To get back to the point, you should be able to pick up a manaul focus 100mm Macro for far less than your budget from eBay. Go for one with a "A" on the aperture ring for most convenience in use. The SMC Pentax-A 100mm f4 would be ideal. The dental version is exactly the same with additional markings for dental use.

There is a SMC Pentax-FA 100mm f3.5 Macro that is also fine and cost less new than the price you quote. It's a bit plasticky but capable of fine results. AF as well.

How about trying some via eBay, hopefully at a cost where you recoup your money by selling them on if they didn't suit.

This would give you a nice long trial run with each pair you selected, until you found the ideal for your porpose.

1) Bean bag with or without tripod screw, supported on wall, tree, etc.
2) Lying on floor, leaning on wall and using elbows as supports.
3) Placing camera directly on top of wall, on floor, against wall or tree, etc.
4) Using SR
5) Monopod
6) Photographic walking stick (has tripod bush in top)
7) Increase ISO as needed for hand holding
Using car as support

and probably many more ideas. Improvise!

Anyone care to top 17,500?

Wouldn't it be great if he actually was a coastguard looking for smugglers in rough weather at night.....

We shoot a lot more images than we did with film, so shutters will be reaching high actuations much sooner.

However, they are rated for a number of exposures that far exceeds any possible amateur requirement and the cameras are upgraded anyway on a regular basis. The technology of shutters is as perfected as we could hope for, so very few will fail.

How many of us have exceeded 10,000 images before upgrading a body? Even that is only 10% of the rated shutter life.

I don't take tripods on long walks, they drag you down and make a pleasure a chore. There are ways to get around stabilising the camera without using a tripod.

Tripods I use for flower shots in gardens, architecture if it's a planned shoot, and all sorts of macro work.

The exit pupil is where the light leaves the binoculars before it enters your eyes.

7x50 is the classic low light specification, lots of light gathering power and not too much magnification.

No, not even close. But still in the runner-up slot.