This site has instructions to print, cut and glue together your own alternative to Spyder's LensCal. Oppa Blue Peter Style.

http://www.squit.co.uk/photo/focuschart.html

Mine didn't look quite as tidy as the one he made earlier. But it did the job.

I think the 50-200 is an underrated lens but by the sounds of it you'd ideally want something that went wider.

A Tamron 18-200 that might suit you to a T. OK, it's not as well regarded as the Pentax 18-250 (I'm not just saying that because I'm selling one of those in the classifieds!) but second hand values are much lower as a result. You could maybe pick up a used example for £75 at a guess. It would get you started, and if you decide down the road its holding you back you could buy a better alternative once you'd save a bit.

Edit - Or you could get a new one with a 5 year warranty for £149 from forum sponsor SRS link

If you want high ISO with low noise, I'd choose the K-30 over the K7 in a heartbeat.

Sold.

Don't know if it helps but SRS have a used Samsung version for £219 if you can stretch to that?

ebay link

Looks a bit grubby in the pics but it should clean up, and the SRS used warranty is second to none.

Replied.

Still for sale.

This is not aimed at Andy, or anyone, but I've had PMs from two or three forum members asking if I'd accept an amount considerably lower than the asking price. To save disappointing anyone I should perhaps have said from the outset that my price is firm. Sorry everyone - but it's already the cheapest Pentax version 18-250 around and I'm on the fence about selling it as it is!

Thanks Weinelm!

I have to say I'm beginning to have second thoughts about selling it. I went leaf and robin shooting in the woods during the week with my 18-135 and 55-300 and I always seemed to have the wrong lens on at the wrong time. I think I'll give it another week then if it hasn't sold I'll put up my Sigma 10-20 instead. That might make more sense anyway since I'm selling to raise money towards a 15 Ltd (ie attempting a more bank-balance friendly way of indulging my LBA!).

Just to clarify, I was suggesting that the NR modes of the K-30 cause considerable softness. I can't remember if they're enabled by default, but *if* the OP did have them enabled he might get sharper results with them off.

(But for all I know he's already tried that)

Have you got one or other of the NR options enabled?

I thought my K-30 was soft too (after the K10D, in my case). I disabled both 'High-ISO NR' and 'Slow Shutter Speed NR' and it seemed to improve considerably.

Now I didn't do any back-to-back testing, and I don't know for a fact whether they even effect RAW output. So it may have been just a placebo, but I'm much happier with the detail now.

I didn't think you drank bitter in Holland. I normally leave after it's all gone too.