Or you could just put a short extension tube between the camera and bellows.

For the cable release issue, Speedgraphic sell an adapter that allows you to use a mechanical cable release with any autofocus camera. I've not used one and it attaches to the camera with a velcro strap which looks like it might get in the way of the thumbwheel, but it could be worth a try.

Failing that, it wouldn't be too hard to rig up a cable release controlled electronic shutter lead (see the several threads on making your own CS 205 elsewhere on this forum).

Steve

http://www.siblingmedia.com/

According to pdml there will be a press-release from Pentax in September, and all info is embargoed til then:

href="http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg335871.html" rel="nofollow" class="outlink" http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]">target="blank">http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg335871.html

Though how reliable that is is anyone's guess.

Any idea what this means in terms of when we might actually be able to buy one in the UK? My birthday's in November...

As long as it's a legitimate business expense.

If you're in the UK and the camera came from outside the EU then you should have been charged VAT on top of the import duty.

Depending on the carrier, you may also have to pay a handling fee on top of this - parcel force charges a whopping £13.50.

Looks like it's out in Japan then:

http://www.k100d.jp/

And in English:

http://www.digital.pentax.co.jp/en/35mm/k100d/feature.html

Steve

http://www.siblingmedia.com/

I had an aquapac compact camera housing (more of a plastic bag than a housing really). It cracked and sprung a leak (in 10cm of water) the first time I used it. I don't think I'll be trusting my *istD to one.

EWA-Marine do a similar bag style housing which is rated to 50m, but I'm not sure I'd trust it either. I think some manufacturers (Ikelite?) do generic SLR housings which might work, but you'd probably only have a limited range of controls.

Try BSOUP, the British Society of Underwater Photographers:

http://www.bsoup.org/Equipment/Housings_1.php

Steve

http://www.siblingmedia.com/

Which is exactly what the copier company have done with their Astro models.

I hate to say this, but if you're a C**** user and you want a camera specifically for IR photography, C**** make special "Astro" versions of some of their DSLRs which have a different filter over the sensor without the usual IR cut-off. These sell for about the same price as the normal versions, but are only available from specialist retailers. I think there are Astro versions of the 350D and the 20D, designated 350DA and 20DA respectively.

http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/eos20da/index.html

I would, of course, never dream of buying one myself.

Steve

It's nice to see Pentax bringing out new wide-angle primes for digital, but has anybody else noticed that the Pentax lens range is now looking very thin at the long end?

The "lens development roadmap" stops abruptly at 300mm, but only actually lists lenses up to 200mm (and then only zooms), and while the 300/2.8 is still listed on the Pentax Japan site the only other long lens is the 600/4 which is "special order only".

What happened to the 300/4.5, 400/2.8, 200/2.8 et al?

And what about the 200/4 macro??