Nice to be back - first efforts

After a long break, easily a couple of years if not longer, of not really taking the time to think about photography I'd like to share my latest efforts. I've been motivated to buy a used K5iis which is so much more friendly to use (AF, metering, low light) than the K20D I've been using for the past 10 years. The K5iis may no longer be the latest model but it is a lot of camera for the used prices they are available for (mine worked out about £250 with some extras thrown in).

These two are from my first trip out with the new (to me) camera around the local vineyards

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And here of my very sleepy and therefore quite compliant old buddy with an SMC Takumar 1.8 which has spent too long unused in my photo bag:

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And finally one of the quince tree in the garden, looking ready for picking this weekend I think (this one is with a 50 mm 1.4 SMC Takumar, guess I still enjoy the vintage lenses)

_RDC4772 by d00d0c, on Flickr

Constructive criticism is most welcome, one think I noticed already is that I have a hot pixel. I had something similar on the K20D and remember having to do some sort of pixel mapping to fix it. Not a major problem I hope.

Unusual view of Northwich........

More dog pictures please!

I love sleepy doggy.

And yes...the more the merrier.

Oh yes, I haven't posted for so long I forgot to update my profile! I think there may be a vineyard in Cheshire somewhere but nowadays I live in southern Germany. The vines are in the countryside around Stuttgart.

Yes, there will be many more pictures of the dog, probably mostly sleepy with an occassional stroll in the woods.

Welcome back, and thanks for nice little selection of shots - no constructive criticism needed, glad you're enjoying the K5iis, still my favourite APS-C

I was wondering if it was one side of the Rhine or the other, I'll be there in May/June next year (in Freiamt) which isn't too far away...

For someone who has been 'away' for so long, these are extraordinary. As many others have written, more dog please. What a lovely 'sleepies now' image (No. 3).

All are a delight.

As LennyBloke says, welcome back.

An excellent 'comeback'. Hard to fault any of them but I think the sleepy dog won the prize.

+ 1

Phil

I think Freiamt is in the Black Forest right? Plenty of nice photo opportunities around there. If you pass through Stuttgart and want to meet up for a photowalk or something let me know.

Thanks for all the encouragement. Since a couple of people have asked, here are couple more of the dog after a hard week of being the home office motivator-in-chief. These were all with the SMC Takumar 50mm.

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For the first three, the light was to his left and slightly behind, I was quite surprised at how much the K5iis can pick up in the shadows, I boosted them slightly in PP. The B&W I'm not sure about, he's such a lovely colour it seems a shame but I quite like the atmosphere with the back-lighting. With the last one it might come across in his face that he'd had about enough of my BS and was ready for a treat and/or bed.

Yeah, love the dog images, especially the opening image of him/her