and I don't think the Hoya merger comes into effect until later in the year.

last I heared the joint designs extended only to the optical layout, each company then makes the lenses itself, including glass coatings. These lenses are not like the Pentax/Schneider ones for Samsung, they are totally independant except for the optical layout.

Pentax have SSM technology, but it appears they arn't giving that technology to Tokina. Perhaps the SSM is the reason the Pentax versions aren't out yet? taking some fine tuning perhaps?

interesting, I look forward to seeing how the Pentax version performs with its SSM and Ghostless SMC.

We will now find out if Ghostless SMC is actually significantly better than other coatings or if its all just marketing really. Well we'll see the difference vs Tokina coatings anyway.

shower gel?

very cool abstract

lol, it's amazing how many people have no clue what to do with a 4x4 though. It's not a panacea, you have to know how to use it or you're better off without it.

I learned to drive in a Land Rover on mud, and I'd be willing to bet I can take my Peugeot 306 (2wd, diesel) to places most people in 4x4s couldn't get.

Putting average mother(or father)-of-two in a 4x4 and expecting them not to get stuck is like giving them a K10D and expecting them to turn into Ansel Adams, except worse because most 4x4s don't have a Green Button.

I think the real reason they shut is to try and keep mummy in hubbys toy 4x4 off the road. Nothing more likely to cause an accident in slippy conditions than a person in a 4x4 who doesn't know how to handle it.

"get out of my way, I have 4 wheel drive so I can do 60mph in 3 inches of snow!.......hey, how did I end up in this ditch?"

the correct plural of Mongoose is Mongooses, since Goose and Mongoose have no actual relationship other than phonetic.

Unfortunately there aren't very many Mongooses around in Cambridgeshire, so unless I can figure a way to take a panned self portrait I'll have to try the SR panning on something else lol.

but if my suggestion 2 is indeed what happens then you've effectively got automatic switching to 1 dimensional correction.

There's only one way to find out, someone's going to have to go take some panned shots with and without SR and see what happens. I know, I know, its a chore, I know how much we all hate using our K10D's, but I think it has to be done.

as I understand it, the SR system works by using sensors in the body to detect camera movement, and moves the CCD to compensate.

Panning involves a lot of movement in one direction, so there are two possibilities as to what will happen that I can see

1. The SR gets confused, throws it's rattle out of the pram and causes all sorts of issues because it can't move the sensor far enough.

2. The SR throws the sensor to full horrizontal deflection very quickly, but vertical deflection is still available so it continues to work and provides a useful bonus

not sure which I think will happen, but it's worthy of a try.

in that case you don't want the FAJ 75-300 either, it has no aperture ring so wont work in any useful fashion with your KM.

As I said the 80-320 is very happy on a K1000 so should work wonders on a KM. It's focus ring is rather loose by comparison to MF lenses, but it's useable.

I havn't used one either but Stan Halpin's site seems to suggest the 80-320 is better.

the 80-320 and 50-200 are both very good lenses for the money.

The 50-200 has manual focus override, a smoother zoom ring and a non-rotating front element. It is also smaller and lighter.

The 80-320 obviously has a little more reach at the long end, at 200mm it's faster (both are 4.5-5.6 lenses but the 80-320 is still 4.5 at 200mm) and its 8 aperture blades make for nice smooth out of focus regions. May or may not bother you but the 80-320 is also compatible with every K mount body (I've used mine on a K1000 once or twice) where the 50-200 is digital only.