So it begins.. er, resumes!

I shot screw-mount SLRs from 1974-82 before shifting to Pentax' PK-mount gear.  In my heyday I had several lenses, the best were my M24-50 f/4, M40/2.8 and an off-brand 24mm - but I was tiring of such large cameras and fell prey to the compact craze.  My first try with a Pentax 35mm compact showed soft and badly-vignetted corners, so off I went into digital compact cameras. After stints with a Kodak LS443, Lumix LC40 and Casio's P505 (still with me), I realized that what I wanted to create couldn't be done with little cameras, so I began my search.

I tried to like Pentax again (still had the 40mm pancake lens!) but the K100D/110D were not quite for me.  I finally settled on Sony's A200 as a fine intro to dSLR cameras.  It served me well for two years, but Sony was marketing to other people than me in 2010 with NEX, the 5-series and other diversions that led me nowhere.  Their A700 was nearly gone, and its larger size was too much to overlook despite the excellent features.

I looked over my shoulder at Pentax again, picking up a refurb K100d and a 55-200 Sigma plus some manual PK lenses.  This was a temporary camera, as my sights were set on the K-7 whose features were very similar to the A700 but in an A200-size body. When the eb/pp cashback program's demise was announced I panicked :^) and looked further into K-7 prices.  In mid-June the price net of cashback too good to resist.. so I didn't!

So today's kit consists of K-7 (with K100d backup), DA16-45 (another cashback steal), Sigma 55-200 and PK primes (SMC-A 50/2, Chinon 28/2.8, Rikenon 135/2.8).  I now have a K1000 body with Rikenon 28-100P to play with as well, a huge and heavy (605g) beast of a lens with great optics but a tired body (some play in the rings even after tightening some screws).

Here's a shot with the 50mm at f/2.5 - not perfect focus, but great effect and color.  It's nice to be 'home' again with Pentax gear.