Cheers Geoff - was able to go straight into System Restore in Safe Mode. When completed, I will do a full system scan to remove any malware.

I agree but let's not bully the judge - few enough people enter the competitions as it is. Let's just 'let it go'.... As you say, for most people judging is a pleasurable challenge. For others - not so much. Vive la difference....

OK - some one else was using the computer when my computer was infected with this 'ransomware' virus, but now it's impossible to get past the banner which appears when you load Windows.

For people who haven't heard of it, the PC EU virus loads a banner purporting to be from the police, claiming that your computer has been connected with illegal activities and requesting you pay a £100 fine or have your computer seized.

I can get into my C drive by starting the computer in Ubuntu, but can't locate the offending file myself. Has anyone had any experience of tracking it down? Otherwise I will just transfer my files and photos onto an external hard drive, and obtain a Windows CD to reinstall XP. (I don't suppose anyone has an old WIndows XP disk lying around do they? .....:wink

Funnily enough just as I clicked on this thread an application simply called 'cockriders.apk' downloaded itself to my phone. I've been getting security messages when accessing this site since yesterday, but just ignored them!

What you have done wrong is set the ev comp. to zero! If you find your shots underexposed, ev comp is there to tweak the settings to your taste. Underexposure is actually a good idea on a K5 as it will ensure your highlights are not burned out, while the shadow areas are easily recoverable with minimal loss of IQ, especially in RAW.

My default settings are centre weighted, +0.7 EV. But I frequently dial in + or - EV depending on my experience of how the meter will react to a given scene.

Good to see Ricoh-Pentax starting to spend some serious $$ on marketing!

The rule has been 'policed' as a guideline thus far, particularly when it comes to 1024px images (a standard flickr size which does not really cause problems with the forum). Discretion is the better part of valour...

This isn't quite true - some may give you Tv mode which allows indirect aperture control, but many only offer P mode control (i.e. full auto). I would scrutinise the list above before selecting a camera, if using DA lenses matters to you.

Just to add, only a few of the DA lenses will work without vignetting. Some of the DA zooms are OK past certain zoom settings, the DA35 f2.4 is definitely OK, the 40mm and 70mm Ltds are borderline (extreme corners may be soft)... the DA*200 and DA*300mm are definitely fine... the rest are probably going to vignette unacceptably.

Choosing a film body? BAM! http://www.mosphotos.com/PentaxLensCompatibility.html

My choice would be any which confirms compatibility with DA lenses in M, Av, Tv and P modes, and preferably also M lenses in M and Av modes. In short, that means the PZ-1p, PZ-1, PZ-20, Z-50p, PZ-70, MZ-6, MZ-L, or MZ-7. These cameras will operate just like a DSLR, with the bonus of not having to do green button stop-down metering with M or K lenses. They are so DSLR-like you will be wondering where the rear LCD is and looking for it when you take a picture...

If you are happy to let the camera select the aperture automatically on your DA lenses, any camera with P mode will work, and that expands the shortlist greatly.

The 18-250 was always going to be compromised by the huge zoom range, but it one of the better superzooms. The 55-300 is going to be much better. I found the IQ dropped a bit over 250mm, and the AF was noisy and a bit brutal; but it's still a better bet than the alternatives in the price range. I would sell the 18-250 and upgrade to a DA*300 f4 or a high quality constant f4 zoom.