Yes, they were shot as jpegs. I also had Auto EV compensation set, but since I was in Green mode none of the Custom settings were within my control. The next 2 shots after the ones shown were also over exposed and then the third was OK, so I'm verging towards the lens aperture not closing correctly theory. I'm going to do some more shooting today in Green mode with a different lens to see if it happens again.

I'll try using a different lens for a while and see if I still get the same problem. Thanks everyone for taking the time to offer me some help.
Regards
Fran

The EXIFs are identical except for a small difference in the no of bytes in the images; the half-press shutter time on the first image was 4.25sec and on the second image it was 1.9 sec. The AF Predicor and AF Defocus numbers are different, although the numbers mean nothing to me.

BeachBoy2 was right when he said that in Green mode the camera defaults to Multi-Segment metering. So my spot metering was correctly overruled by the camera. Both pictures therefore had multi-segment metering, which Photo-Me confirms. Is it normal to have this much difference in exposure by changing the focus point slightly? It is more likely, since I was rushing, that I didn't give the camera time to meter correctly - is that a possibility?

Now I do feel a fool, the camera was set on spot metering.

Thanks Barrie, I'll read up on metering and see if I can improve. I've been getting this type of effect quite a lot, which is why I thought if I used Green mode, the camera would get it right.

Can anyone tell me what I've done wrong here? The light level of the pictures is completely different but the only thing I did was take about one step to the right between them. They were taken within 0.04 of a second of each other. They were taken in Green mode (i.e camera chooses settings) on the K5 with the 18-135mm lens, F11, ISO200,18mm, l/100 sec.

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m616/Frankie174/IMGP2574.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m616/Frankie174/IMGP2575.jpg[/IMG]

They are brilliant. I wonder what they look like after some windy wet weather. Do the phantom knitters remove them?

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m616/Frankie174/FishingBoat_800.jpg[/IMG]

Fishing Boat at Plymouth Barbican. Taken on 26/02/12 and digitised on 8/3/12.
K5 with 18-135mm lens
ISO 200, F5.6, 1/125 sec exposure.

Thanks for being kind and congratulations to the winners. Now I think I'll go have a coke.