I believe that the metering is pretty constant with the K10D, it underexpose a bit most of the time so I've it set to over exposed 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop bit depending on the light. Like I said earlier it tries to keep the highlights down.

The autmatic modes in the K-M are improved I believe compared to the K10D so I expect them to work better but I don't know to behonest.

Also you need to know the limitation about the metering system it tries to get 18% grey I believe, so if you've a lot of white it will underexpose and with a lot of black it will overexpose of course.

I thought they were going to take another direction then Pentax.
The hybrird camera announced by Samsung is such example.
I don't see a Pentax version coming from that one but I belive that if the hybrid is an succses that samsung will focus on that instead of DSLR.

I need to read a bit better.
f/2.8 is the way to go for low light zoom lens but they are expensive, Like said by Martin.

The Tamron/Sigma alternative would be the 70-200 depending on how far or close you're to the stage.
There is also a Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 which might be a good offer, I don't really know how it preforms but the 70-200 are both great lenses at least.

Jody, welcome to the forum.

The K20D can handle high iso quite good so don't be afraid to push it to iso800 or iso1600, and to behonest you don't have another choice.
If you bring a tripod and use shutterspeeds of a second then your subject will of course move in your photo.
So iso 800/1600 and overexpose your photos a bit, when you bring the brightness down in post processing it comes out a better.
You might even want to shoot iso3200 with your tele-lens or else you photos wil be unusable because of movement by you and the ones on the stage.
When shooting iso3200 it might be a good idea to convert your photo to B&W, sometimes the noise is quite pleasant then.

The best way I think might be to use Av mode and set the iso auto range to full.
Pick the lowest f-number you can and the camera picks the right shutterspeed for the focal length and tries to keep the iso down.
Of course if iso hits the limit it will increase your shutterspeed but you see that in your screen then.

Btw there is no Tamron 30-300, do you mean 70-300?

Banding, not really uncomming I believe or is it something else?

Banding noise is highly camera-dependent, and is noise which is introduced by the camera when it reads data from the digital sensor. Banding noise is most visible at high ISO speeds and in the shadows, or when an image has been excessively brightened. Banding noise can also increase for certain white balances, depending on camera model.

Although fixed pattern noise appears more objectionable, it is usually easier to remove since it is repeatable. A camera's internal electronics just has to know the pattern and it can subtract this noise away to reveal the true image. Fixed pattern noise is much less of a problem than random noise in the latest generation of digital cameras, however even the slightest amount can be more distracting than random noise.

The composition looks good but you might lighten it a bit like Piotro did.

Btw Piotro, you used too much sharpening, you get a lighter edge around the out line of the rocks to the right.

Indeed what misfortune, you only had that lens a week I believe or not?

I also bought the DFA100 over the Sigma and Tamron for the reasons Clarky stated, lighter weight and its quick shift ability.

Also take a look at the Tamron 90mm f/2.8, it's a very loved lens on the Dutch forum so it must be doing something good.

Welcome to the forum mha

My dad also has the D40 and I neer got the hang with his camera.
I've hold the older D50 in my hands and that one seems so much better, I really don't know why they changed things.

Also it's a same using the Green-mode on a camera like the K-7, it's a real pro camera so you've full control only a button away.
Also Pentax have a lot of other half/full automatic modes.
Look a bit further into the P-mode or the TAv-mode, you might like them.
The K'D cameras tend to underexpose to preserve highlights, don't know how well it preforms and if they've improve that.

Nice photos Shim.
The first one is pleasant to the eye and it's very good you don't lose the detials in the light and in the shadows.

I like the second image the most, like a sheet of glass like you said.
I also see the smudge and some dirt on the right part of the photo and also some ripples. I also need to calibrate my monitor