Yes, I still live.
I was recently in south Florida. I tried to use my *ist D for some shots later in my stint. Unfortunately, it would not recognize the compact flash to shoot a picture. Amazingly, I could view the images on the card. I tried the usual removal of the battery - I even removed the batteries overnight - it made no difference.
I resolved to sending the camera to Pentax. Being that I use the camera at work, and prefer to use it rather than the point-and-shoot digital they have I decided to go ahead and get another one. I was hoping to hold out until after PMA to see if there was anything worthwhile to get digitally.
Anyway, I went to my local photo store - I feel the need to keep them in business rather than searching for the best deal over the interenet - and asked to buy their *ist D. It was a kit, so I had to buy the FAJ 18-35mm :-( I am not a fan of zooms.
When I went home that evening I tried my original *ist D - I had tried it once I had gotten home from my trip. Well, as luck would have it, it worked fine. I needed a backup anyway so I decided to keep the second *ist D. I am sure my photo store was happy for that.
I will press with my original and occasionally use the backup to exercise it.
Being an electrical engineer I have seen this happen too often with electronics.
Just thought I would share my experience,
C�sar Panama City, Florida
