Ecstatic that I Chose Pentax

I did extensive (OK, excessive) research and read all the reviews in deciding between the Pentax *istDS, Nikon D70 and Canon Rebel XT. I have had many Pentax cameras over the past 30 years, but was ready to go to Nikon or Canon for my new digital SLR, if warranted. It finally came down to an instinctive choice based on feel. Now that I have owned and used it, I have no doubt the Pentax was the right choice. I need light and small, as most of my photography is travel and hiking, so the Nikon was a bit cumbersome. Also, I have been using a Nikon Cool-pix 5000 for a couple of years, with much frustration over the incredibly complex and counterintuitive controls and manual. The Rebel XT looks great in the reviews, and is small and light, but the ergonomics simply do not match the Pentax. The things that matter - usability, feel, and response made Pentax the choice for me. I have taken several thousands pics now, in all formats, and am tickled by the camera and the photos. My eye cannot discern any difference in detail in the shots taken in raw format and those in large JPEG. While we can always find some nitpicking thing to change, this camera has most everything right for me. It is totally intuitive...the manual is almost superfluous. And the readouts are clear, the viewfinder bright and significantly larger than the competition. And, for this long-time Pentax user, it is great using my favorite lenses, especially with the 33% boost in telephoto zoom. This camera seems to be to be seriously underrated and under promoted.