Pentax is one of the four original, old-school camera makers still around, and one of the TWO old-school camera makers still offering compatibility with their old lens mount.

(Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Olympus in the first category, but Canon and Olympus changed their lens mounts. Nikon and Pentax are the only companies still around that offer compatibility all the way back to manual focus. Sony has of course taken over the Minolta lens mount, but Minolta itself has dissolved. Not to mention the fact that Sony has no interest in embracing it's history like Pentax and Nikon do...)

Officially, Pentax has stated that they are developing a full-frame body. It will not be available this year, however, so Nikon is going to have three (or four, but I'm not gonna speculate, just stay tuned!) full-frame cameras by then, Canon will have two, (or three, but that's less likely now) and Sony will have one.

Also however, apparently the Pentax K200D and K20D have not been as popular as Pentax would have liked among consumers. Which is really a shame, because honestly in my opinion the K200D is THE best "beginner" camera on the market, by far, and the K20D is the best high-res APS-C body on the market, cramming almost 15 megapixels into a 1.5x crop while still delivering a CLEAN ISO 3200.

Reports were that people didn't buy the K200D that much because it was priced considerably higher than other consumer DSLR's from Canon / Nikon / Olympus, but honestly, it is for VERY good reason, and I think the features that Pentax offers are some that we will never, NEVER see in a Canon or Nikon "low-end" body. (pro-series 11-point AF, weather sealing, in-body stabilization!!!!) Heck, even the 2nd-tier camera bodies like the Canon 40D and Nikon D80 don't have features like this! (And they cost hundreds MORE than the K200D!!!)

Then of course the K20D is also world's best high-res crop-sensor camera out there. Again, it is far above the other cameras in it's price range in quite a few respects. Again, pro-series 11-point AF, pro construction, weather-sealing, in-body stabilization, and all the pro-grade features that you don't find in any other camera at that price level.

Personally, I've stopped recommending Nikon and Canon for 2008. I think they have not necessarily "dropped the ball", but that Pentax, Sony and Olympus have simply gotten desperate for market share and are REALLY innovating with the features they offer in their low-end bodies. I highly recommend that people check out the Pentax K200D, (especially if you are an outdoor shooter) or the Olympus E-420 / E-520... (especially if you are interested in the lightest / smallest possible setup) I don't exactly recommend Sony because they are going down a path with live view that KILLS the optical viewfinder, and I believe we should keep our viewfinders big and bright...

Take care, and buy a Pentax / Olympus, all you beginners out there!
=Matt=