If you check the EXIF data you'll discover what WB the camera actually chose. It won't say 'Auto'.

At a guess I'd say that the low energy lamps are 'warm', 2700-3000 Kelvin, which is probably why the images have a pronounced yellow cast.

They would perhaps look a bit better with some colour/wb correction to make them a bit less 'warm'.

Nice festive images though and the high ISO noise is handled very well. Some noise reduction would make them even better.

I wouldn't be able to choose between them because they have different purposes.

If you had asked which would I find most useful, it'd be the 30mm.

If I wanted/needed both focal lengths, then I'd buy both lenses, or more probably, a zoom covering both lengths.

Pentax has a number of zoom options, DA 16-45mm, DA17-70mm, and DA*16-50mm. There are also plenty of third party zooms covering those two lengths.

With regard to shutter speed, the lenses have a difference of 1.5 f-stops wide open, so for any given scenario, the 30mm 1:1.7 lens could use 1.5 stops faster shutter speed than the 18mm 1:2.8 to achieve the same exposure.

Here's a chart showing the correlation between f stop, shutter speed, ISO, and Exposure Value (EV).

Though at those apertures, depth of field (DOF) is perhaps more important and the 30mm wide open will have a quite shallow DOF.

Only works when camera switch is set to AF-S, not AF-C.

Catch-in focus only works with manual lenses, and when the AF switch on the camera set to AF-S. You may have thought you were using it with auto lenses, but it wasn't working.

It will work on some (maybe all) auto focus lenses having a AF/MF focus selector on the lens body. It works with my Sigma 70-200mm when the lens focus switch is set to MF.

Sorry but my 31mm Limited will not be available any time soon. I use it too much. I was going to keep the 43 and 77 for a year or two more before selling them, when hopefully there will be a Pentax FF body available that might drive up the prices of these fabulous FA Ltd lenses. But that was before Pentax announced the K5II and K5IIs version and Chris of SRS dangled a rather tempting carrot.

Decisions, decisions . . . .

[quote:3496ace15f="stevejcoe"]For the right price, I'll through in a tin of black Hammerite Steve. Would you like the hammered finish, or glossy?

Besides, the Titanium coloured lens looks way more cool on the front of any K mount Pentax camera, and you have my 100% guarantee that the lens body colour affects the image quality in no way whatsoever.

Topaz Detail 3 is available now, you might try that too.

NOTE TO MODS: Could you change the title to show the correct spelling please, then delete this. Anybody searching the forum topics for "Topaz" will not find it otherwise.

Then I wouldn't be able to see what other toys they might have to tempt me in the shop Charlotte.

I just bought a Sigma 70-200mm 1:2.8 lens because I was having trouble focusing in low light, then Pentax brings out a new model camera that would solve the problem I was having using my DA* 60-250mm 1:4 lens.

With SRS's current offer, the new K5-II would have been cheaper than the Sigma lens too.

Time to look through my gear and decide what I don't need or use I think.

SMCP-FA 43mm Limited or SMCP-FA 77mm Limited in shiny, top of the range, Titanium livery anyone?

Just my luck, I can't get back to UK (for a reasonable price) 'til at least mid January 2013.