[Rondec]

You can actually merge as many image as you want on any camera for improved dynamic range and signal strengh. Just take many shots of the same image and mege them in photoshop.

The problem of doing that or even pixel shift is that you need a perfectly still subject and tripod for best results. As an example I just came back from 2 week travel in Vietnam/Cambodge and no I didn't take the tripod ! So I could not have benefited of that feature at all...

One guy came with a tripod but could only take the time to set it up for the sunrise on front of Angkor Vat... For 30 minutes. For all other times, there was simply not enough time to setup each shot with a tripod...

Using a tripod doesn't take that much longer than shooting handheld, but it can significantly improve the quality of your images. When I am with my family I don't use one, but if I am shooting landscapes on my own, I usually try to do so. Sunrise and sunset both benefit significantly from being able to get a little longer exposure and use low iso to maximize dynamic range.

[MJKoski]

APS-C KP on tripod slaps handheld K-1 around with a large trout. K-1 on tripod with good glass = priceless.

[Nicolas06]

APS-C KP on tripod slaps handheld K-1 around with a large trout. K-1 on tripod with good glass = priceless.

Using a tripod or not change a lot the way you shoot. A bit like flashes or using primes instead of zooms. So it doesn't really matter if it is better to use a K10D with primes + tripod and set of flash than a 645z handled. Most people will shot handled with zooms and without flash.

And in many case anyway just a bit more interresting subject / available light or composition will have anyway more impact on the final outcome than using a tripod or not, primes or zooms, an APSC or an FF and so on.

You'll convince me much more easily to upgrade to a K1 than to use a tripod all the time. And really I not convinced at all by the K1. This is because I don't enjoy the tripod experience. I can enjoy primes. I don't enjoy a tripod that much. And if there no joy, there no good photos out of it. This is the ultimate thing, because if you force me to take a tripod if I want to take photos, I'll simply stop shooting and do something different.