Hi Patrick, the weather was good for me that day. Had it been dull I doubt I could have taken the shots as good as these. I normally shoot running events with the Sigma 70-200 2.8 but was travelling light and was aware of the weather forecast so confident I could use the 18-135.

Since getting a K5, K5ii, K3... I tend to use TAV mode and auto ISO as I find as long as I keep an eye on the ISO this is the best mode for making quick changes.

The shutter speed was 1/640th @ f8, this was quick enough to freeze the action and provided a good depth of field ensuring reasonably sharp shots even if the focus was slightly off. I would only shoot wide open if I had to due to light or for artistic effect. I don't think the ISO ever crept above 400 and was generally lower than this.

I shoot running shots in jpeg now, used to shoot in DNG (raw) but found it was taking too long to process 3-400 images ! I also tend to underexpose by a 1/3 or more to help with shutter speed and to keep highlight details. With runners coming towards me I generally relied on the autofocus(use centre point) of the lens, for the side on shots / lots of background I prefocused on the stone path and then re composed waiting for the runners to hit the spot before taking the picture.

I find with general running shots I like to have a shutter speed of 1/500th or quicker otherwise you can end up with a bit of blur, using these shutter speeds I tend not to use shake reduction as I find the delay in it coming into effect can cause minor issues. I think this was more of a problem on the original K5 though.

I post process in lightroom, although I tend to keep it minimal unless the image looks like it would benefit from a bit more effort. First I look to crop to achieve a better compositon, maybe straighten the image, lighten shadows and reduce highlights as appropriate. Occasionally will increase clarity slider slightly. One thing I did with each of the side on shots was to lighten the shadows using the adjustment brush on the runners face to allow more detail to come through. I generally do not spend a lot of time with each image and will then batch process similar images.

I find I'm using the 18-135 a lot more than I anticipated for general use, especially if the weather is nice. My 17-70 doesn't get much of a look in nowadays despite it having slightly better IQ.

I forgot to add I do not use autofocus tracking, I prefer to lightly press the shutter to regain focus between shots as I find this to be far more accurate.

Hope this helps, if anything doesn't make sense then feel free to ask for further info.

Regards

George

I tend to go to a lot of running events and take pictures. Not the sort of thing I'd normally post on here but last weekend the weather was nice and I went with the family to Castleton in the Peak District for the Red Bull Steeplechase. The total race distance is 21 miles, but not all runners will get that far

In Summary...

The race format of Red Bull Steeplechase is a unique knock out format. Competitors are split into two categories, male and female. All runners in each category are set off together making it a head to head race against the rest of the field where race position is important not time.
There are four steeples to reach and at each of the first three the slowest section of the field will be eliminated. Only 40 runners will reach the final steeple at Castleton.
This makes this race a unique format and will challenge runners both physically and mentally as they have to pace themselves not only to cover the distance and challenging terrain but to ensure they stay in a race position that prevents them from being eliminated.

A few pictures from the day...

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and some of the runners...

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No 9



No 10 (the first hill they climb - Mam Tor !)




If you like them, a lot more can be found here
link

All taken with K5ii and DA 18-135

Regards

George

If the 70-200 is an HSM lens then the Sigma TC (pentax fit) will not work with it. It only works with some screw drive leneses. sigma has a list of compatible lens on their website somewhere.

Regards

George

As per title, this is the lowest I've seen it.

link

You are right Simon, they are Mara.

Thanks for all the comments.

Its quite a good setting for pictures, I had the same access as everyone else.

Lemurs / Wallabies - you actually walk through the enclosures so there are no fencing between you and the animals, allowed to stroke wallabies as long as they're not behind the roped off sections. You also walk through one of the other enclosures but I cannot remember the name of the animal (Rodent rabbit like )




Giraffes - There is a viewing platform that gets you upto their eye level with no fencing

Lions - didnt play ball with me but the walkway (banking) around the enclosures is higher than the fencing, there is also a bridge over water that allows a good view.



Emu (I think) - higher section of the walkway, although I think I also stood on a bench

Zebras - Stood on a bench - as long as they are no too close to the fence you can get them.

Polar Bear - looking down on him. (a longer lens may get you a better shot if you standing further away)

Tigers - wooden walkways higher than the fencing - there is a waterfall there and I keep hoping to catch the tigers on or in this but alas they were mainly resting.

Lepoard - this was shot through glass at ground level (although you can use the same viewing platform that is used for the giraffes.) I did clean the glass with a cloth and then put the lens hood against it.

Meerkats - looking over the enclosure wall - very easy to photograph as they keep posing.

Camel - Stood on a bench (me not the camel!)

Baboon on a post was shot from the kids play area through glass, although the family were shot looking down on them ( they climb on rocks in the middle which brings you closer to your level) The Baboons were fascinating to watch and I could have stayed there a lot longer if it wasn't for my meddling kids !

The birds are brought out for a ranger talk (hawks / owls etc ) - have to nab a seat in the aisle to get a good shot.

I did stand on benches, raised banking etc to try and get better views if possibe.

Hope this clarifies it a bit,

Regards

George

Thanks for the comments

Hi Carl, some people may deem it small if they compare it to a safari park but compared to old style zoos it is large. There was a lot of walking involved particularly if you wanted to catch feeding times / ranger talks etc, various play area for the kids as well. They're building further enclosures for more polar bears (Victor has been retired from the breeding program) Some of the lions were taken on from a Romanian zoo.

I have to say the animals all looked healthy and in good condition. Not sure why someone would say its dirty (lot of dust about from the the paths if its hot and dry) as it all seemed to be well kept. It has expanded a lot from its early days.

The hardest part is trying to get pictures without fencing / people etc in the backghround.



Now you've mentioned it my eyes get drawn to it as well !


Few more :

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No 24



No 25



No 26 - the rarest of all, a young Pentaxian !



Regards

George

I would tend to mask a lot more than that otherwise you tend to sharpen the whole image rather than the main areas in focus. I generally mask 80% or more. I've also tended to leave detail at the default 25 and use a slightly higher radius nearer to 1.

The K3 and K5iis will need very little sharpening if any.

Hold the 'alt' key down whilst masking to see the effect its having.

Regards

George

Hi Patrick, I had the K3 and DA*300 which from memory was used for all of these shots. (I also had the K5ii and DA18-135 with me but this was used by my daughter more than me)

All processed in lightroom and most will have had a crop in one form or another.

Regards

George

I went to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park with the kids earlier this month, well worth a visit but be prepared for lots of walking as it is a large place.

Some pics from the day...

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No 5



No 6



No 7



No 8 (shot through glass and cropped, not as sharp as I would like)



No 9



No 10



No 11



No 12



No 13



No 14



No 15



No 16 Victor the Polar Bear, the latest addition




C&C welcome

Regards

George