Gwyn,

Plenty of Pentax available within half an hour of Cambridge - Hamilton (Ancaster), London, Kitchener.

Mike

Just prior to emigrating to Canada in 1970 I purchased a Zenit E so that I could have a SLR for the voyage (yes I'm a boat person).

In 1971 I started doing some weddings for a local photographer and looked for a repacement. Chose an SP500 (SP1000 without the 1000 speed marked although it was there and still accurate) which I kept until 1998 when it needed too much work. My eyes were starting to falter when focusing so I bought a MZ50 which was the best Pentax available here at the time.

Quickly moved to MZ7 and MZ6 which are both excellent. I have the 6 and one of my daughters has the 7.

Last year moved to digital and chose *istDS2 above everything available. Most of my friends have Canons and Nikons but the Pentax is still superior in my mind. Better ergonomics, quality, feel in the hands and of course performance. Not one of the competition can match Pentax for their viewfinders.

One of my son-in-laws bought another daughter (I'm blessed with 4) a K100 for her birthday yesterday and she is thrilled.

We are extremely lucky here in the availability of cameras and accessories.

So in this family Pentax rules.

Mike

Liam,

When I first came to Ontario there were no Cormorants and in 1976/7 I told people I had seen 2 Double-crested Cormorants in the Hamilton Harbour and no one believed me. There are now over 2,000 pairs in the Hamilton Harbour alone. There are approximately 10,000 pairs in the province and there has been talk of culling the population due to the problems they are causing (something like the Canada Goose).

On a trip out west to Vancouver in 2000 I managed to see Brant's Cormorant and Pelagic Cormorant and in Mexico I saw the Neotropic Cormorant and the Anhinga the same year.

Your's looks like a Great Cormorant - I have only seen one and that was at Blythfield Reservoir, Stafford in October 2000.

Mike

Liam,

Excellent shot - personally I wouldn't change it - that's they way it was!

Mike

I have a Pentax 80-320 which I use on MZ6 and DS2 and get great results. However I also have a new Sigma 70-300 APO Macro (latest version) which is also superb.

I will definitely keep the 80-320 though.

Mike

Well done Don!

Best of luck, you deserve it!

Mike

Well it looks like my DS2 will be around for a while - too much for me at the moment - just had a daughter get married at the end of last month.

Another son-in-law called today and looks like my daughter (I have four) is getting a DL2 kit for her birthday next week - she has always wanted a SLR - always hinting about mine.

Maybe later!

Mike

Richard,

I was always against digital, probably because I didn't understand or didn't know enough, until my wife bought a point & shoot 7.1 mpix last October. When I saw the results from our Mexico trip I was astounded.

I too have an MZ6 with 28-105, 80-320, 170-500 Sigma & 105 Macro Sigma and I purchased a *istDS2 after seeing her work. All lenses work perfectly and I've since bought 18-55, 50-200 and Sigma 70-300 Macro. Thoroughly satisfied with the DS2 but will also always keep my MZ6 which is one of the best Pentax film units I have owned since my first in 1971.

I dabble in wildlife and particularly in butterflies. They joy with the digital slr is the instant replay when experimenting with macro, flash, etc.

Hope this help.

Mike

Here are the Canadian and US links for the new Pentax browser with Silkypix:

http://www.pentax.ca/support/digital/index.php

just pick your camera model

http://www.pentaximaging.com/customer_care/software_firmware?sfFlag=s

I downloaded mine today - now to try it out.

Hope the links work.

Mike

Have the same lens with MZ6 - should be fully AF.

Mike