Filters: It is highly probable that you will use only one filter, a circular polarizer. It's less probable that you'll use coloured filters of any kind, except maybe Graduated Neutral Density (ND Grads) filters of varying strengths.

Be careful with your lenses and you willl not need to degrade your images at the point of capture by obscuring the lens with cheap glass UV/Skylight filters.

Look at it this way. Why pay, say £500.00 - £1000.00, for a lens made using precision optics and state of the art coatings, then spend a much smaller amount on a less than precise piece of glass to cover it up.

I loved my Super-A too, and used it for many years. I think the *istD in years to come will be held in a similar regard to the K1000, MX, LX etc. and the DL's, DS's, DL2's etc (the interim models) will be forgotten.

Apologies to the OP, we are way OT now.

OT:

The *istD design will be 5 years old this year and I think it still holds it's own against its Pentax successors. I use my *istD and K10D about 50/50. I'll wait 'til the next model is released before I get a K20D I think, it's not a significant enough improvement for me . . . my technique is still way behind even the technology of the 'D'

My choice would be similar to Mongoose's:-

DA 12-24 or Sigma 10-20
DA* 16-50 or DA 16-45
DA* 50-135 (no compromise here, essential)
FA 100mm Macro or Sigma EX DG 180mm Macro
DA* 300mm (when I collect it next week)

I've put together a lightweight kit too:-

Pentax *istD with grip if appropriate
DA 16-45 or DA 18-55
DA 50-200 or Sigma APO 70-300 Macro
FA 100mm Macro
FA 50mm 1:1.4
AF360FGZ + Diffuser

The lightweight kit fits snuggly in my Lowepro Slingshot 200AW.

Nice capture, but if I may . . . it's a Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula, and not a Dragonfly.

Rule of thumb for ID'ing purposes: A dragonfly doesn't (can't) close its wings after it lands, a damselfly does (because it can) close its wings after it lands.

I think you're right. Well done for spotting it. I hadn't even considered that it might be a juvenile.

2 & 3 are Mandarin Duck, 4 is a male Mallard. Dunno about 1.

Yes, the hairs on the nettle contain the irritant that causes the stinging sensation.

The fly looks like a Yellow Dung Fly, a predator which preys on other flies. The dung reference in their name gives a clue as to where they lay their eggs.

As for the photo, good composition but the excessive sharpening has spoiled it.

Nice pics. Number two is a Pyramidal Orchid - Anacomptis pyramidalis and usually flowers March - May here, but probably later in UK.

It looks as though it has just emerged. All of it's wings would have looked like that. They pump blood (or some other bodily fluid) through those veins to stretch them out, then they dry. Job done, they're airworthy