John (JAK) I agree with you and now have SR turned off for general shooting. I wouldn't argue that it's excellent for certain uses though, and so I turn it on when needed. A shame they got rid of the SR switch.

I would not want to get rid of SR on standard DSLRs, but if Pentax designed a truly compact DSLR, I would happily sacrifice it, provided the high iso quality was good.

But there's a time and a place isn't there? Taking a modest camera kit and taking shots as part of the experience is one thing, but treating like a sports shoot and lugging bulky tripods and lenses into a crowded stand is another. I don't see the point in trying to get shots of, say Ussain Bolt crossing the finish line when the papers will be full of closer shots of the same thing, from better angles.

Actually just checked mine, even with SR on (hand symbol lit) there's still a slight clunk

edit- but not in live view, where you can actually hear the SR mechanism straining.

I still think it might be the SR. Even when switched on, it remains loose until you half press the shutter (which engages it).

It's fairly certain that the electronic components will get smaller, and LCD screens can get even thinner, but the SR mechanism in it's current implementation must take up a lot of space. Personally I'd ditch it if it meant the camera could be a bit smaller. As ISO performance gets better and better, SR becomes less relevent anyway. (It also fluffs up your shots if you don't allow the SR time to settle...)

If I was going I'd take the DA15mm and F35-70mm, in a small messenger bag.

The list actually implies that using a camera within the stadia, which are not public btw, is fine as long as its not too big.

The prohibited items have nothing to do with terrorism, and are more to do with not spoiling the enjoyment of other spectators. Some photographers can be amazingly thoughtless of others in their quest for 'that shot', and sitting in a cramped seat next to a Bigma user would not be fun. It's actually quite good that they have specified a maximum size for the equipment, which is much less vague and open to interpretation by over zealous security guards than rules at other events we have heard about. And it doesn't discriminate against DSLRs, which is good.

I don't really know what the point would be of taking a huge lens anyway. You're hardly going to compete with the official togs down by the track. Better to concentrate on candids and wide shots to capture the ambience of the stands.

Both items now sold.

That would have been a good idea!

Sale agreed with JohnLewis.

Stan - I thought I'd better check - unlike the istD and DS, I believe the DL2 is not TTL compatible, so it will be manual only on that camera. Still very usable though. Drop me another PM if you are still interested.