Originally posted by creampuff Why pander to film users using discontinued and obsolete gear? This is 2012 and photography today is all about digital, has been for quite a number of years already. Legacy users can choose plenty of old lenses with image circles covering FF (which the DA* 55mm does btw). Newer 35mm film cameras like the MZ-S don't need an aperture ring. Unfortunately most Pentax users are still somehow stuck in the past in one way or another (old bodies, old lenses, old mindset).
Actually, the MZ-S (which I believe is what twitch has),
does require an aperture ring. The PZ-1p series of film bodies do not. Regardless, I don't think he was suggesting that the lack of an aperture ring on the DA*55 was a problem, just that "reason 11" was a specific reason that a small set of people might choose to buy an FA50 over the DA*55.
Personally I loved the DA*55, and strongly preferred it over the FA50. In fact, I'm the one who bought the OP's original copy of the DA*55 a while back