Many stick to the equipment of the era from when they got into photography.For me this would be the M, A and F bodies and lenses. However, today my favourites are K-series, LX, F/FA*, Limiteds. I do not seem to be in accordance with the "many" - but heavily influenced by the PDML.... ;-)
Nikon ressurected the FM2 in the form of the FM3a but buyers are simply too few.I wonder what Nikon expected. Didn't they know their own FM2 sales numbers? Actually, I think that to the conservative type of photographers that were supposed to buy the FM3a, the FM2 still is the more convincing product, while the FM3a simply is too electronic....
In addition, there are no shortage of well built modern equipment. It is just that many complain about its cost which is silly really, as doesn't really cost more, often less, compared to older stuff when adjusted for inflation etc.I do not complain about the prices of new equipment. Pentax prices generally are OK. However, the build quality of some items - especially zooms - could be better. Just compare the build qualtiy of the FA24-90 to that of the first generation of AF zooms (e.g. F28-80 or F35-105)
If you own 30 lenses you certainly could afford new gear if you stuck to a more "normal" number of lenses :o)Well, the big number of old lenses happened only after I had acquired some new AF lenses....
I can't see the problem; you own a complete set of lenses compatible with a Pentax DSLR.Yes, but I want to decide which k-mount lens I may use on an *ist D. I do not want Pentax to take the decision for me. Naturally, AF lenses much better fit the *ist D. However, if I want to use the *ist D with a particular K- or M-series lens - e.g. the K17/f4 Fish-Eye, or the M85/f2, my favourite portrait lens, or the K28/f3.5, which is better than my F28/f2.8 - then I do neither need nor want Pentax do decide for me that I should not be able to meter properly with any such lens when combined with the *ist D. I am quite certain that stop-down-metering would only require some minor reprogramming of the camera, and I want Pentax to do it for the benefit of all users of k-mount equipment, and I guess it would do no harm at all but only good to the number of *ist Ds that will be sold.
The *ist D falls into the most competitive area of DSLR's where the price envelope is being pushed. I don't think Pentax can afford extravagant compatibility for a minority where the competition and market leaders can not.An aperture simluator may be "expensive", but how can 5 lines of software to enable metering with stopped down k-mount lenses be expensive.
Arnold
