On low ISO, my K200 beats my K5 (or so it seems). High ISO, the K5 is so much better than the K200.

I have no problems with the SD card - well, once it was a bit stiff.

Shake reduction is simple to change with Info screen.

Overall - the K5 is an excellent camera. Many more positives than negatives.

"damm, got the wrong lens on" (actually my wife wanted to make a T shirt for me to wear with that on...)

I would love to say K5, but having had 2 and sent them back, I am having a hard time convincing my Canikon friends that the K5 is so good... The short time I had them I was blown away (except for the manufacturing faults..)

My K200D is wonderful except for its low light performance.. and now for the fact that my wife has taken ownership of it.

(sorry, feeling a bit depressed that I do not have a camera at the moment - very difficult breathing; find myself close to tears much of the time!)

I think what Shaky was intimating was to market the fact that weather resistance is not only rain protection, but normal "sunny day" protection from dust, grit and accidents with spilling drinks at a party...

Correct design of the camera, missing an opportunity to market an edge over the competition.

31. A point-and-shoot is still a camera.

If you have the luxury of time you can either "zoom with your feet" or else change lenses. If the action is quick, zooms are better able to capture the shot. Is it better to capture the shot (albeit not perfect IQ) or miss it totally? I think of the Tiananmen Square shot of the man with shopping bags in front of the Chinese army: taken with a long lens on iso 100 film, push processed to be a grainy image - not ideal IQ, but he got the money shot.

There is a place for both.

Going back to the original post: the question is not either lenses or post production, but both are required. There is no point having fantastic lenses, but can't make corrections afterwards. There is no point being a Photoshop guru, but having out of focus photos to work on. As you develop, you will see deficiencies in your gear and in your editing. Buy what you can afford, when you can afford it. Your lenses cover a wide spectrum: see where you need better lenses and get better lenses in that range or using primes. As you progress with PP, get a better package. I have students at home so picked up PS and Lightroom. So far my skill do not exceed Lightroom... I do, however, yearn for faster, sharper lenses!

It all comes down to budget....

I have the Metz 48. Must say using it on the camera pointing forward is one way to ruin a good shot (unless it is for fill flash in which case the majority of the light is from ambient). Using a flash will not suddenly make your photos better. Personally I have found flash to be the steepest learning of a SLR. While you did mention that we must not say "don't do it", let me just say only use the flash once you have perfected it! Perhaps it is better to get / borrow / hire a fast lens rather than use a flash.

Flash is best when indirect. Churches / halls mostly have non-white walls / ceilings and far away as well which prevents bounce.

This is all a bit of deja vu. I remember when the K200D was discontinued. The Km was released shortly after. Pentax has a history of discontinuing one camera just before the next is released. They seem to avoid having competing models. Nikon, on the other hand, continues with old models long after the sucessor is established (you con still buy a new D90...)

I am not worried. Signs of Pentax' demise have been there for years.

Here is a man who has not got LBA (yet). You ask for a reason why? - because you can! Each lens has nuances; each lens is a compromise. The more tolerant of the effect of the compromise, the fewer lenses you require.

You do not mention fast lenses for low light / shallow DOF. Weather resistant lenses. I could go on....

LBA is essentially an acknowledgement that there is a lens out there that might be better for a particular need than the ones that you do have!

And on top of it all, it is fun.