Hi Jamie, I paid £8 on ebay for a set of high quality second hand Japanese made tubes (Chinon). You can find Japanese made ones quite readily, FFordes.com usually have a selection of Pentax fitting ones, Vivitar or an alternative make. Don't buy the new cheap ones off ebay; they are rubbish. Also, when you get some, remember to scrape the black paint off the tubes where they touch the contacts on the camera body, otherwise the stop-down metering on the camera will not work and the aperture will always be wide open whatever you set it on.

I actually prefer a manual 50mm on tubes to a dedicated macro lens.

Regards
David

Very nice Alan, colour for me!

Regards
David

It is 'ED' - all versions of this lens are identical in optical terms and all have the 'ED' elements. The difference with the 'L' (Lightweight) version is the plastic lens mount, the lack of 'Quickshift' and the different colouring on the outside (no green band). Also the DA version came with a lens hood, but these can be bought very cheaply on ebay to fit the DA L.

Hope this helps to clarify, BTW the DA L is a superb lens that is well worth owning.

Regards
David

I'm sure you know that I'm quite fond of landscape photography, but I do like to dabble a bit in other areas too! Here's a selection of my favourites from 2013, I hope you like them, apologies in advance for the number of images in this thread!

A Helping Hand - Paul Bland, one of our fellow Pentaxians, holding down my K-5 and tripod in a gale. Shot with the K-x and DA L 55-300 last February





Icy Pool - shot on the same day as the image above, K-5 and DA 16-45





Path To The Hills - K-5IIs and D-Xenon 12-24, shot a few weeks ago in Patterdale, The Lake District





Side Light - also shot in Patterdale a few weeks ago, this one with the K-5IIs and DA L 55-300





God's Country? - Shot at Ullswater on the same day as the image above, K-3 and DA 16-45





Mediterranean Sunrise - Shot on holiday this year in the Straits of Gibralter, with the K-5IIs and DA L 55-300





Full of Character - Late last Winter in North Sheffield, K-5 and DA L 55-300





Old Gypsy Beggar Woman - In Florence, August this year, K-5 and DA L 55-300





Girl On The Steps - Rome, August this year, another with the K-5 and DA L 55-300





Images of The Residents - Lisbon, Portugal, K-5IIs and DA 17-70





My Beautiful Wife - Shot in our caravan (!) with the K-5IIs and Sigma 105mm DG EX Macro





Pretty in Pink - Another holiday image, K-5IIs and DA 17-70





Snarl! - At the Welsh Mountain Zoo with Shaun Wilson and Jim Ennis, shot with the K-x and Sigma 150-500





Delicate and White - In our garden, with the K-01 and Sigma 105mm DG EX Macro





Late Summer Feeding - Another from the garden, this one with the K-5IIs and Pentax-A 50mm F1.7 on Extension Tubes





Wren & Grub - From Spring this year, K-5 and DA L 55-300





Seen Better Days - Another from a trip out with Shaun Wilson, K-5IIs and DA 16-45





Self Portrait - In the Derbyshire Hills close to Curbar Edge, with the K-5IIs and D-Xenon 12-24




Thanks for looking and best wishes for 2014!

Cheers
David

Great clarity in these Steve, the K3 is an excellent tool for landscape photography. Which lens was used for these shots?

Regards
David

That is a simply magical shot Jules, one of the finest I've seen on this site.

Regards
David

The cable does not have 3.5mm plugs, I think they are 2.5mm and are available from various sellers on ebay.

Regards
David

Excellent shots, they capture the action really well.

Regards
David

A quick note on the focussing, I have the same lens and on my K-5 I had the same issue as noted by Jim here, but on the K-5IIs and the K-3 the lens focusses without a problem. I'm posting this as Jim has been very honest in mentioning this, but anyone with a K-5II variant or a K-3 may not suffer the same issues. The 17-70 is a very good lens and I would not part with mine.

Hope you don't mind me posting this Jim, just thought it might be helpful.

Regards
David

Welcome Ross, you should get some good advice on here.

Regards
David