Well, Gwyn asked for it. OK had to add my little puppies in there...

Looks like rain in Washington DC this year, but if it holds off maybe something more interesting will show up.

Only references I found on Google mentioned digital cameras with possible pixels going dead from heat buildup. But I'm not sure you'll want to leave your shutter open that long due to the noise ratio becoming quite high after a few minutes.
I've done five minutes on my old istD and noise was not too bad. Newer models are probably better. Never done 30+ minutes though.

Just be sure your batteries are good. You don't want them dying while writing to the card. That supposedly can damage the card.

If you're doing something like start trails, you might want to take several shorter exposures and "stack" them. If its required for absorbing that much light... I'm stuck.

Just took a few shots the other day at f32 with no noticeable spots.
I'll try to photograph the blades later today and let ya see what mine look like for comparison. Assuming someone doesn't beat me to it.

Other than that, I agree with hefty1.

There have been a few recent recommendations on the forums...
Personally, if you're not 100% stuck on Pentax, I'd suggest you also look at Tamron's 90mm f2.8 DI Macro lens. I got it for several hundred dollars less than the Pentax 100mm.
Absolutely beautiful results. (I have been used to closeups from "macro enabled" zoom lenses... just no comparison.)
No regrets whatsoever.

I like the super thin DOF and/or staying some distance from subjects that the 100mm allows.

Personally, I like the first (yellow) one. Depending on the time of day, it looks more warm and inviting. Perhaps a tad too yellow, but the second one looks sickly and cold.

I would have to see the real thing to know if one is actually "better".

Now to double the misery... are you viewing with a color managed browser? MSIE handles some color management but Firefox 3 seems to do a better job in making my images look more like they did in PhotoShop (even when I save for sRGB!)

I guess a question would be... did each of images look the same to YOU pre and post color management, respectively?

Although I've had my out K10D through blinding downpours, and even under the shower head with no ill effect, I think the matter of soap breaking down the surface tension of water would probably be more than the seals were meant to handle.

-tony

Well, you know. Its just our nature.
We're all just a bunch of automatrons following Bush's goal for the New World order.

[unwarranted internet and phone company sniffing metadata]
I love Bush. I would never do or say anything against our beloved leader!
[/unwarranted internet and phone sniffing metadata]

Yeah right... sniff this!!
(Bummer, no 'bent-over mooning the president' icon)

Nice nick name...
If you keep dropping the lens a secret and the "gentleman" finds out, it won't just be a nick name...

Suck it up and do whats right.
Of course with the added 10 inches, you could just kick his arse if he comes around asking questions...

Hi, my name is Tony and I take crappy photos.
I stopped taking crappy pictures for a month, but my wife said I really should take the camera back out of the closet since I had spent so much money on it...
click, crap, click, argh!, click, eek, click, smash!... oops


I like the idea of posting current and past photos. Maybe a side competition for the greatest improvement, lack of improvement and/or greatest decline - heaven forbid.

I've used those super-zooms with "macro" suffixed to the end of their names. Nothing wrong with them I suppose, and until recently I thought they did a great job. But if you want to do Macro, there is no substitute for a real macro lens (never tried extension tubes, perhaps as good??).
Anyway, the point is that I was shocked at the quality of the images I could get with a macro lens even though the focal length was far under the zoom+macro lenses I was used to.

Just tossing in another vote/suggestion to go for a true macro solution later on.

FYI, you might want to look at the Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro lens when the time comes. From what I've seen, the quality is up there with the Pentax 100mm but can be found for a couple of hundred dollars less than the Pentax. I am exceptionally pleased with the Tamron macro lens.