That isn't very good at all! I usually see 600-800 shots from a fresh set of Energiser Lithium AAs in the K-m.

Don't bother, seriously. They're simply not worth the money.

IMO the best value fisheye is the Samyang 8mm, the Pentax DA 16-45mm can be found for about the same money if you want an ultra wide angle rather than a fisheye.

Free is even better however - try looking up the Hugin panorama creator software. It's free, brilliant, and means that the angle of your lens is no limitation to the field of view you can build up to. Here is a link to an image made from five shots taken with an 85mm lens. It does help if you use a tripod, and make sure you use the same ISO and aperture for all of the shots, but it's very simple.

Depends on whether you're getting paid extra I guess!

I did manage to get a couple of photos published in a lifestyle magazine recently via a slightly roundabout route (no, I didn't get paid or credited unfortunately). Ages ago I was asked by my old secondary school (where my Mum works) if I could get some shots of their production of "Return to the Forbidden Planet", as apparently the trained professional photographer related to one of the staff had produced pretty rough results (despite being qualified to teach others to use a camera...). I turned up with the K-m and 120mm f2.8 and took loads of shots from the back of the hall, then put the best ones on a USB stick and sent them in. A month or so ago two or three of them turned up in an advert for the school!

I might also get a couple into Land Rover Owner after a friend's Defender was selected as a feature vehicle. I took a handful of shots of it during a greenlaning trip and was asked for copies, this time I did manage to include the request that they credit me as the source if they decide to use them.

Jessops offered a winder for the M series bodies with one built in - only snag is that you need to keep the shutter button pressed on the remote. As mine didn't include a remote I plan to make one with two buttons, one latching and one push to make.

Is that a K-x or K-r? How did it do with the original Energiser Lithium cells (delivered with all Pentax DSLRs which take AAs IIRC?)

Yep, or an email nearer the time. As I said I won't be able to buy for a few weeks yet (currently doing the work which should pay for it!) but I'm asking now so I get a full selection of opinions on the K-r from people who know what they're talking about.

The kit lens is unlikely to be on there for long anyway, I'm just surprised that they seem to have dropped the idea of matching colours given they already have all the tooling and processes for it.

Other question: Does anyone know if the multicoloured K-r comes with a matching lens, like the K-x did? I've seen photos of a white K-r with white lens, but the red ones seem to have the black lens. There don't seem to be many real photos of them out there, all the sellers are using the Pentax library photos.

Hmm, I'm curious now...

The rechargeable battery does appeal, but only if it's a halfway decent one. I get about 600-800 shots from a set of Energiser Lithium AAs in my K-m (seldom use the built-in flash).

Does anyone else out there in PU land have a K-r and could they say anything about battery life? I'm definitely leaning towards paying the extra for a red K-r now (or maybe a white one, not entirely sure yet) but I want to be sure there isn't a problem.

I have heard that you can actually get away with a much shorter lens than you'd think, but I suspect it depends on the wildlife, the guides, and the park you're visiting. I've heard tales of lionesses coming up to sniff the vehicle tyres and crocodiles within 20m of the hotel balcony, although obviously your situation may vary. Maybe have a look around for photos taken by previous guests of the company you're booking with and see what kit they used?

Maybe, but £130 is a fair bit of extra cash to find! I will wait and see whether I can do so.

If I do go for the K-r it will probably be red. I like the way the multicoloured ones wind up the "Serious Photographer" types!