OK I have no idea about its optical formula but I think it may not be a Pentax lens. Cheap, dreamy wide open and surprisingly sharp is making me wonder about Russian lenses. Perhaps a Helios 58/2?

The SMCM 40mm pancake lens?

If you can stretch to it, I'd seriously consider the last of the new K-30s while you can still get them. Same sensor and IQ as the K-5, excellent handling and great viewfinder. Weather sealed. SRS have an ex-demo one for sale with only 41 clicks on EBay, and I think you could do a lot worse if it's affordable.

If the budget doesn't allow the K30, and I'm assuming it won't stretch to a K-5, then I'd look for the best K-7/K20D/K10D you can afford.

The K10D is getting quite old now, so you'd need to take care to find one in good condition. But at low ISOs it turns in wonderful results. Some prefer the low ISO output from the CCD sensor in the K10D to that from the more recent CMOS designs - but the latter offer more flexibility when the light gets low.

If I was choosing, I would however go for either the K20D or K-7 in preference to the K10D. The Samsung 14MP sensor is not as good as the newer 16MP Sony sensor in the K-5, but other than that the K-7 body in particular is a great design which has lasted well (essentially up until the most recent K-3 where it has been mildly refreshed). The handling and build are superb, and it's main issue when released was that although the body was a great development from the K20D/K10D, the image quality remained essentially static and fell behind the market leaders at the time - not really such an issue if you are buying secondhand now.

Whichever way you go, I agree with the suggestion to get at least one weather resistant lens - the 18-55WR being the most obvious cost-effective option.

I've owned both and agree the SMC K is special, with great bokeh and yes definitely usable wide open. However, I get less fringing from the 135/3.5M, it's much smaller and the image quality is still very good - I kept the latter in the full knowledge that the f2.5 lens may have been a bit better - but the compact lens still performs very well and its size means it gets used a lot more, so made more sense for me. This one taken recently with the 135/3.5 plus Tamron 1.4X Pz AF TC:

I'm not convinced they should bother. I'd prefer that they concentrate on offering what is increasingly looking like the only high quality enthusiast level APSC dSLR system available, plus an expansion of the medium format offering to capture folk wanting to upgrade from full frame. Both are niches which play to Pentax strengths. I'm not sure FF is any more.

I've owned Samsung and Pentax versions of the 16-45. I saw no difference in image quality (both quite decent and better than any version of the 18-55 I've used) and, if anything, the Samsung appeared to be slightly tighter build/less wobbly. That probably varies from one copy to the next. Depending upon price, I'd suggest the Tamron 17-50/2.8 lens instead. May not be much more expensive, but a definite step up in terms of image sharpness and faster constant aperture. The Sigma 17-70 is also a great lens which also offers a lot more flexibility compared to the 16-45.

My first piece of advice would be to keep your 50mm/1.7 lens. That kind of focal length might be very useful for landscape shots on safari, especially at sundown. Unless you are planning on taking a fast standard zoom, the 50mm prime will come in handy both for portraits of people you are with and for scenery. Here's an example from a trip to Botswana some time ago (58mm on a Pentax K20D):




You mentioned taking a Tamron 70-300. A decent lens (it's what one of our safari guides was using on his own camera) and quite a few of my shots in Botswana were taken with a lens covering a similar range (in my case the Pentax 55-300). The Tamron is prone to fringing a little at longer lengths (purple outlines around high contrast and edges) but that is easy to process out on the computer afterwards. I have this lens myself, and it's a great budget choice. However, I would not pair it with a teleconverter - I don't think the image quality would hold up terribly well, and autofocus would probably be painful too.

I was also on a budget when I went (to Botswana) and took a Tamron 500mm lens with the K20D. It's in your price range. I used it with a monopod and catch-in focus, which worked quite well for reasonably static objects. Rubbish for birds in flight though. If I went on safari again, I'd probably take it! There are issues with mirror lenses that you need to know about - PM me if you want more detail but in essence you need to know their strengths and weaknesses before you go. Some examples from mine:













The combination of your 50/1.7, Tamron 70-300 and a good 500mm mirror lens would be OK for a safari - not the best you can get, but good enough to get great results in capable hands. It would also be usefully lightweight, which can come in very handy. One long shot - I have a Tokina 80-400 AtXii lens, which is probably what I'd use most of the time if I went back. It may be worth keeping your eyes peeled for one of those (they are rare in Pentax mount) as you could do worse.

Cheers,

Jon

I'd be surprised if the firmware was different, but you would be eligible for a chunky tax bill when importing back into the UK, which may be worth considering.

Someone should snap it up for this price. I have one and it's a decent performer (in some respects better than the 55-300, as being a full frame lens the borders perform a bit better on crop sensor). If you want an occasional tele lens you'd be hard-pushed to do better without spending lots more.

Weekend bump - these are all full frame ready too