1/5th sec is very slow, was the camera on a tripod? If it was, did you turn off Shake Reduction?

The bridge shows what looks like camera shake but if this is the result of HDR software, it hasn't aligned the images properly.

The green and magenta edges are classic chromatic aberration (CA). Did you have a filter on the front of the lens? If so, take it off. The DA* 16-50mm lens should not produce that much CA unless there is a problem with it.

So sorry to hear of your loss Gwyn. Having lost 3 dogs and 2 cats of my own over the years, you have my sympathy.

Time is the only healer.

When I was more active on eBay a few years ago I made a point of looking for items that were being sold too cheaply, described inadequately, or described inaccurately, with the express intention of selling them on in the knowledge that I might make a small profit.

That profit was then used to fund my photography (LBA mostly).

Nowadays I look only for items that I want/need as it's too much hassle, living where I do, to do regular trade.

I think this is normal behaviour, it's as if it is an M series lens with no contacts and you need to use it in Manual exposure mode and use stopped down metering (green button).

So it does, thanks Kris. I still prefer the uncropped version.

What did you use to scan it?

What's the shutter count at?

Take an image and run it through Photome to determine how many shots its taken.

PM sent.

Good point Wim.

You might consider the SMC Pentax DA 35mm 1:2.4 AL lens. It's said to be very good. It is not as fast as the SMCP-FA f2 version but this sells for £149.00 in UK, about AU$240 and well within your budget.

As George noted above, the low light performance of the sensor in the K5 will more than compensate for the slightly slower and much cheaper lens.

Even the Pentax smc DA 35mm F2.8 Macro Limited Lens should be within your budget, neither of these will be much good for sports though, unless it's table soccer. It's slower still but optically superb.

NB: Ignore the L in the lens title on the Pentax Oz web site, it's not a DA-L lens it's a normal DA lens as you'll see from the image. An 'L' of a mistake you might say.

Actually, the www.pentax.com.au site has the 35mm 1:2.4 AL lens under the DA Limited Lens group ? ? ? I'm not sure that's right either.

Yes, I was that soldier. I posted about it here in 2006 but I think my original post was on another forum earlier that year and I can't find it now. I don't even remember which forum.

It's good to know my years of electronics training has entirely gone to waste.

I sold them eventually to a forum member, sorry, I can't remember who, and got a set of Kenko PK/AF tubes which don't suffer from that problem.