The seller has let me down and sold to someone else without responding to me. I offered cash full price for item with battery and charger, with no negotiation, and posted the same in a pm last night; also offered to collect as stated in the original sale post.

No response to the PM, so I PM'd today offering to collect from wherever the seller wished and got a message back to say that the item was sold to someone else, minus battery and charger! If the seller had said to me that he preferred to sell without battery and charger I would have agreed this immediately, but no message was received.

There was no indication that the item was for sale elsewhere and I'm sure my PM was the first.

I don't like to post like this, but it's left a sour taste as this was intended to be a present for my wife.

Not happy.

Regards
David

Hello George, nice to hear from you again. I'm not sure if you have taken the trouble to read Benjamin Kanarek's Blog posts about his Pentax AF concerns (I have), but if you had done this you would clearly see that he is not referring to AF speed, but is in fact referring to AF accuracy, hence my post earlier that you have attempted to discredit.

It might be nice if you researched the facts a little more thoroughly before trying to make me look an idiot, your comments may be more effective that way.

Best wishes
David

I've owned both the 50-500 and the 150-500 and I agree 100% with Alistair's comments above. The 150-500 is miles sharper at all focal lengths than the 50-500. Of course, that could just be down to the copy of the 50-500 I had, but I can only base my findings on my own experiences. The 50-500 was the 'old' one and my current 150-500 is the non-OS version.

Regards
David

PM sent.

Regards
David

I wonder if Benjamin has used a K-5II variant? Focus accuracy is superb on these cameras; I doubt if there's anything more accurate, maybe faster, but not more accurate, even in near darkness. I don't think my K-5IIs has ever missed focus unless it was me at fault.

Regards
David

I think it's natural for us all to give our personal experiences but it can distort reality. I bet someone somewhere has experienced a failure of some equipment 'straight out of the box' whereas others have had years of trouble-free service. By all accounts the 17-70 had some issues when first launched, but these appear to have been well and truly sorted out.

For example, you are a Saab owner I presume? How many people would relate poor experiences with a Saab? I'm a former 9-3 owner and loved the car but I did have to have a few bits replaced!

Regards
David

My 17-70 doesn't hunt, I know some users have reported this, but it's a bit unclear why it happens; maybe issues with the electrical contacts if they're not clean? I have experienced some 'jiggling' of focus on the K-5 (not on the K-5IIs though), but images shot with the lens are invariably sharp and this includes a great many shot in very dim artificial light at weddings and receptions. I know a few people who have this lens too and they have not had any focus issues.

The AF is not lightning fast, but is perfectly adequate and I haven't really missed any shots because of it.

Hope this is useful.

Regards
David

I was out in Chester with Shaun Wilson a couple of days ago and we went into a camera shop in the City Centre (Camera Solutions). They are a Pentax Pro Dealer; we had quite a long chat with the guy behind the counter and he was very positive about the effect that Ricoh have had on the Brand. They are selling more cameras, they can get hold of stock much easier (cameras and lenses) and in general his view was that the future is bright for Pentax.

The Pentax name still does have some resonance due to the heritage, I don't think they will drop it from the cameras and I do think that there is a lot to be positive about.

Regards
David

I don't feel qualified to comment on this Yves because I have not experienced what you have been through. I have however gone through traumas relating to our children when our twins were born, this went on for an extended period of time so maybe I can understand a little.

I think it is really brave of you to bare your soul like this in public and I really hope the messages you have had from the members on the Forum have helped you a little.

I will add my sincere best wishes to this thread and I hope it too helps in just a small way.

Best wishes
David

The Pentax DA 17-70 is not faster (i.e. aperture), but it does have a constant F4 and is miles ahead of the 18-55 for image quality. It is great for portraiture and general use where image quality is a priority.

I don't think the F4 aperture is that much of an issue as you have a K-5, so you can push up the ISO if necessary.

It is a belter of a lens, the only downside to me is that it distorts quite heavily at wide angles, but this is easy to correct either in camera or afterwards, so it's not really a problem.

I would recommend this lens, but I haven't tried any of the others you have suggested. I noticed that the 17-70 can be bought for around £350 brand new if you shop around; at this price it is a steal.

Regards
David