There's a new DA coming this year in the region of an 18-220 approx on the Pentax Road Map for release this year.

As to an "all-in-one" lens for beginner, it depends on what one's interests are and whether one is going for top quality or versatility.
For traditional 35mm photography the recommendation would undoubtedly have been for a good starters kit a standard prime (50mm) a wide angle (28mm / 35mm) and a telephoto (100mm / 135mm.) The 50mm would have come with the camera and the other two would not have been overly expensive to add.
With an APS-C this equates to 35mm being the standard lens equivalent, then an 18mm or 24mm being the wide angle equivalent and something between 66mm and 90mm for the equivalent telephoto; the DA limited 70 and 77mm lenses seem nearest to that. So those would be the 'quality' selection, or a zoom that covers 18-70 being the convenient solution.
So sensible choices other than the 18-55 which is itself pretty close to being ideal, would be the 17-70 or the 18-135mm.
Pentax's twin kit lens option is a good deal too offering 18-55 and 50-200 in two lenses, both much superior optically to the similar offerings from the likes of Canikon, or even better, replace the 50-200 with an 55-300. Another bargain of a lens!

John

It is said that Fuji sold more X100's than even they expected so surely other manufacturers including Pentax must be watching and taking notice. Pentax do have a gap (as do most other manufacturers) in their offerings when it comes to quality /high end compacts like the X10 & X100. Must say I have recently purchased the former myself given the lack of market choice for a camera having an optical viewfinder. I would have preferred a Pentax so I wouldn't have had to learn the quirky alien menu system. But you can't buy what doesn't exist!

John

It's the spots in the water that look odd as they don't seem to mirror anything in the sky above.

I presumed that larger blob was the moon!

John

The talk was of a 1.3 x crop factor so it's getting nearer the 135 format.

It would be close to being an APS-H sensor as found on the Canon EOS 1D (are we allowed to mention that )

Could work for a mini DSLR but bigger than the Q.

The sensor would be 15.8 x 15.8 mm which would put it in Sigma Foveon / Four-thirds territory which would (I guess) allow a thinner camera body. Effectively a Four-thirds size body that might take K-mount lenses unless my maths has gone awry!

John

A Pentax GXR ?

link

John

There were recent comments that former Pentax engineers had been rehired. Was it to resurrect the K3D project of 2009?

http://www.1001noisycameras.com/2009/02/wild-rumor-pentax-k3d-with-a-22mp-square...

Presumably not with a Samsung sensor but based upon that idea?

John

I thought you meant the stars at first too! I suspect they're caused by dust on the diffuser in the scanner or on the slide holder.

John

Set up a stall yourself next time and sell your patented macro flash light adapters!

If you had spoken you may have got them for less.

John

Some digiscopes either come with (or have available) a T2 mount adapter. The issue is that the odd eyepiece angle for most them makes it tricky to stop the attached camera from pulling the scope over to the side.

To solve it I purchased a Manfrotto 293 lens support to help keep it steady and it worked! Also useful for long telephotos that don't have their own tripod attachment.

Having tried it though I didn't find the results as good as a dedicated camera lens, but it was only a fairly cheap scope so perhaps to be expected.

John

I trust you didn't take it too seriously?!

John