Many people use taks very successfully. You can shave the mirror, something I'd do on an old body, but possibly not on a brand new mk iii.

In an ideal world Pentax would bring out a native full frame, which I'd far rather have.

Wedding photos? Maybe for a friend, but wouldn't want to try and make money that way! I would like to learn and try studio portraits though. The lighting aspect seems interesting and creative. Good lighting seems far more important than the camera you use.

If I had a 5k windfall and had to spend it on gear, my problem would be deciding between the Nikon D700 or Canon 5d ii. Would prefer Nikon really but like the idea of using M42 and K lenses on a FF Canon.

Can totally see why you'd use an AF zoom when you need to deliver the goods without messing around. But I think a lot of us enjoy the 'messing around'! When people stick solely to modern zooms, I often wonder why they shoot Pentax in preference to the better known brands. I don't think I could afford modern lenses with the speed and quality of my MF ones. That said, I've never really liked using m42 lenses - a bit too much of a faff even for me.

I think John was absolutely correct in saying we all understand what wide angle means, without getting bogged down in technical issues. Agree that 35mm isn't really wide angle on APSC, but it's easy enough to work out what is called for in this comp IMHO!

You are right, Bill. The K7/5 have a much better dust removal function. I have mine set to activate when the camera is switched on, and haven't had a single dust mote in 2 years of ownership! Funnily enough it's one of the only 2 things I'd miss if I switched to a K30, the other being the top LCD.

Hit the nail on the head there. I wish I could afford this little beauty.

We're about halfway through, so time to start planning those night shots!

LCE are great, bought many second hand bargains from them (usually at less than ebay prices) and played with the new kit (unfortunately they're not that competitive on price on the new stuff). We used to have a member from LCE on the forum.

The reasons for choosing a prime - smaller size, faster aperture, and (less so) higher IQ. The DA21mm only decisively ticks one of these boxes IMHO; in terms of IQ there may be subtle rendering qualities which people appreciate, but perhaps not an improvement in sharpness. However the small size may be enough for some, particularly if they enjoy a fixed focal length.

If you want primes that offer something your zooms don't other than small size, I would say look at faster lenses (f2.4 at least) which offer low light / shallow dof uses.

In Tenerife there was another Pentax user waiting for the cable car to the top of Mt Teide, and I did the same as you, Frankie (even flashing my camera at the other guy), and got a similar response. He either didn't understand me, or perhaps just thought 'so we own a similar camera, what's the big deal'?

There was another Pentax owner up on top, a young woman. This time I restrained my urge to elicit camera-based camaraderie.