Looks like "AF Mode" button and "AF MF" switch.
Might the lump be something to do with GPS?

Philip

Exactly - and that again answers the OP's question - there is no difference between Av Mode from the Mode Dial and Av Mode from P-Mode. Except that the latter is win-win - all the functionality of Av Mode, but with the added flexibility of instantly changing between Av and Tv without taking the eye from the viewfinder and without having to fiddle with the locked Mode Dial.

Philip

Thank you - that might explain a recent mystery for me: I uploaded a DNG Raw file to another web site and, when I tested it for downloading correctly, it came back as a TIFF. When I changed the tif ending for dng, it seemed to be the Raw file again.

Philip

Sorry if you felt left out, Nigel, everyones views are interesting. I didn't include anything from your posts, as you appeared to be suggesting that P Mode somehow makes it harder to get into creative work in Av or Tv. In fact, as mentioned by Aero and Gartmore, a camera left in P Mode is always ready at switch-on for a usable grab shot and, as Crossed-up describes perfectly above, P Mode for the Pentax DSLRs with two dials gives instant access to full control of the Tv and Av Modes, for the appropriate and important creative control of the next shot, and without having to fiddle with the Mode Dial.

Philip

Firstly, it was not claimed to be a thread summary - I considered that the four points quoted and commented upon were important in regard to John's question in his first post and which he repeated in his second and third posts.

Secondly, your comment dismisses those points quoted from John R, John J2R, Aero and Smeggy, as being of no significance or importance in response to John's original query.

Philip

John (J2R), I think these are the important points -

Johnriley - "It makes no difference what mode you use, just use the one that suits." - If you are confident that you can get the image that you want, it matters nothing which mode you use.
Yourself - "My question is rather why would you, or another skilled and experienced user of these cameras, switch to Av instead of P? Does Av provide anything which P plus rear dial does not?" The answer is No; in fact, as you know, it offers less - P Mode allows instant transfer between Av and Tv.
Aero - "The only practical difference is that you'll lose your chosen aperture when you switch the camera off and must reset it when you switch on." - So leave the camera switched on throughout a shoot; it will save the battery by dropping off into Sleep Mode after a short period of inactivity, and it will return to your chosen Av aperture when you wake it.
Smeggy - "Often it's better use the brain's processing power to make artistic compositional decisions and leave the computing of exposure settings to the camera." - I agree. It makes sense to utilise the capabilities of our great cameras when they work to the advantage of our images.

Similar threads on several different photography forums usually contain posts from more than one member of the "real men" camp(!) - i.e. the type suggesting that anything other than Manual Mode is amateurish and not real photography. Ironically, it seems they are often the same ones who proclaim that they (the real men) only shoot Raw, and then justify it by stating that Raw enables them to better rescue images that they shot with the wrong camera settings.

Philip

You will notice a small increase in size and quite a jump (~40%) in the weight of a K-30/K-50/K-5 compared with the K-m. However, the solid build seems reassuring of their quality, and the extra heft does feel well-balanced when using the chunkier lenses such as the 18-135 WR.

Philip

Louise, I agree with the comments about the frame but, concentrating on the image, the first thing that I see is the very blue bias noted by Michael. However, it is not only the shadows - for me the white balance needs a significant adjustment towards the warmer tones.

Philip.

Please - stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop

Philip

All those full-stops are driving me dotty.

Philip