Took far too many of these to post, but here is a selection. Almost all of these taken with the Pentax FA 28-70mm F/4, a lens I got for £39 second hand from a local camera shop. It just happens to have about the right range for this kind of thing. There are are one or two taken with the Tamron 17-55 F/2.8.


1

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1101.jpg[/IMG]



2

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1102.jpg[/IMG]



3

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1103.jpg[/IMG]



4

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1104.jpg[/IMG]



5

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1105.jpg[/IMG]



6

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1106.jpg[/IMG]



7

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1107.jpg[/IMG]



8

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1108.jpg[/IMG]



9

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1109.jpg[/IMG]



10

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1110.jpg[/IMG]



11

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1111.jpg[/IMG]



12

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1112.jpg[/IMG]



13

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1113.jpg[/IMG]



14

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1114.jpg[/IMG]



15

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1115.jpg[/IMG]



16

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1116.jpg[/IMG]



17

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/Fringe1117.jpg[/IMG]



18

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/SuitcaseRoyale01.jpg[/IMG]



19

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/SuitcaseRoyale02.jpg[/IMG]



20

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/SuitcaseRoyale03.jpg[/IMG]



21

[IMG]http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb411/msitaylor/Edinburgh%20Fringe%202011/SuitcaseRoyale04.jpg[/IMG]

Got my 17-50 back today, anyway. Fully repaired. Zoom seems even smoother than when brand new.

I wouldn't, I'd buy more Pentax gear! Although my reasons for buying into Pentax (the subject of the thread, why people STAY with Pentax wasn't that relevant to me since my K-5 was my first Pentax anyway) had a lot to do with cost as stated in my post, I've found another reason to stay with it and that is the compactness of Pentax gear. I've gotten involved in a couple of local Photography groups and when I see folks turn up with their gigantic (and heavy) CaNikon bodies and lenses I just feel glad I can have a top quality (as far as ASP-C goes anyway) camera system without having to lug giant equipment around.

My wife's 70-300 is way bigger than my 55-300, and have you seen the size of a Canon 100mm macro as opposed to the Pentax? Now she wants the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 which once again is freakin' huge!

If I had a Canon or Nikon system I'd probably need a bigger camera bag just for the selection of lenses I already have... as it is I still have room for 2 or 3 more! My wife's camera bag already weighs more than mine and she only carries 2 lenses.

As you might have guessed this is quite a big thing for me as I have always really hated being unnecessarily encumbered, and I also dislike having to choose what to leave behind and would rather take the whole lot!

The zoom ring on my (six month old) Tamron 17-50 F/2.8 stopped working a couple of weeks ago. It's still with Tamron for repair right now. Common problem with Tamron lenses, perhaps? Anyone else with similar experiences?

Just try not to fondle the bits with writing on. Fondle the grip, man, FONDLE THE GRIP!!

So, about as close as I am to becoming the King of England, then.

I have found the opposite. I have done a ton of lens research and have found that whilst other manufacturers have lenses that are as cheap or cheaper than Pentax 'equivalents', these cheap lenses are frequently slammed for their optical quality, whereas Pentax (with a couple of exceptions) are generally praised for theirs.

It's not just the manufacturer's lenses, either. If you have a Pentax camera with the built in SR you can buy the non-stabilised versions of Sigma and Tamron lenses, which most definitely are cheaper than the stabilised versions... and in many cases of better optical quality too, as the stabilised versions contain extra elements which does not help the image quality.

Cheaper Pentax lenses, admittedly, tend to lack the bells and whistles such as silent focusing motors and can also be slower to focus... but since optical quality is way more important to me than these other qualities I remain delighted with my choice of Pentax, thanks very much.

A couple of examples spring to mind.

My wife is a Canon user and recently spent nearly £400.00 on a 70-300mm lens. Sure you can get cheaper x-300 or x-250 lenses for Canon than this, but it's clear from the many reviews and opinions that none of these cheaper options match the optical quality of the Pentax DA 55-300, which can be had for £275.00. The DA-L version for even less.

My wife would also quite like to have a standard zoom with f/2.8. The cheapest option open to her is the same Tamron 17-50 lens I have for my Pentax. Unfortunately she would have to do without image stabilization if she chose this option. The stabilized (VC) version is £50 more expensive and has poorer optical quality according to reviews.

So I cannot agree with the O.P. From where I sit Pentax is looking pretty good.

Agreed it is a very versatile lens. For example you would not normally think to take landscapes with a lens of this length, but in fact I have taken some of my favorite landscape shots with it. I find that from high vantage points, picking out a smaller section of landscape with a longer lens can sometimes make a far more interesting image than a wider shot.

My K-5 has never given me any problems to speak of (other than a dirty sensor which was largely my fault and cleaned up as good as new anyway). It's my Tamron 17-50 lens that died on me. Sent it off 10 days ago and currently awaiting a replacement.

Surely if Amazon give you a full refund you should be able to afford a replacement? As others have suggested, get it from SRS this time. From what I've read about others with K-5 problems, they would not quibble about replacing it the way Amazon are doing.

I agree the K-5 is a joy to use. As Pentax tend to change the body design/control layout every couple of models and the K-5 was nearly identical to the K-7, I'm actually hoping they don't change it next time around. I'm not convinced they could come up with anything closer to perfect than the K-5/K-7 in these respects.

I recently got a Sigma 8-16 and think it is excellent. I posted some sample shots here. Be sure to click on the photos to get the full sized versions as the reduced ones look less sharp than they should.

It was £375.00 at SRS but it's back up to full price now. Mifsuds are advertising it for £379.00 but I don't think they have any left in stock. However there were advertising a 'mint' used one £400.00 (I think) last time I looked.