shoot 5 bracketed shots for the purpose of HDR processing, so it is set to 'Drive mode Bracketing' AVpriority, iso 100, plus 1 stop (to ensure good shadow detail from the darkest shot), and daylight WB (I am usually taking this kind of shot outdoors in sunshine). This way you can switch from single shots to 5 brackets in one turn of the mode dial.

Now this kind of customisation for the menu structure would be helpful for us too. Wouldn't it be nice if the Control Panel could be changed to show our own preferred options?

I think this is just a characteristic of the lens (a weakness some might say). It occurs in all shots at the widest end, but is most apparent with this type of exposure, because the contrast is very high between the brightest parts of the sky (the orange on the horizon) and the darkest at the top.

It's easily corrected, maybe with just a single click! In Pentax Digital Camera Utility (assuming you shot RAW) select the image and then click on the 'Custom' tab in the top left. Then find on the right the Lens Abberation Correction tab, and here you will see 'Marginal Lumination Compensation'. Set the focal length slider, tick 'apply', then play with the compensation slider to control the amount. Should be easily sorted.