I'd recommend the 85mm - especially if you think you'd spend most of your time close to wide open where it performs at its best. The bokeh is amazingly smooth and as you say the lens is sharp too (at least the bits that you nail the focus to!). I got mine (Opteka) from 47th Street Photo, which is cheap on EBay but a little more expensive on Amazon. However, with the latter you've paid taxes and duties, whereas with Ebay you take the risk that the Inland Revenue may ask you to cough up some more before you receive the lens....

If you can get to a LCE, they stock them, but the prices aren't anything to shout about.

As it says on the tin really! Got over-excited on Ebay and now looking for an adapter to use with my soon to be new (to me) toy (500mm SP lens). No need for the PK-A adapter, just the basic manual one. If you have one that's up for grabs, let me know.

Thanks

Jon

Robin - curious to know what you don't like about the 28mm SMC-A - I rather like mine, but I have no experience of other 28mm primes to compare?

One thing I do notice is that - given it is a "standard" length on APS-C - there is a little more distortion than you would expect. But hardly surprising given it was originally designed as a wide angle lens. I'm not saying it's the outstanding lens in my collection, but given I picked it up for £30 I've been pleasantly surprised....

Best wishes,

Jon

Good luck - hope it comes back (or is replaced) in much better condition...

Often use mine (Tamron flavour). At the wider end it should be at least as sharp as the kit 18-55 lens if not better (more barrel distortion though). Things get a little softer at the tele end but the centre always remains reasonable, even wide open at 250mm.

Have you tried it on a tripod, just to eliminate any issue other than the lens being at fault?

But I agree with JR - sounds like it may need to go back unfortunately.

Also reviewed in latest Digital SLR Photography - 90% (20D got 87%).

Comments like "one of the best DSLRs released with enthusiasts in mind...there aren't any real areas of concern...very enjoyable to use...great choice for travel...proved to be a superb all-rounder and is a worthy alternative to the likes of the D300 and 50D. One for the shortlist". I think they like it.

No - the K-7 is in stock for $1,280 dollars. It would be a very sad day for Pentax if B&H stopped stocking them: if that happened given they are the largest photo store in America (and possible the world?) there would frankly be little point in continuing...

Was next to "Greytop" when I picked mine up at SRS. Love it. No regrets and would find it difficult to move back. K-7 is perfect size and handling for what I want. But the single biggest issue that would make it hard to go back to earlier bodies for me is low light focussing - it nails this quickly on occasions when my other cameras would simply have given up.

Hi Duane,

Last time I went to Birmingham (month or so back), Jacobs had one in the window. They may be worth a try. Good luck!

PS - how do you like the E900? We still have one too, and have got some pretty good shots out of it.

It's a great lens - very sharp, nice colours and contrast. Bokeh fine without being stunning (but not really much of an issue for this focal length). Sharp even wide open.

Despite the plastic build it seems very solid to me.

Only marginal downside I can think of is that it doesn't support quick shift focusing - but really not much of an issue.