Hi Carl, on a further point, I had read on the web that you needed to modify all 3 tubes however all I did was modify the smallest tube and always have that as the first tube connected to the camera. If you can't find any helpful photo's of the mod I can post a photo of my unprofessionally sand paper modified tube....

I bought a set from jessops in the 1990's, if they are the same they will have chrome on the lens facing side and black on the camera facing side. They work fine with my film cameras but don't pass the A info on my digitals. The solution is to grind/rub off some of the black on the camera facing side to expose shiny metal, this needs to be done where the new pin has been added for digital, a quick search here or on the web should help to show where. Then it works fine, assuming they are the same design as mine...
I have no idea of value.
Walt

What a beauty of a capture [newly emerged goldenring perhaps? as I've never seen one I'm only guessing], well done. I agree with the op, it would be nice to have an option of a 180-200 macro lens. I sometimes use the 1.7x conv with my tamron 90 macro as a stand in or extension tubes with my fa★300 4.5 but still think a native 180-200 macro lens would be best.

You are correct the extension tubes reduce the working distance whereas the tc does not affect the min focus distance. I use teleconverters, extension tubes, achromatic close up lenses and reversing rings for macro work sometimes using multiple types at once. I think they all have their place, for instance the tubes are great if you are just shooting small critters, but if an interesting insect comes along such as a butterfly while the extension tubes are on sometimes (dependent on the lens) you just can't focus on the whole insect. The TC's don't have this problem you can focus close or back off and fit larger critters in as well as increasing the working distance for skittish critters. Obviously a good teleconverter makes a difference to the image quality whereas all extension tubes use exactly the same air to magnify so they can be a cheap solution (although as you've seen trying to get new tubes with the A contacts is impossible in pentax mount).
If you're interested in any photos taken by me using a variety of these solutions see
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K-30 has an af.a mode just like my old pentax Z20 fom the film days, it is just like the AI-focus on Canons and picks af.s or af.c dependent on subject motion.

Done, thanks, well set to 30mins... I kept meaning to read the manual on this but never quite got round to it

I've been quite impressed with the af speed of both my K-r and my K-30 using the FA*300 F4.5 which is a screw drive lens. I haven't done any rigorous testing but it feels almost as quick to lock onto subjects as my Canon 30D and sigma 100-300 F4 HSM lens. Being screw drive I suppose it's af speed can improve with each new camera motor, I wonder if the improvements you are not seeing could be down to the SDM motor in the lens? Also to add I've been using AA's eneloops since getting both but just tried the li-ion Dli109 and have noted an obvious af improvement with both the K-r and the K-30, you can actually hear a pitch change in the internal motor as well. Are you running on AA's or Li-ion?
The other thing I've noted with my K-30 is when it goes to sleep there is a very noticable delay before it wakes up on half press of the shutter, this is causing me to miss some flying birds, this isn't a problem with my K-r, GX10 or K100D they all wake up almost instantly. Have you noticed this? It's fine if the camera hasn't gone into it's save power mode....
P.S. I'd consider myself a pentax birder as well link

Thanks, I think I will I use the onboard flash of my pentax/samsung and canon cameras all the time, however, I have no interest in photographing people or building interiors etc. I get a lot of my joy from close up photography outdoors in all kinds of light. I diffuse the onboard flash and use it to balance with daylight or sometimes to be the only source. Onboard flash is very convenient as I'm too lazy to carry and use an external flash. The real beauty of compacts with onboard flash is that they sync at all shutter speeds which helps me even further in bright conditions. I say cameras need them, in fact I didn't buy one make of camera because it needed a external flash, so no sale here. My compact has a flash hot shoe but I never use it, so in a quick reference to the mx-1 they've got it right IMHO.... I wouldn't mind if they (whoever) upped the power of onboard flash either.

I have never had a device that is so fussy about AA's as my K100D. I think it all started a few years back after using lithium AA's for a bit. The battery meter then showed no charge on my freshly charged AA's nimh's... that time I eventually got it working fine again by using some fresh alkaline AA's until they expired and then went back to my nimh AA's. I guess you could try that? These days it's getting fussy again, at one stage only working on eneloop AA's, I bought a more intelligent AA charger (accucell 700 bc) and it will now work with other older batteries, but it can still have it's moments, where it says battery depleted after a few shots so I then turn off wait for 15 seconds back on and hey presto full batteries.... It can then work for hundreds of shots....
Also sometimes cleaning the battery contacts on the battery, in the camera and on the charger with a pencil rubber can work.... as well as dancing round a fire half naked with white war paint on the 2nd tuesday of the month....
Now these same batteries are powering my new K-r for well over 600 shots a charge so I'm about as certain as I can be that it's the K100D, also looking on ebay a few months back there seemed to be an unusual amount of K100D's for sale with battery problems...
I think it may be worth you getting some sanyo eneloops as these seem to be the batteries most likely to work in the K100D (or the disposable lithium AA's which I've never had a problem with and think I get over 1000 shots on each set). Good luck

I only recently upgraded to a K-r when srs did the deal on ex demo ones, I thought it was just too good a deal to pass up. I think I was right, and you're right, it's a very good camera. I just can't see me using my GX10 and K100D again . It's still early days but the af improvements for birding and other wildlife seems huge. I had been using my canon 30D and sigma 100-300 F4 lens for wildlife over the past year or so, but the K-r with my FA*300 F4.5 is just so light and small in comparison. Oh yeah and the K-r shutter sound is nice and quite compared to my K100D, although nowhere near as quite as the K-7 and K-5 I've used. I just wish they'd left the SR switch on the modern pentax dslr's (I think I'm going to miss the easy access to that). Only major blot on the horizon seems to be the K30 and it's amazing price.... but I think this is my first pentax since my Z-1 that I'm really happy with.... early days though and I can be fickle....