Have a look on e-bay. There are often old manual focus lenses on there which are optically every bit as good as their modern counterparts and about a third of the price ( or less).
Manual focus is no handicap for macro shots. I think you'll find most people use manual focus anyway. As for manual exposure, you just need to push two buttons in stead of one to take the shot, that's the beauty of the green button!

I don't think you'll really need to worry too much about the smaller ones looking dim unless you're badger watching, deer stalking ( or smuggler hunting!)
It's just that an exit pupil of 5 to 7mm will actually make the view appear brighter through the binoculars than with the naked eye.
If you have young eyes look for something in the 7mm range but as you get older your eyes can't dilate so much so 4 to 5mm is normal for 50-60 year olds.

That should have said 40 -60 but never mind.

I'd agree with Tooks.
Don't go above 10x magnification with binoculars as they are just too difficult to hold steady, the image will " wobble" too much. If the optics are good you don't need any more magnification anyway. In the £100 price range the 10x50 or 8x40 offer the best bang for the buck. I'd also recommend the 8x40 XCF as they are smaller and lighter so you're more likely to carry them with you after the first week or so!
Dare I say , while you're in the shop, it may even be worth trying out some of the smaller 8x21 types depending on your requirements. They're so small you won't even know they're in your pocket. They don't give much away in daylight but at dawn and dusk they may be too dim.
My personal preference is for roof prism types ( like the 8x36 DCF which offer water resistance) but then you're up to £175 and above.
But the most important advice is try before you buy, and preferably at the same time of day you'll be using them! Do side by side comparisons too as they'll all seem fine on their own. It isn't until you switch from one to the other that you notice the glaring differences.

I wouldn't let the lack of software put you off.
However... you're right that the k7 is a significant step up from the K20 ( and most other DSLR's for that matter) The K20 is great but you just may kick yourself if you don't hold out for the K7. It is however, around twice the price.
I suspect there will be quite a few K20's around then too as people upgrade to the K7.

Well if Hoya don't own them then there's no excuse for not having k mounts on all their lenses! I can understand if pentax had a hand in their design and wanted to release a DA* version but it shouldn't take over a year to bring it out and give the competition the advantage of your design in the mean time. Also not everyone needs the sealing so why not have an unsealed version too with the Pentax badge on it.
I hope when the K7 starts selling in big numbers, they might rethink the lack of k mounts.

The FA was designed for film cameras , so full frame and has an aperture ring and screwdrive focus. And a third to half the price of the new one!
The DA was designed for digital so has no aperture ring and has a SDM focus motor . As Pentax use an APSC size sensor ( smaller than full frame) the digital lenses MAY vignette (have dark corners) on a full frame camera.

Well I’m back from a brief visit to SRS. Marred only by my wife’s warning that I’ll be divorced if I come back with a Pentax box!
The K7 is VERY nice. Compact but solid. Strangely it doesn't feel very different to my K20 in the hand. Which will be good news for anyone thinking it would be too small or hard to hold. I think this is because the grip dimensions are probably very similar but overall it looks quite a bit smaller.
It is VERY quiet and in drive mode it shoots VERY fast. I didn't see how long it took to slow down because I got fed up waiting after several seconds of rapid fire and didn't want to spend the next 5 minutes deleting frames! I didn’t try to check out all the functions as there were a lot of other people waiting to get their hands on it but it will be a big hit!
It was pre production software and I thought image quality wasn't as good as I had been expecting but then I spotted I was in AV mode at f16 and 100asa so it was probably asking too much of the shake reduction!
All the current lenses were there too along with the new WR kit lens, which looks and handles very nicely and optically, (based on a couple of snapshots!) it looks to be pretty decent.
Then I put the DA* 60 –250 on and it all got very nice indeed! I was taken by surprise at how quickly it snapped into focus and completely silently, as far as I could tell in the shop anyway. That really is a very nice lens indeed. I had been hoping to buy the 35mm limited macro and the 50 –135 after I’ve paid for the summer holidays but the forthcoming price rises have scuppered that plan I fear. I also got to try the 50 –135 which I had been lusting after and must say I preferred it’s handling over the 60-250 but the extra reach of the longer zoom has made me less sure about which one to go for. Probably neither if I can’t buy them in the next couple of weeks as they’ll be well out of my price range then! I also tried the 35 limited and I must say I was very impressed. Very sharp and it focuses so close that I’d be afraid of bumping the front element!. Definitely need a filter on this one! This is right at the top of my must buy list now. The only thing that could topple it is if we get a Pentax friendly version of the Tokina 11-16 . It doesn’t even have to be weather proofed, just put a K mount on it! Why are the Hoya cameras the only ones that can’t use this Hoya lens?!!
I had intended buying some sensor cleaning swabs on my visit but I also came away with a very nice little manual focus Sigma 24mm superwide II. ( Well I had to feed my LBA after trying out all that lovely glass!) I’d been after one for ages on e-bay but always got pipped at the last second. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw not one but two in the window and at a tenth of the price of the other lenses I was after…. And it meant I could avoid divorce as I wouldn’t be bringing home a Pentax box!
I tried it as soon as I got home and it’s an absolute gem!
Now I need to buy some lottery tickets……..



Sorry this was longer than I intended!

www.7dayshop.com are very good for front lens caps and filters.

Do you ever take a bad shot?
I like them both. I think I prefer the b&w, just, but agree with the others that a bit less sky works for me too.

Can't we just ban him?