The web doesn't show our emotions easily, I'm as chilled as you Vic and no offence taken (or given).

I'm in an open-minded mood at the moment and don't like to see Pentax unfairly reviewed. Mind you, I learned yesterday that whilst Nikon have abandoned me below the D200, I can buy any Canon D-SLR with an adaptor and meter with all my Nikon MF and AF glass. Yikes! I'm not a Canon fan but this is powerful stuff. Please tell me there is an adaptor which allows me to do the same if I buy a K10D.

Meanwhile, I'm just enjoying reading the threads and learning a bit about going digital from the back seat.

I was only trying to make a simple observation but did not take offence when I read it it this morning. Just couldn't think of a reply so, as usual, silence was the best one.

Of course, if it's protocol to get territorial about threads and subsequent replies being off topic then mods feel free to delete away

Talking of magazines I browsed the (UK) magazine 'Practical Photography' whilst shopping today (I didn't buy it). 30D v Fuji S5 v D200 v GX-10 (and by implication plus mentioned in the review the K10D).

Conclusion: There was a best (it doesn't matter which) and the GX-10/K10D were assigned 'best value' but not considered as serious as the others. This seemed to perpetuate the scepticism one should treat reviews with.

I am not a K10D owner (probably by Christmas) but I struggle to understand how this conclusion can be objectively arrived at. If I want to shoot sports or were rich I would probably reach for a Canon, for pro rental probably Nikon, for stealth probably Voigtlander or Leica and for natural light portraiture probably Pentax. All assuming 35mm of course.

Natural light portraiture is in fact my draw to the K10D plus the pricing of body and primes. i.e. able to use SR on fast lens as well as higher ISO for shots I don't see me getting with the other brands at present.

The point is that a speed read, admittedly, struck me as mis-leading the consumer. Sad if unsurprising.

Thanks all for your comments. George, I'm going to probe a bit on the (enthusiastic claims for the) glass if I may.

I listed my Nikon (mainly portrait) lenses as my giving them up is why I have not yet decided which way to go yet. So just how good is the Pentax glass? Are some of the Pentax primes better than my Nikon primes or are they basically on a par?

I installed a 19" widescreen LCD monitor for my Mother today and took the opportunity to look at the Pentax gallery again. The monitor made it easier to appreciate the photos and the colours were fabulous on those lenses I looked at. I really like that you can search by lens and see the results obtained with it as well as drop down in the i (info) button to read the capturing details of the individual photo.

In trying to get a feel for 50mm 1.4 versus 43mm 1.9 Limited and 70mm 2.4 versus 77mm 1.9 Limited, I liked all four to be honest (I have not looked at any Nikon galleries yet on the same monitor). I was unsure of whether the more expensive Limited lenses bought superior performance or construction over the others. They did seem to have a certain 'pop' about them but it's easy to create a placebo effect when we're subconsciously looking for superiority so, as I say, it was not easy to decide on whether a 70mm 2.4 and 50mm 1.4 would be more than enough. If I make the change, that is.

Hi guys, I'm lurking a fair bit on the site and after a while it feels rude so a quick hello as I like the look of the forum. I'm not a Pentax user at present but seriously thinking about the K10D.

I liked the thread in which a post said that any of the systems are as capable as we are (which discussed weddings and Pete's concerns with noise - church photographers also used sound boxes in the past by the way Pete otherwise your choices are Leica, P&S as mentioned or a Nikon F6) , a sticky post of blinding wisdom if ever there was one.

Actually my first camera was a Pentax ME-F but that's a long time ago now. Capturing my daughter growing up pulled me into photography and in the past six years I grew a Nikon collection all based around my sole purpose: FM2N, F3HP, F90X, SB28, 28mmAI-S 2.8, 50mm AI-S 1.8, 105mmAI'd 2.5, 50mm AF-D 1.8 and 85mm AF-D 1.8 plus 300mm AI-S 4.5 and other accessories.

There's the dilemma. That post which keeps ringing in my ears rightly suggests I should buy a D80 or a D200 and yet I hesitate to for several reasons:

- digital shooting is not the same as film due to WB and ISO control
- the crop factor of DX affects all my existing lenses
- metering with a lens collection like mine starts at £800 unless I work with no metering and histogram only (i.e. D80 instead of D200)
- my Nikon flash has no TTL with the digital bodies

Therefore, what appears at first glance to be a compelling system to continue using is in fact the end of an era as there are compromises to sticking with it.

Emotional attachment is the only thing standing in the way of selling before it is worthless as it seems we start again with digital in reality whichever brand we choose.

I liked the K10D when I picked it up and have spent hours reading all the same info you guys will have read about it. It seems a steal at £400 or more to the point Nikon and Canon continue to give everyone a reach around with their pricing and design approaches. The compactness of the DA limited lenses is appealing for my needs and focal lengths. I like the Pentax Gallery I saw today at http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/home#, what struck me most were the images from the 77mm SMC 1.8 lens.

If a D200 were £600 or less I would probably be incentivised to stay put but the whole Pentax pricing structure suggests it's worth making the transition. I guess what has caught my attention the most is the fresh-thinking in the K10D features, the approach of Pentax designers to lenses and the design approach to light. This latter point seems to have caught out an awful lot of reviewers and users alike who have been unhappy with white balance, sharpness and film-like results compared with the opposition and it's pleasing to have read that it's down to delierate choice of the designer and needs to be understood.

I'm not looking for advice per se (although comments are welcome) as I realise it's about the glass and about disappearing behind the lens to use that over-trodden cliché.

I shall continue to read whilst I take a direction. I know my film processing days are gone though and I probably won't get that scanner I always thought I would. It's refreshing to see what Pentax are up to and just wanted to say hi.