I would be curious what you might know about the sensor on the Pentax *ist DSLR. I just got one in late June, mainly because I already had quite a few Pentax mount lenses and thought this route would be cheaper without the added expense of new lenses. It will do up to 6.1 MP and will do RAW format. I have been very happy, for the most part, so far with the *ist. It took some very nice pictures on my trip to Vegas in early July (see 1 below).
As for prints, I have only done a few over the years with my ME Super. Mostly 8x10 or smaller, but at least 1 poster size that I have framed on my wall. The *ist has the potential to reignite my interest again, which could increase the likelihood for more prints.
Here is a multi-page review of your camea:
ist
Never been a Pentax user although knowledgable people say very good things about Pentax lenses.