I must be taking a couple of hundred shots a day on average when I go out. At this rate I will reach 100,000 cycles in no time at all. Will have to remember that it's quality not quantity that counts in future.

Thank-you everyone for your help.
Sherry

Thanks for your reply, Steve. I have found the same thing with live view and in general try not to use it. My problem occurs when looking through the viewfinder. After taking a lot of pictures, the camera jams, the lights stay on but nothing else works and I have to turn the camera off by taking the battery out, putting it back in again - in order to start again.

I know it isn't the battery running down because it has happened when the fully charged icon is displayed on the screen.

Would this be that the camera's buffer is full because I am firing too many shots continuously?

Am hauling myself up the learning curve and have been blown away by the colours and overall very, very impressed with my K5. Am also getting use to the camera's quirks. One thing I have noticed (and it's not really a major problem - more a minor inconvenience) is that once a day my k5 shuts down after the red light blinks (the autofocus selection point, I think). I have solved the problem by taking the battery out and then putting it back in and on each occasion full power is restored and everything's o.k.

I wonder if anyone else has had the same problem and/or can shed any light on what it might be or where I might be going wrong?

Many thanks

Sherry

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. Looking forward to being part of the friendly Pentax community and I know I will get a warm welcome. Am still learning lots every day and look forward to seeing lots of great pictures people have taken and hopefully producing a few of my own along the way.