For me, $1000 is still too much for a low end camera. We need the equivalent of the *ist body with a 6 MP senor in it for about $600. (for those who don't realize this, the *ist and *ist D have completely different bodies, although the AF and segment meters appear to be the same). Also, Pentax is NEVER going to beat Canon to market with anything. Canon is just too big, and even Nikon plays catch-up. Any obvious marketing idea, such as a cheap DSLR, will always come from Canon first. The important thing for Pentax is to try not to lag too far behind. The biggest problem is that Canon controls its own chips, whereas Pentax and Nikon have to look elsewhere.
Oh, yeah. I do have an MZ-S $ grip (about $1000). I also have a 645, but I got that used for $500 with the 75 2.8.
