Terrific composition John, on both images!

I think Jessops may be receiving a call from me as well... The 12-24 looks like a beauty, reminding me of the 16-45 in contrast/colour rendition/sharpness.

I've been impressed by the quality and service of Peak Imaging for B/W prints. They also get a lot of recommendations in the photographic press. You can find them here: http://www.peak-imaging.com/

I am just guessing that the replacement for the *ist D will be called the K1D (or KD1/2), the replacement for the *ist DS could be called the K10D and the replacements for the *ist DL are, as we now know, K100D and K110D. Is this making much sense? If it seems sensible to enough people then Pentax obviously wont do it. Why call a camera an '*ist' something in the first place and, now we are used to that unusual moniker, it appears that '*ist' name will not be around much longer... it keeps thing interesting though.

The new *ist D / D1D / D2 (or whatever it's called) will top my shopping list too... 10Mp, superior processing power, larger LCD (great quality of course), 100-3200 ISO with less noise above 400... that's my mini-wish list. Pentax UK, if you're reading this then please send me the new D to road test it, I'll be your friend forever.

S

With the demise of Konica Minolta SLR cameras, does any one believe that Pentax may also be in danger of jacking it in too?

IMHO the achievement of Pentax in offering backwards lens compatibility, and the fact that us Pentax users are mostly loyal by nature have all helped Pentax sell enough digital SLRs to turn a profit. But also having the Pentax User website and forum can not be underestimated either. I don't know of any other manufacturer being so lucky as to have such a fantastic resource available to its users. Does any one know of any other camera company that has such a loyal, informed and helpful bunch of users?

I would expect that intelligent and forward thinking Pentax executives would digest the contents of this website, it should prove invaluable to them if they take notice of some of what is said on here. So, if you are reading this Pentax... can you tell me what month of this year I will be able to get my hands on the new *ist D? Ta

All the best,

Batty

I hadn't noticed that A* 200mm f/2.8 before you mentioned it... that's incredibly tempting but could I afford it right now? Hmmmm, probably not as I need an FA 24-90mm.

I sold a beautiful A50 1.2 a year back and it reached the princely sum of £160 odd (no box though), the times they are a changing.

Thanks Phil

I did manage to catch that issue of AP. Apart from the few innacuracies in Ivor's article it was an interesting read and any publicity for Pentax is good publicity. Not that many photography magazines tend to give Pentax much thought unless it seems that Pentax are spending 'big bucks' to advertise in the magazine or sponsor a competition or similar (we are a minority in the Canon/Nikon world and I accept that). It's good to see that Peter Bargh appearing in Photography Monthly under their 'Help' section every month.

By the way, the new AP has a very useful free reflecter cover mounted, making it even better value than it usually is.

Batty

The big answer is.... Yes!

Payment received and Pentax cameras and lens dispatched, I couldn't fault the buyer at all. Infact he has been a Pentax user for a long, long time until all his kit was stolen. I put a few Pentax 'extras' in the box before sending everything to him in Ireland.

If anyone gets a chance to read Photography Monthly this month, look out for the £150 challenge towards the back of the mag. One of the two guinea pigs opted to spend the money on an MX and M50 f/1.7 all because that was the camera his Dad had owned. He did go on to say that the camera was actually worth around £250 on eBay!! Now that would be red letter day if I received that price for an MX, more like £90 if you're lucky nowadays! He took some decent pics with it.

I wish we could get more Pentaxes appearing in camera mags.

All the best,

Batty

Spot on illustration from G on the darker side of buying Pentax on eBay! It's always a good idea to put 'Penatx' in the eBay search engine, now I am also wondering about putting in 'belonged to my late uncle' as well.

That ME Super is really flying... (although I admit to having concerns about it being a '0' feedback bidder)... it has still done itself proud. It puts me in mind of a quote I have always found useful, "A cynic knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing." What next... an MV reaching £50?

Thanks for the positive group feedback! Always appreciated.

Batty

I have the Pentax SMC K 30mm f/2.8, I use it often with my *ist D and I am still very impressed by it. It's a beautifully built lens and the optics are superb. They aren't that common on eBay and when they do come up usually go for between £100-150 but that is a good price for such a beauty.

Thanks John

Always good to know how a lens has fared against its more 'illustrious' peers in the photography press. I think I'm going to be very happy with this one and it's going to get a good work out from tomorrow.

I have now realised that the Pentax-A version has the slide-out hood as well (bonus!).

All the best,

Batty