Well done Bob, it's great to hear of the success of fellow Forum members; please keep us updated on the success of your festival coverage and be sure to post some shots!

Best wishes
David

Hi Chris

I've been a happy K-x owner for two years and there are no major issues with either batteries or firmware on this camera. There was an issue with the battery indicator in firmware version 1.0, which would indicate flat batteries when they were not flat, but this was addressed in version 1.01.

I have upgraded my all my K-x's (I've had three and still have one) to version 1.03 with no problems. I would disagree somewhat with your statement "I have a growing feeling that there are issues with some Pentax cameras that have not been addressed by Pentax, and that they may be quite happy to have Pentax users discussing battery types, rather than facing the issues". No doubt all manufacturers and most complex electronic equipment have some software problems from time to time, but based on heavy usage of my K-x's over a two year period I certainly don't think there are any significant problems.

I would guess that something has happened with your particular firmware update, maybe a corrupted file. I would suggest as follows:

1. Fully charge a set of Eneloops

2. Download the firmware file again, unzip it on your PC and copy it to your SD card

3. Go through the firmware update process again

4. Do not use any batteries other than Eneloops or equivalent NIMH which are the type that hold their charge over a long period of time. No other batteries will do, unless you are prepared to shell out constantly on Lithiums, which is simply not necessary. Do not use Alkaline, they are useless in the K-x.

You should get easily 200-300 shots per charge on Eneloops, depending on how much you use the rear screen.

Hopefully if you do as above, your camera will be fine.

Regards
David

Magnificent Alan. How close to the birds were you?

Regards
David

Lens sold pending payment.

Regards
David

Hi Matty

I have the 16-45 (currently for sale at £140 in this Forum) and also the 17-70. The two are pretty close in IQ, but the 17-70 obviously has a focal length advantage. 17-70 is somewhat heavier (much heavier than the kit lens) and is SDM only (i.e. no screw drive for AF).

I always found the 16-45 to be a reliable performer and much better than the kit lens, particularly so in the corners of the frame and when used wide open (it is sharp from F4). Most of the images in my Gallery Portfolio were shot with it.

The 17-70 is probably marginally sharper, but there is not much in it. Being screw drive for AF, the 16-45 is a lot noisier, but focusses faster and locks on more quickly than the 17-70.

I've never used the Tamron, so can't comment on that one.

Regards
David

Easter Monday Bump for this sought after lens, only £140 + RMSD

Regards
David

All sorted now, thanks to Algi!! An adjustment of +100 in the Debug Mode, via PK_Tether and all is well! Most of my lenses now need little or no fine AF Adjustment and all are easily adjusted within the -10 to +10 AF Fine Adjustment option in the Menu. I suspect that my K-5 has been 'off' since I bought it, but it's performing brilliantly now that all the lenses are adjusted correctly.

The testing has also been interesting from a lens performance point of view. Here's some information on the lenses I adjusted, just for fun:

- Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG EX Macro - this is my sharpest AF lens by some distance - images are razor-sharp when blown up to 300% and there is virtually nil CA

- Sigma 150-500 (at 400mm) - This is the second sharpest of those I calibrated - great performance at 400mm, again very little CA

- Pentax DA L 55-300 (at 230mm) - Very good, just a whisker behind the Siggy, but still very sharp

- Pentax DA 17-70 (at 60mm) - Again very good, still pretty sharp, but not quite as good as the other three lenses calibrated

I was pixel-peeping at 300% for the above tests, so in real world use all of the above lenses will deliver excellent performance. What the tests have shown me is that it is vital to calibrate to get the very best from them - the differences with and without calibration can be quite significant.

Regards
David

Shot a wedding yesterday, my original Pentax battery did over 500 shots with a fair amount of reviewing on the back screen.

Regards
David

I can endorse this lens - it is a magnificent optic and the sharpest AF lens I own. Bokeh is also lovely and it makes a great portrait lens.

Regards
David

Sorted it now - the camera needed a memory card installed for PK_Tether to recognise it!

Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions, particularly Algi.

Regards
David