Is that a lighthouse in the back behind the rocky outcrop?

It is quite odd to freeze the rotors of a helicopter on a photo, makes it look like it is about to fall. Took one yesterday but it was very small so I got rid of it.

I've been refining my pictures quite harshly since I got my K10D and have deleted 60% of them.

Wait, one spot of confusion. No HSM lenses work on any Pentax camera at the moment. When Pentax release the 1.3 firmware for the K10D then HSM will be available. No third party HSM advertised lenses ship with HSM when ordered for a Pentax K-mount.

Nope, they'll only work in HSM mode in the K10D or newer cameras. Otherwise they'll be driven by the cameras AF motor.

I currently print some things on my inkjet photo printer and I send other off to PhotoBox to be printed. Now as good as the PhotoBox prints have been I want to use somewhere which will take advantage of the larger colour gamut that is possible. At the moment I have to use sRGB converted files for my printer and files I've sent off to get printed.

I originally chose PhotoBox because of ease of use, copyright and printing process used (Laser chemical printing)

I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of some other labs I could look at hopefully taking advantage of the colour information available.

That is scary... That someone could be so naive about shooting.

I've seen the review on photozone and the pictures look perfectly sharp, although the older FA seems better at wider apertures. There is no focus limiter on the lens which would be an annoyance. My 50-200 already hunts enough and its focus ring rotation range is less than a macro lens.

I do love Pentax glass and coatings and it would be nice to have a really nice set of Pentax lenses.

the DFA is more compact and lighter than the other two as well as having quick shift.

I've found that I'm always trying to get closer to my subject and the 1.1m focusing distance on the DA50-200 doesn't cut it for flora and small fauna. I've gotten some good results and find that the distance is just about right for not disturbing some insects but I do still need to get closer.

I'm looking for a macro lens of ~100mm (price/focal length balance), so the choices are:

Pentax DFA 100mm F2.8 Macro
Tamron AF 90mm F2.8 Di Macro
Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro

I want it to be as sharp as possible. The prices of the Tamron and Sigma make them very attractive, £130 less than the Pentax.

Other things that would be useful is an AF/MF clutch system or even better quick shift or equivalent (which I think the DFA has).

Am sorely tempted by the Pentax lens but am unsure if either of the others are better lenses.

Depends how charitable you're feeling

I've got no idea really, what I do know is charities don't have much spare cash.

Well, that is good to know. Although AWB on the K10D has gotten almost all my shots just right. Not really taken any indoors for lack of a fast lens so can't really test that out.

What cameras do you use? What software? And most back isn't actually black anyway...