I used to get good portrait results from an extremely cheap 135mm F2.8 Super Ozeck. It wasn't the sharpest and it's colour rendition wasn't the best, but it produced some nice B&W portraits.

It'll work fine and AF no problem on your DL. By Pentax standards that's not an old lens either - in fact there isn't a more modern equivalent.

Can anyone recommend a mail order place for B&W developing and printing? I've just had one back from Ilford and while the developing was fine the printing wasn't great. I've got a pro-lab I use locally when I want high-quality prints but I'd like to find a mail order place which is decent (quality and value) for 6x4's etc.

I've used the Pentax 10-17 and the Sigma 10-20 extensively now and they are both excellent lenses. I stuck a few example shots at http://www.pbase.com/niblue/fisheye and there are lots more Sigma shots in my galleries and several more fisheye ones in the Norway section.

My wife has been away on what she calls work and what I call a jolly. Make your own mind up - getting paid (including all expenses) to spend a couple of weeks completing your PADI open water dive certification on an idylic Malaysian island, plus visiting the rain forest and a few days shopping in Singapore - work or jolly?

The lens is part payment for all the brownie points I've earned being a single parent while she's away...

She's doing the trip again next year so I have to decide what lens I want that trip!

My wife has just bought me one of the 10-17 fisheyes so I'll be able to compare it with the Sigma 10-20 later this week when she gets back. Anyone know of some online example pictures so I know what to expect?

She's in Singapore and was trying to source me a 16-45 but couldn't locate one. The place had the 12-24 or the 10-17 though so I went for the latter. I was very tempted by the 12-24 though as it was at the equivalent of about £400 - the 16-45 would have been about £200!

Galoot - where abouts in Central Scotland are you? It might be possible to meet up (I'm in Edinburgh) if you want to try the Pentax 10-17 & Sigma 10-20 before you decide what to buy.

The Sigma isn't a fisheye - it's just very, very wide!

Cheers - hadn't noticed that before. I'll attack it with the blower tonight.

The Sigma 10-20mm is also worthy of consideration - it's the 35mm film equivalent of 15-30mm. I've been very impressed with mine so far.

Some examples:

Back when I used to mainly use primes I found it was the 24mm that got used the most - so that's where my vote is going.

I think a 28-200 and a 400mm F5.6 would be a more useful combination that the lenses you've currently got. You could also add cheap manual focus primes (28mm F2.8, 50mm F1.7 & 135mm F2. for when better quality or wider apertures are needed.