I still have my old SLRs - a pair of Pentax P30s - but they've been gathering dust lately. After sufffering through a pair of (2, then 8 megapixel) digicams, my frustration with digital was finally overcome when Pentax introduced the stellar K10D.

The pocketable digicams are nice because they are pocketable, but shutter lag, (usually) lack of optical viewfinder, and the inevitable compromises of zoom lenses usually result in more ambitious photographers seeking a DSLR, which are vastly more flexible, but hardly pocketable.

Canon is the acknowledged leader in this category, but facing fierce competition from onetime leader Nikon, and increasingly, upstart Sony. Olympus and Pentax are battling with Sony for 3rd behind the two leaders, and there are some other niche players like Panasonic, Fuji and Leica.

I chose Pentax because I had a middlin' kit of K-mount lenses dating from my earlier SLRs, and because I've used the brand for over 40 years - several Spotmatics, venerable ME, and the aforementioned P30s.

A picture of Hale-Bopp taken with a P30 recently won me a first in a photo contest. The judges were pleased with the lack of Photoshop manipulation. /brag

True, I spent $$$ taking probably 100s of 35mm shots (iso 800 and 20 sec exposures) of the comet to get the winning image, and therein lies the major virtue of digital compared to film - with a spare battery and memory cards, you can shoot to your heart's content, and simply pitch the out-takes - your only cost being the time and energy spent shooting and reviewing.

Anyway, at one time Pentax glass could be had cheaply - the somewhat quirky company was slow to market with their DSLRs, but the K10D changed all that, and a lot of good Pentax glass formerly lying around dusty pawnshops has been snapped up. Pentaxians say that much Pentax glass is second to none, and the new K20D sports a 14 mp sensor, the result being that the formerly inexpensive used Pentax glass is no longer cheaply had.

Sony has just introduced the A900 with a whopping 25 mp sensor, and the big electronics firm's DSLRs can mount older Minolta glass.

There are a number of issues to consider, including sensor size (Full frame sensors seem to have lower noise), shake-reduction (Nikon and Canon use lens stabilized methods, while the others opt for body-based systems, meaning older lenses benefit), and a host of other issues a prospective DSLR buyer needs to burrow into to ensure the wisest purchase for his needs.

All the above-mentioned 5 major camera brands offer entry level DSLRs for well under $1000, including a kit zoom lens.

Final note: it's the light, not the camera. The best light shines during the so-called Golden Hours, with the sun low on the horizon. Winter light is better than summer light for that reason, but those dinky cameras are difficult to handle when one is wearing gloves.

S