Thanks for replies. Pentaxophile, I hadn't thought about third-party lenses, but the Sigma looks worth investigating, thanks. Joel, look forward to seeing the pictures; I use my 28mm between 5.6 and 16 most of the time, so some lack of sharpness wide open won't be a problem.

I have a Pentax-M 28mm f/3.5 which I occasionally pair with my K20D. I would use it more, except the green button metering is a little fiddly - without compensation it produces overexposed shots in low light and underexposed at small apertures. However the sharpness and general image quality are good, and I'm considering buying a 28mm A or FA (I've looked at the DA primes, but 35mm is too long for what I want, and for the use it will get I can't justify the price of the 21mm Limited).

Does anyone use any of these lenses - e.g. Pentax-A 28mm f/2.8 or Pentax-A 24mm f/2.8 - with digital, and what could I expect in terms of image quality and metering?

Stan

Jetsam, I agree. I picked up a 28mm 3.5 last year on a whim and occasionally use it with my K20. It's very sharp and clear, the only 'problem' I have with it is remembering to reduce the shutter speed at small apertures compared with the 'green button' setting.

Was that the same interview (possibly quoted on the US Pentax forum) that said it was being pitched quality-wise above the standard kit lens, i.e. in the same territory as the 16-45 or 17-70? That would make more sense given the pricing and that it's not a DA* lens.

I'm quite impressed by this camera from what I've read, yet to handle one in the flesh.

The better low ISO performance makes it tempting.

However I want a good screen for manual focusing which will probably mean buying another KatzEye, and effectively losing the spot metering capability (on my K20 the metering is OK centre-weighted but it under-reads on spot - if there's a way of adjusting for one but not the other it would be useful!).

I also prefer the feel of the K20 than the K7 - just fits better in my hands.

Panasonic FS5 and LX3. The FS5 was bought as a miniature camera to go in bike or work bag for snaps, for which it's ideal. The LX3 I use mainly for business trips and social occasions when I want decent results without the weight and bulk of the K20. I like the image quality and controllability of the LX3.

Impressive shots and I like the idea of better quality at high ISO, so maybe on my list once the price has fallen a bit. Still no decent manual focusing screen though... not that that's any different to almost any other DSLR.

I have a KatzEye screen in my K20 that I ordered direct from KatzEye last year (there are no UK agents as far as I know). Yes it is expensive and I was charged the import duty by the shipping company. I'm not able to compare it with anything other than the original screen so don't know if I could have saved myself some money by shopping elsewhere - but I am thoroughly pleased with it (I focus manually 99% of the time and the split screen and prisms are much better than the original). There's no blacking out of the split screen on any of my lenses at any aperture, which I hear is a problem with some other screens.

The only downside is that I've never been able to entirely eliminate the dust that gets trapped above the screen, despite cleaning several times.

I've got a KatzEye screen in my K20. Expensive, but very bright and clear, though since changing it I've never managed to entirely eliminate dust from the viewer.

DPreview is saying it will be priced at £600 (!), and available from November. It's very tempting to have one lens replacing my two most frequently-used ones (and WR too), but I'll be comparing the image quality with my FA24-90.