Yes the cameras meter is usually better, provided that the camera actually has one in the first place!

........My Hassleblad did'nt have one,....my MPP Mk7 does'nt have one,...my Rollieflexes DO have them but they are only small selenium cells on the camera top and NOT as useful, or as convenient, as the Weston.

Yep!...still use my Westonmaster V.....somwhere I still have the 'III' model that was my first meter in my teens in the 1960's...it still worked last time I looked at it. They can be rebuilt and are excellent meters for balancing lighting in still life shots. They were the best of the worlds selenium meters and in their era were much better than the early Cds models which were prone to colour preferences/sensitivity. I once dropped the weston IV meter I was using from a gantry in a factory. After watching it bounce on the concrete 20 odd feet below I went down and picked it up. when I had got it apart all that was 'wrong' was the balance spring had become unseated. after putting it back in place I finished the job!

The invercone is/was an item that was loved or hated according to the character of the photographer,..personally I always dropped them in the nearest dustbin.......

Yes,...I do own pentax and have had three separate systems since my S1a in 1970 ....but probably not for much longer.

Yes,....I have bought from SRS two times,..although neither were pentax as they were medium format lenses as I remember.

SRS is an adequate dealer in a field of abysmal ineptitude. They are no better than they should be and would be average in many other retail areas or dealerships. it's only the others being so bad that gives them any presence. Like all retail outlets they exist to make a profit, not for the benefit of the customers (something the followers of this site should remember) Out of all pentax outlets in the UK there SHOULD be ONE that is ok.....thats not too much to ask and SRS effctively has no competitors that I can see (as far as pentax goes anyway)

And, they need to do something about their website/pricing policy.....

Wearing one of my other hats I sometimes buy musical instruments and the dealers have to try hard as a matter of course. I normally get delivery next day by courier and can remember many small instances of excellent service from several dealers far removed from my locality and including some USA operations who are also excellent.

In yet another area I have recently aquired several machine tools and accessories and have found exemplary service, politeness and efficiency.

Why is it so unique to find it where cameras are sold to amatuers and consumers...????

SRS are just another retailer like all the others and as such need to be treated with caution....

......And yes, they DO need to do something about their website,....it can't be right that the k20 with 18-55 is £20 dearer than if you buy the two items separately.....

....Well, can it?

It's going to HAVE to have video just to be viable in the market,...they are ALL going to have to have video to maintain market position.

it depends almost entirely on the level and quality of the onstage lighting. In non-pro productions this can vary enormously. Use of flash is really restricted for drama unless you have several pro units. if you do have several guns/heads, then you can place them near to the fill/spots on the stage rig. For the most atmospheric shots the only way is to forego flash and use the stage lighting, especially if this has been set up by someone who knows what they are doing. In many amateur productions the level of the stage rig is quite low which forces one to use fairly high iso. However, if you shoot in RAW with some care you can edit for excellent atmosphere using the stage spots etc

If pentax wants to stay in the game they need to tackle a few more things than AF and metering, important though they are. At the moment pentax specialises in mainly 'me too' products that the others have already done. Usually pentax does it a little bit better but if they are to survive in anything other than a name on someone elses digicam then they have to start zagging while the others are still zigging. Doing an entry camera more expensively and much later, or a bridge camera exactly like all the others but 2 years too late will NOT save their bacon!

It's not as if there is no room for innovation. The black plastic blob is well catered for now by all makers and we can already see the move to hybrid camera systems and competetive full frame for serious operators, and other innovation such as the Casio ultra high speed cameras. These are all fields where a true innovator like pentax can make massive inroads. However, it looks like pentax may already have been hamstrung by it's Hoya masters, in which case it's almost certainly 'good-bye' pentax,...if that has not already happened.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00859vg/b00859tf/Jacques_Henri_Lartigue_Th...

Fascinating documentary about the child prodigy photographer. In late life he was a pentax user of what looks like pentax S1a.

There has been no direct pentax participation in 'Focus' for several years now,..at least 5. Sometimes the odd body or lens gets onto a shelf on a retailers stand.

Sony and Panasonic may have arrived quickly but they give every indication of staying power which is more than can be said for pentax. Sony offer a complete range at every price from cheaper than the 'km' abortion and they have made sure that one can readilly see the cameras in every high street. Panasonic has become the innovator that pentax used to be. Just take a look at the superb website for the unique 'Lumix GH1'...it's a triumph of presentation and forethought that makes pentax look clumsy and quaint, as does the camera itself.

http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/gh1/index.html

Of all the camera types that pentax could introduce this must be about the worst for pentax survival. Yet again late to market with a 'plain vanilla' offering that has already been done by the 'others'. It will probably turn out to be much more expensive than the opposition too.

......Pentax is going away soon if they keep this up.