A very wise move! It's always good to get a "feel" for a camera before buying it and SRS are very well stocked when it comes to Pentax bodies and lenses. I was in there last week and they had quite a good selection of bags and tripods too so that'll be helpful in deciding.

I've got the DA12-24/f4 and it's a great lens, but not faster than the kit lens at the wide end.

If you're happy with a fixed focal length then I'd probably look at the Pentax DA14/f2.8 - available from SRS for £449.00 it's a whole stop faster than the DA12-24, which would be of great help in low light situations.

Quality appears to be excellent and it would probably be my first choice for the sort of photography you're describing.

Hi there, before answering your question can I ask you to clarify a couple of points please?

Firstly; how wide is "wide"? From using your current kit lens are you looking for something that goes even wider than the 18mm it offers, or would something around the (for example) 20-30mm mark be wide enough?

Secondly; do you want another zoom lens or would you be happy with a fixed focal length lens?

Thirdly; what sort of budget do you have in mind?

The 16-50 that your friend has recommended is an excellent lens, it'll go slightly wider than your current kit lens, it's certainly fast focussing & robust, it has a fast maximum aperture for low-light work but it's also quite expensive - these features don't come cheap as a rule!

Hi Kristian, welcome to the forum

Welcome Hedge! This week's competition has "transport" as its theme so here's your chance to show us your best shot!

I think this is one of those questions where only you will know what you prefer once you've had a chance to try both lengths out.

When I was regularly shooting film (pre-digital days) I had a Minolta X700 with a Tokina 17mm lens and a Minolta 35mm lens - bypassing the 28mm focal length altogether.

Now I mostly shoot digital I have a Pentax DA12-24 which gives me the equivalent field-of-view to 18mm - 36mm. Funnily enough, it nearly always gets used at one of those two extremes (mostly the longer end) - so it looks like I was on the right track all the time!

Yep, that's how these things normally work.

I don't think they are branded, however, I bought my spare before I discovered the 7dayshop ones and paid £20 for a Hama branded battery. I'm sure someone who actually owns one will be along soon enough...

I'd be suprised if any of these items get any cheaper this side of Christmas to be honest, however, being suprised by things isn't uncommon for me!

If it was me I'd want it all as soon as possible so I could get some practice in before the xmas / new year party season starts. Also, I'd know what little "extras" I'd be wanting for Christmas presents...

This is a very important point! I have several nice lenses that together have cost me a considerable chunk of money - when photographing in the rain (or any other potentially damaging situation) it's my DA18-55 that always finds itself in the firing range. I think of it as my £30 "action lens"