And replied 🙂

Hello,

I am on the lookout for one of these (most UK retailers are out of stock, as is the Pentax-Rich site) if anyone has one they no longer need? Preferably boxed (am fussy like that) and in very good condition.

Thanks,

Andrew

Thank you for your kind comments. The DA*300 has been worth every penny (it's one of the SRS "refurbished" ones that was essentially brand new). It's delivered stunning (IMHO) results for me in terms of image quality and has ignited my passion for wildlife photography. Happy days!

Out and about once more with the DA*300 and 1.4 teleconverter to find dragonflies now that the butterflies seem to be a lot less numerous. Stumbled upon a couple of feathered friends along the way and managed some reasonable but not spectacular dragonfly in flight photos for the first time using catch in focus - more practice (and a lower ISO!) needed, but am happy to have found such a wealth of subjects. More on my flickr here

1. Common darter



2. Common darter and meal



3. Common darter on nettle



4.Common darter



5. Robin singing



6. Long-tailed tit



7. Long-tailed tit



8.Migrant Hawker in flight



9. Migrant Hawker



10. Migrant Hawker



Thanks for looking

Thank you, David. I think this is a case of practice being vital to improve, and with motivation levels high to get out there and use the lens there's plenty of opportunity... Just hope the butterflies and insects are around for a while longer!

Some more time spent using (practicing with) the DA*300 and x1.4HD teleconverter has yielded further insects and butterfly shots. I also tried the teleconverter with the DFA100 Macro WR - that's a handy combination too. Still staggered by the image quality (when I get it right) that these lenses/converter and my K5iiS can deliver.

1. Another yellow winged-darter



2. Large hoverfly



3. Speckled Wood



4. Female common blue



5. Male common blue



6. Male common blue



As usual I've limited my editing to cropping/rescaling - other than that these are straight out o the camera. The new lens continues to inspire me to get outside and take photos - in spite of a shoulder condition which leaves me in pain - I've just adjusted my carrying position and will hopefully get treatment soon. The Manfrotto monopod that came free with my tripod has been a great help!

Moe photos on my flickr Please have a look!

Thanks for the tip - I'll give that a try when I'm next out, hopefully later on in the week 🙂

Another great set, Dan! I tried to get the elusive 'in flight' shot this week but didn't manage it as the one I found was moving the whole time and did not stop. Especially when getting territorial with another male..now that would have been some shot!

Lovely set of the most amazing creatures...the DA*300 really delivers these kind of shots superbly!

Thanks - I just got lucky with that shot, as happens very occasionally! Most of the images are cropped to some extent the smaller butterflies more than others, but the quality of the DA*300 is such that the images support it.

Thank you, as well! It's definitely a case of 'getting your eye in' so to speak. I do as you do just stand and watch, spotting movements is much easier from a static position.

Hsve been away for a couple of days and managed to find some suitable subjects - results to follow once I've looked at them properly!