Having used a Pentax KM since 1977 I would add another theory to this - the speed dial was on top of the camera and to set you had to look away from the view finder and watch as you set the speed.

This [for me] evolved to a procedure [very quickly]: look at the scene and what you are about to take and set the speed, the eye to the view finder and from then on its all abou the left hand to both focus and set the aperture - hence AP without looking away!

Today with my K10D I tend to use P and get the benefit of using both front and rear dials to override OR when on long lenses its AV to ensure I get the DoF for pictures of wildlife.

Interestingly I leave the ISO set at 400 and only once ever changed it, in fact I have forgot it can be changed. Again a hangover from the film days.

Peter

Either a 100-300 F2.8 or a 300mm F2.8 - just need that for wildlife (birds and tigers)

As for a 500mm, well a F4 would be nice and expensive!!

Peter

Grip is always on, especially when using DA* 16-50, makes for a much firmer hold and brilliant when shooting vertical.

Peter

Good debate, but I repeat something I said a while back, why not a full range of F2.8 lenses, from 12mm through to 600mm - great for wildlife and for sure you'll know at F4+ it will be good, with SDM and IF.

60 to 250mm to me seems too big a range to cover to make a F2.8 HQ lens!

Peter

There may be a couple of reasons for that, a) affordable, quality long length lens and b) ability to get in there with the action as more people realised that the picture was there for the taking if only you could get in and capture the moment.

Peter

Ah, DA* 50-135, next on the list and glad to hear its worth the money.

Interesting.

Time was, on my old KM (yes the film one)I would have either a 135 (200) or a 200mm (300) lens and if it was wide then an 28-80mm zoom. The 55mm, 28mm and 2x were always in the bag.

Now with my K10D I seem to have my 16-50mm on all the time.

This means I've gone from 300mm to 24mm overnight, why?

.....and then when I want to get close its a 100-300mm, so thats 450mm and yet its still not close enough.

So I've moved from being stuck in the middle to being stuck at the extremes.

Anyone else notice this?

Peter

Couldn't find any pentax batteries for K10 or K20, or were you refering to the Fujitsu NP150?

Pentax teases new K series camera in US
Pentax today supported rumors by posting a teaser on its home page for a new digital SLR. Calling it only "the new K," the company shows a top portion of the camera and is running a countdown that ends on May 20th, when the announcement takes place. No clues are given as to what features the camera would have other than familiar DSLR features like a flash hot shoe.

The news follows weeks after a similar effort in Japan and supports rumors that the new camera is the K7D, the company's first true high-end DSLR rather than a simple replacement for the K20D. These claims have maintained that the K7D would have a new autofocusing system, burst shooting up to 5 frames per second, a viewfinder with 100 percent coverage and a fast 1/8000 shutter speed. Some have also suggested it may be the first Pentax pro camera to offer video shooting, at 720p.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/05/13/pentax.k.teaser.in.us/

Having got my 16-60, it now turns out to be the lens that is on my K10D all the time, quite opposite to before where it was a 200mm on my KM.

I do lots of pet, wildlife (small) and landscape so the ability to get in real close with the 16mm and have 2.8 is a god send for handheld at 0.5 sec [with SR turned on].

The extra weight of the 16-50 is offset by its looks

Peter