He who hesitates....

That would be the bargain of the year!

150-450 still £1699 at most retailers (Jessops, Park, Castle, Bristol etc.) Unusual for SRS to be £250 dearer than those. Wex and Clifton are same as SRS.

It means using a smaller aperture such as using f/8 instead of f/5.6. The optimum aperture for a lens depends on its design. Usually it's two or three down from its maximum, so for a f/2.8 lens, the optimum would usually be around f/5.6 or f/8. However if you need f/2.8 use it!
Rather than fully auto try using P (for Program) mode which allows basic modifications to the setting the camera has chosen, so if you alter the shutter speed, the camera will set the corresponding aperture, and if you set a shutter speed because you want it faster/slower, the camera will adjust the aperture accordingly. Then if neither seem right you can alter the ISO (at the expense of diminishing quality the higher you set it.)

I use the PC's inbuilt card slot. Touching wood I never experience any file transfer errors. Doesn't windows check for those Algi?

(only so far though so it does still depend on favourite subjects.)

I prefer the rendering of the 16-85 to that of the 16- 45.
I used the 16-85 for this lot here soon after I got it. Very pleased with it.
I don't like the way the 16-45 increases in length when it zooms out as it gets in the way of the onboard flash. But lack of sharpness isn't one of its problem.
It would be worth swapping a 16-45 for a 16-85 mainly for the increased versatility. I've not experienced the focus/decentering issues some have reported. I'd be curious if anyone spots an issue in those Micklegate photos I just linked to.
As to a 16-85 vs an 18-135, one can crop an 85mm picture to match the framing of a 135 photo, but the reverse isn't true (one can't turn an 18mm exposure into a 16mm one.) That is if one prefers a single lens solution and architecture is a common subject matter as opposed to sporting events where the extra reach may come in handy.
I've not considered a 16-50 given the repetitive reports of SDM issues.

Just curious, why would you do that by default? Is it perhaps your camera underexposes a little?
It's normally easier to recover underexposure as opposed to over exposure, so deliberately overexposing would surely make the issue worse?

Hi Dale (by the way!)

If you put it in there it might prove uncomfortable and potentially fall out!

Thanks. It says it comes with a case.
I've got the DA* so not sure I need another 300. A good price non the less.

Another issue maybe that at one time it was usual to add a post about each competition in the main forum so more users would become aware of them and drum up supported if needed. That practice is not often done now by most competition setters (last week excepted, i.e. this thread.)