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<p>I had the K10D, then upgraded to K20D, then bought the K-x for my wife. <br>

The advantages of the k-x are: faster AF, better AWB, way better high-ISO JPEGs , movie mode<br>

The disadvantages are: not knowing where the camera chooses to focus, not weather sealed, one dial instead of two, inconvenient buttons, AA batteries, penta-mirror instead of penta-prism.<br>

In my experience, Pentax AF is slower than Canon or Nikon. Also Nikon has the most advanced flash system. <br>

Overall, given how much I have invested in lenses after choosing the body, I would say that the K10D and K20D were mistakes. The K20D has as good raw image quality as any other aps-c sensor camera, and it is one of the most user-friendly cameras out there. But good Pentax lenses are expensive, and the external flash system is unreliable. For example, if you ever want an (used) Pentax 85mm f/1.8, you will end up searching for months, and prepare to pay twice as much as a Nikon. If I had started with a Nikon, I would've found many more affordable, equally high quality used lenses all over the place.<br>

If you must stick with your budget, the K-x is the the best one-lens general purpose SLR that you can find. So if I could do it again, it would be Pentax k-x + 40mm f/2.8 for snap-shooting and a Nikon D90 for serious shooting -- then upgrade to D700 when I can afford it.</p>

The gloss optimizer seems to make the print on luster paper look "laminated". It makes the un-even-ness of the paper (compared to premium glossy) more obvious.

Frank: In the advanced settings, you can set "gloss" to "auto" or "full". Auto covers only the image. Full covers the whole sheet. Or you can uncheck "gloss" to turn it off. Fun toy.

For owners of the R800/R1800/R2400 -- do you use and recommend the

gloss optimizer for Premium Luster paper? I find the gloss stunning

on Premium Glossy, but a little opaque on Premium Luster.

I just came back from Yellowstone and Tetons.

I saw a mama black bear with two cubs and two

wolves at Lamar Valley. There was reportedly

another black bear with 3 cubs in Lamar Valley

that I didn't get to see. I saw a grizzly bear

at Swan Lake. There are osprey nests near the

canyon upper and lower falls. There were lots

of buffalos, elks and coyotes. Most of the buffalo

calves were near the west entrance along Madison

river. I saw only one elk with large antlers

between Norris and Mammoth.

The natural bridge trail near Lake Yellowstone

Village is closed because bears are feasting

on spawning trouts.

At Grand Teton, there were some ducks and geese

at the lily pond next to the Signal Mt. road

and trail. There were some swans in the lakes

and ponds. There was a moose and reportedly a

young bear on the Jenny Lake trail towards

Hidden Fall and Inspiration point.

Have fun!