Just winding back to my question to John - of course you're right that a reader is vastly more convenient for multiple cards, I never take that many photographs in one hit so that hadn't occurred to me.

My thoughts on drivers go back to the oiriginal question - if for example he's using NT or win 98 then he'll need drivers for any USB device and they were far from reliable in my experience.

Mike

John why is a card reader most efficient?

My suspicion is that the operating system is an one that requires drivers which is why I keep asking what it is. But I'm with you sort the computer problems before involving Pentax!

Mike

You're saying the USB computer connection on your camera is broken - and you don't know if it was broken before it went away? Or are you saying it doesn't work with your computer which is different.
How old is your computer and does it fully support USB?
Why on earth would you use a reader to get your pictures - I'd have thought it was inconvenient and in this a potential cause of the problem. Can you see the banding on the screen of the camera?
I think you need to get answers to all these questions before you talk to Pentax otherwise they'll just say send it back and we'll sort it but quite possibly without getting an actual remedy for you.
Mike

I'm confused or dumb (often both) - why are you using a card reader? Why not use the USB port to transfer the files?

I'd eliminate all possible causes of the problem - you'd think that Pentax tseted the camera before returning it and I bet they used the USB connection.

Does your computer have USB 2, is it quite modern and finally what operating system does it run?

Can you see the banding on the camera rerview as high magnification?

Mike

What I'm hoping to avoid is making the setting that says let the shutter fire even if you don't have an AF lock - but as I type that I'm wondering why I don't want to do it!
Mike

I have just received the poor relation of the 50mm family the f2 version and so far I am impressed. Small and light, easy enough to focus visually or using AF confirm which can be a bit fussy and being an 'A' lens I seem to be able to use both Av and Tv mode which is great. It does seem very sharp which is what I expected.

One minor irritation with anti shake is that it needs to ask the focal length each time you start the camera with the lens on. But I guess I can cope.

This lens does seem to go for less but most of them are M or K which I don't think offer the A facility and without that I suspect it would a real PITA.

Mike

The ebay guy I found who was very profesional and clearly no rogue was

Item and user details
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mr.hasu (2976)
Positive feedback: 100%
Member since: 02-Jun-03
Location: London,United Kingdom

May be worth trying to find him. He had at least two in stock.

Mike

Try Devon Camera Centre http://www.devoncamera.co.uk/index.cfm for the 10-20 Sigma. Not quite as cheap as some but they had stock and put one aside for me.

Next day delivery.

There is a substantially cheaper guy on eBay who has stock but they are gery imports which isn't always a problem. Even the guys at Devon CC agreed that it needn't be a problem but their's are UK sourced.

Top blokes!

Mike