Oh well -- that's shot that one down quite comprehensively.

Most of the criticisms have been addressed by simple use of a hood. I screwed a big Tamron hood on it and this totally transformed its performance. For the record, mine is non smc and has got both a red wart AND a black one. Nearly all zooms of the period called themselves 'macro' when the best you ever got was 1:4 so that one is not a valid complaint. I can't comment on the AF and its motor wrecking propensities because I generally use Takumars and Russian M42s

Pentax M 28 is indeed nice, as is the A 28 (both under £40) I don't care for the A 35mm and, curiously, there are always lots of these for sale.
One that really surprised me is the F 28 - 80 zoom (note - not FA). These are autofocus, cost peanuts and look quite ugly. I fished it out of a drawer the other day where it had been dumped since it arrived with some other things. The Stratford on Avon river scene in the gallery was taken with it, for example. It will get a lot more use now.

The crow and the longtailed tit are lovely but I like the nuthatch.
When the background is right behind the bird (and if this hide is where I think it is at Sherwood), you're stuck with it

Certainly an interesting comment on how we treat the (visual) environment

@Pauljay - there are dozens of MXs on Ebay from .99p to £000s - I just looked

Two does indeed take the biscuit but the other two are not far behind. The various parallel lines going across #3 are fascinating

I love all those horizontally stacked colours

I'm using a Philips 227E4LHA. Just over 18" x 10" and £99 from Currys. It's colour rendition is bang on due to the extensive calibration software that comes with it. I'm very pleased with the thing. It just plugged and played.

It's as sharp as those blessed thorns!

Second one