Not any more - when I bought a lens by this method, there was a tickbox option for me to pay the fees upfront (ie no need to guess what they were and add more to the payment)

There are only no fees if the payment is marked as a 'gift', which is dodgy. The fees for a 'purchase' are significantly lower for bank-funded payments (IIRC something like 20p + 1.5% rather than 20p + 3.5%, but could be wrong), but are not zero.

If you already have the DA* zooms then there's probably not much point - you could get a used K10D or K20D for less than what the 18-135 is going to cost and just put a DA* on each body.

That's the big issue with Crumpler bags - they hold much less than you might expect. Crumpler are also particularly 'optimistic' with their estimates of how much gear fits in a given model*, so finding a blog/Flickr photo showing its actual carrying capacity before purchasing one would be a good idea ]

* EDIT: My Muffin Top 4000, for example, claims to be capable of holding a DSLR plus two additional lenses. Whether they measured it against a micro 4/3 camera I don't know!

Not the real price, no. I'm hoping it's some way south of the (traditionally silly) RRP, because I typically use my DA50-200 at 105mm or less. Having that range and wideangle in a WR lens would be very nice indeed. Assuming it isn't a dog optically of course, but then I'm not aware of a DA lens which is.

Rather than quote the whole thing I'll just number my responses to correspond to the questions

1. YMMV, but I rarely read extensive emails from a site I've just joined, and certainly wouldn't ever open an unsolicited PDF attachment (for security reasons more than anything else)

2. Is using Photobucket really that much of a hassle? IMHO it's better to upload the photos once and then be able to post them on here, the Other Forum, my own website etc. rather than having to upload once per site.

4. I'm not sure that forcing people to give out real-world personal details they aren't comfortable giving is a particularly welcoming thing

5. Great idea - much as it might seem otherwise there ARE occasionally good deals out there on Pentax kit (like those Sigma 50-150s that I got two dud copies of :evil. Having a 'deals' section (posted by users, not sure a forum basically full of ads would work) would ensure that more of these offers get publicised (because users have confirmation that it is Allowed) while also keeping them out of the equipment discussion forums

6. I'm not inherently uncomfortable with paying a subscription, but I feel that having any sort of "second class citizen" status for those who don't pay would achieve nothing other than an exodus to the Other Forum.

Adding 'at present' or 'at this time' is pretty standard marketing-speak unfortunately. It may however be the case that the lens is being released in Canikon mount first, with Sony and Pentax to follow later when the 'launch rush' demand has petered out. It's the same reason why some manufacturers stagger worldwide launches of electronic devices (e.g. Amazon with the Kindle) as opposed to others who launch a device worldwide simultaneously and in consequence never manage to make enough in time (e.g. Apple with the iPhone).

The view on the middle of the three LCD screens (in the centre) should shut up the "external views are for noobs" fools who populate flight sim forums

Not necessarily a good idea for use with a laptop: not all of them supply enough power to the USB ports to power such things as hard drives.

ExpressCard is the new one. Would an eSATA PCMCIA card not be slower than USB2? (with PCMCIA as the bottleneck)

120-300mm f2.8? No thanks, my kit bag is heavy enough as it is!

Recently (I think because of the new Verified by Visa/Mastercard SecureCode requirements) they tend to charge the full amount and then refund the postage charge. So still free postage, but potentially an issue if the item price is close to the single-transaction limit on the card you're using.