I have to disagree with Mr Bug. I still use the Mk1 18-55 lens occasionally and it is fine. There are vignetting issues, yes, and you need to stop down a bit. But it is not "bad quality" at all. I will concede it is cheap (price).

Lovely shots. You have a great lens there......and a great technique of course.

I like the picture Mike. This is the kind of thing I wish I could "see" more when I am out and about looking for subjects. You have a good eye.

Nice shots Father, I like the second very much.

Hi foxyce

It used to be the case that the more focal length a zoom tries to cover, the more the compromises have to creep in during manufacture. The result is usually a slower, slightly poorer image quality. For that reason I would rather carry two zooms, or a combination odf zooms and primes.

Having said that, a lot of advances have been made over the years and I think now there is a possibility that a very wide range zoom can be very good. I hope an owner can chip in.

The 18-55 and 55-200 (kit lenses) are not particularly fast, but often get very unfair criticism. For the price they are great kit lenses. and used appropriately will render great results.

If you want to add another lens to add to your two kit lenses why not go with one of the excellent Pentax primes. I dont have it but the FA50mm 1.4 is highly regarded.

Oggy

Interesting shots. I will try and give it a visit someday.
If I may comment:

1.Bold primary colours, but I think it is crying out for a square crop.
4. I love the green colour, but i think the image is a bit flat. Try and boost the contrast and saturation a bit. Also a closer crop on this would help too.
5. I love the colours here, and the image is very interesting (what is it ?), but i find the top left and right detract from the image.

Karl

You have a lot to answer for !

I have not ridden a bike for 28 years, and yet today after reading your post , I have spent my time deciding whether to go for a Monster 696 or 1100 , or maybe a SportsClassic 1100 GT.

My second and last bike was a new 550 Honda in 1980, and it was a close contest between that and a second hand Ducati 750 GT.

I was a poor student at the time and went with the Honda as I needed reliability, but have ever since had a hankering after owning a Ducati.

Whoops, just realised you are talking about a film camera.

I dont know if the DA* 300 will work at full frame.

I cant help you with the zoom, but the Pentax DA*300mm f4.0 is an excellent prime.

Here is a picture I took on safari near Winchester

Very nice. keep them both, for spares if nothing else.