There's probably still limited knowledge on this one, but I've been looking for a 20-35mm f/4 FA lens and perhaps the 20mm f/2.8 as starting points. There's also the MF Samyang 14mm f/2.8 that is fairly inexpensive and just might be worth having a go with.

The *istD was 6MP

We print up to 18" x 12" for competition and display purposes, but the main point is the more MP means that we can crop a bit if desired.

16MP will make a very nice A3 print, in fact it's the native size of the image the camera produces.

If I were buying a camera for general holiday/family type use I would be thinking of the K-S2. If I was joining a camera club, aiming at competitions, having aspirations beyond to more serious use then I'd be looking at the K-S2 or K-3 (if I wanted a built in flash) or K-3 II (if I didn't).

If we're talking second hand then a K-5 would be hard to beat.

I agree Simon. The last thing a beginner needs is to be plunged into the complexities of shooting RAW as well as learning everything else. Start with the camera's default JPEG settings, then work upwards from there.

A step at a time.

That's fine, but doesn't help those of us who want to do things with the kit we have. You have your own requirements, so go for it.

The only question mark I have is whether the old F* lens is a good indicator of current AF performance. The 150-450mm with the K-1 is a pretty snappy combination.

Thanks for that RobL, I'll check out the tutorials.

We've generally, me included, become very dependent on technology to solve our photographic woes. Before AF people managed to capture birds in flight and there are techniques that will help those who don't want to change their cameras.

I don't do a lot of BIF, enough time for that somewhere in the future, but enjoy bird portraits. The 150-450mm is superb for that purpose. When I do look at BIF I thought I would start by pre-focusing on a spot and waiting until the bird was almost in place before pressing the shutter. Manual focus would probably suffice for that. This is a technique that I would have thought was equally valid for racing cars. We know where they will be, so we focus and wait.

Is this a good place for me to start?

I chose the 28-105mm as well and the results are great.

Hope your new direction works well for you, above all enjoy what you are doing.