Well, I have asked Pentax about the k-mount compatibilty problem, and there may even come an answer, but I did not yet ask them about drilling holes into lens mounts. I hope they render superflous asking such question....Well, I might do so, too, if there was no alternative, however I prefer
to first ask Pentax whether they really want me to damage my K- and M
series lenses so that I can use them on the *ist D....
That might be the best option - wait and see. Did you contact Pentax concerning this problem?
I insist that a software update should easily cure the problem. The way the *ist and the *ist D are programmed now, in aperture priority mode (which really is an "open aperture mode" when there is a K or M lens attached) the light meter and the viewfinder information are switched OFF while DOF preview is activated and ON while DOF preview is not activated. It should be quite quite easy to have it just the other way around in aperture priority mode or manual mode: Light meter OFF when DOF preview is not activated and ON when DOF preview is activated.I do not think that this is a big modification. Actually, the DOF
preview position of the main switch already activates the illumination
of the extrenal LCD display of the camera - it could switch on and off
the meter just as easily.
Sounds easy, but I'm afraid that there might be too much "ifs" for realising it afterwards. If they would have asked us earlier..=:-[
I do not know wheter Pentax is flexible AND interested enough to change the camera software at this point. I hope they are, and I hope that they listen to us. Long-time Pentax enthusiasts still using K- and M-series lenses (and cameras!) may only be a minority among the potential buyers of the *ist D, but I would say that we are not negligible, and if we like the camera, we can convince lots of others to buy the camera, too.
I am quite sure that Pentax is not that flexible enough to change the camera hardware at this point, so there is no hope for the *ist D being fully compatibe with the k-mount. However, Pentax probably is already developing the next DSLR, as digital production cycles are short. If they hear us and Japanese Pentax-enthusiasts now, maybe the DSLR after the *ist D will have full compatibilty with the k-mount?
Arnold
