I agree with Golfdiesel, I had a go with my friends Sony Alpha and although it is well specified I just couldn't get on with the handling.

I suppose some people must like it, or they wouldn't sell at all. Your friends best bet is to handle each camera and see what he thinks but for me the K10D and even the K100D wins hands down.

Also the Pentax SR system is more advanced than the Sony, it can compensate for twist as well as shake. I don't know how much difference this makes in real life, but there we are.

my Dad uses the zinc/air WienCells in his Pentax SP500 and they work a treat. They do self discharge quite quickly for a single use battery, ~1 year, but if you are using the spotmeter regularly this probably wont matter.

Thanks Ben, as I wasn't doing anything else with my sound card at the time (a rarity, I'm usually listening to something which is why music on sites annoys me) I just hit "mute".

Technically superb shots as always, and a good number which I rather like. Perhaps I am warming to your particular style of portraits

Visually I agree, I still don't like sites which play music at me with no obvious way to turn it off though. If it hadn't been Ben, who's work I know to be outstanding, I would have left as soon as the music started.

thanks for sharing that link Ben, as I think I've said to you before your style doesn't usually appeal to me much, but I just love the one of the girl in the purple dress throwing the shoe.

all are technically great as always, just not my kind of style, but that one I really like.

I can't see a difference between them, I'd suggest one is coated but they are the same price so seems unlikely

:

you can turn off the instant replay feature, but the buttons should still work. I'm sorry to say that it sounds like something is broken. Timing sucks right before your holiday!

how about getting either a 3rd party charger with in car adaptor like this one

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_3&products_id=101...

you would need the Pentax adaptor plate to go with it

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_3&products_id=101...


or alternatively you could get a small inverter to run your mains voltage charger off the car socket like this one

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=97788&doy=14m5

rather more expensive, but also more versitile.

lol I remember playing mixed field hockey at school one term. Unfortunately our games teacher was obscenely competitive so that "mixed hockey" became "a bunch of guys who don't know what they are doing vs the school girls hockey team"

My ankles will never be the same again.

sorry for getting your hopes up Tim, I should have specified Ice Hockey