In live view, the optical viewfinder goes dark because the mirror is in the up position. Face detection is only available in live view.
Bulb: the limit is your battery life
Interval shooting: yes, do a forum search for astrophotography.
Your lens picks sounds good, though I would suggest looking at the new Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 instead of the Pentax as it's faster, quieter, and more versatile:
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro HSM Lens for Pentax 884109 B&H (it's already available)
Adam
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