It's very sharp as you'd expect of that little gem of a lens, but I'm afraid to me it's 'just another flower shot' although it's nicely taken. There's just a little bit going on, the flowers are imperfect but not interestingly so, and the light is quite strong. I would try and isolate the bloom a bit better, perhaps going in a bit closer.

No, I like mine too much

I would regret going to Canada and not sneaking back a da15mm in my camera bag... It's so much cheaper over there than here in the EU especially if you can evade customs.

It's not a rumour Don, it's absolutely true. You do need a body that can control aperture though, as there's no aperture ring.

+1. If it's sharpness you're after, without spending too much money, this is the one! Very crisp from wide open, and silly sharp past f5.6.

The Sigma 30 f1.4 is the one if you want very shallow DOF though.

However, go for the older glass to begin with if you want to experiment with primes - its a zero risk way to find out which focal lengths you like best as these lenses will not lose value.

As far as zooms go, you can't go wrong with the 16-45mm but the Tamron 17-50mm is even sharper at f4.

If you have nice lenses from the days of film, 135 format digital would make a lot of sense. All those lovely primes and Pentax's reverse compatibility, but to use them as they were intended on digital, you need a Canon 5D.

No, I would like an NEX style mirrorless camera from Pentax, and i'm sure they can do a better job with the k-mount adapter. Although a dslr-style mirrorless optimised for liveview and video makes sense too.

A c-mount camera is a bizarre idea but we'll see!

Perhaps they should display their exhibits in a darkened room so no one can tell whether there's anything worth stealing?

It already looks like we're going to be flushed with entries....

Bob's shot shows very well the effect of a fairly wide to normal lens with a large aperture - the feeling is intimate, and the rendering is 3D. I like this style more than the formal telephoto protrait set up, especially for kids.