Hi all - am trying to get going with my recently acquired DFA 100 and took these indoor orchid shots today. Am very much a macro novice so would appreciate any comments - all criticism/suggestions gratefully received!

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As noted above some people prefer longer lenses for portraits but I find my DA*55/1.4 perfect in terms of both focal length and wide aperture.

Stefan - you mentioned Ray Lamontagne in your original post a year ago. If you haven't heard it yet you must check out his latest album God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise (made with new backing band the Pariah Dogs) - it's a gem.

Mowog - the point that intrigues me is not so much your frustration with lack of FF Pentax but your comment that your next camera purchase is likely to be a Pansonic G1. My wife has a Lumix compact which is excellent, but I've never quite seen the appeal (or dare I say it, the purpose? :wink of the G1. Is it purely a size/convenience issue for you? Are the current Pentax DSLR range (even the KX or KR) really too cumbersome for you to want to lug around compared to a micro 4/3rds camera?

As ISO says, each to his own - though I think it is fair to say that many Canon, Nikon and Sony users, not just Pentaxians, would disagree with the conclusion that "the APS sized sensor was a mistake and has no real purpose".

Camera systems choices will always be very subjective of course - a shame that Pentax isn't doing it for you but good luck with your move in the 4/3rds direction.

Howard - I have the DA*55 and have been very happy with it. I use the wide aperture for indoor portrait shots of my kids etc and really like the sharpness and bokeh it produces. I have never had any SDM problems. I know many prefer a longer focal length for portrait shots but I find 55mm suits me quite well.

From what I've read and was told by SRS when deciding between the two lenses, I'm sure the FA50/1.4 is also an excellent lens. However, I bought the DA*55 in summer 09 just before the price hikes, when it was much more reasonably priced and only around £50 more than the FA50 so it was a fairly easy decision for me at the time. Whether you want to spend £549 on the DA*55 when considering your other options is a tough one, but I would certainly recommend it as a lens.

Alternatively, if you have a budget of up to around £550 and can pick up the FA50 for £254 as you mention above, you could always consider buying the (non-WR) DFA 100mm macro as well - I believe it can be found for just under £300 at the moment.

True, £450 sounds like a more sensible net price. And we do have to wait for the reviews but we know it won't be as fast as the DA* zooms and if it's not an inferior lens to those then something strange has occurred with Pentax lens development/production! But no doubt it will be a very good lens and clearly it should be an excellent addition to the Pentax range.

Should you get the KR? In a word, yes! I'm biased as a Pentax fan and haven't tried the KR but it's a great spec and it has already had great reviews.

You've probably looked at the SRS site already but the KR page has said "stock expected October 2010" for a few weeks now so it must be available soon. They have an open day next saturday so there must be a chance that stock will be in before then?

Prices yet to be confirmed but you'll see they are offering a KR/18-55/50-200 bundle with free case ,8gb card and filter. Has to be tempting as the price is bound to be very competitive.

If you're set on an "all in one" zoom, in addition to John's suggestions you could also consider the Sigma 18-250 which is currently £399 at SRS (with free UV filter). However, you're bound to get a much better price overall for the full Pentax package mentioned above. Regardless of price, I would personally go for the two Pentax kit zooms as I can't help thinking that regardless of the similar maximum aperture etc, the quality of an ultra wide-range zoom is likely to be less good at the extreme focal lengths. But I'm sure the professional reviews will tell you what you need to know.

Hi Stefan - was about to post pretty much exactly what Flossie just said. But I'll say it anyway! I'm sure the 18-135 will prove to be a very good lens but it would seem a waste of your two fantastic (and faster) DA* zooms not to be using them at every opportunity, even if it means carrying an extra lens around. If the 18-135 was a bit more of a bargain then it would be tempting but £599 is quite pricey for a lens which would be inferior to what you already have. Just my humble opinion as a novice who's envious of your DA* zooms!

Kris, nice shot (a reminder of the relative quality of the kit lens...)

I was also fascinated by the effect of the Lubitel 2 image. Just perfect for the subject matter! What aperture were you using?

A bit of a naff tag line I agree and I wouldn't go for a coloured camera personally.... However, I do think it's promising that the Pentax marketing dept seems to be waking from its slumber. "Pix your life" is quite, ahem, catchy I guess.

A couple of other thoughts... I doubt that the K5 (great though the spec looks) will win many NEW customers to Pentax as it's the entry/mid level cameras which hook people into a system. So it makes sense for the marketing attention to go on the KR and I definitely think they're on the right track here. But as many others have commented previously it would take a fairly major shift in marketing investment/strategy and reappraisal of commercial relationships with large retailers and the DSLR magazine industry etc to significantly increase market share. I'm not convinced that Pentax/Hoya have the appetite for that but at least they are producing high quality and distinctive new cameras.