Just unlucky, I think. People have been extolling the virtues of the 55-300 here for some time, never heard much in the way of issues.

K10D certainly can, so I imagine the K20D can too. The switch is on the back of the camera.

Not sure about the -x/-r.

I've mentioned this before, but it's worth restating.

Having QuickShift makes an enormous difference to the usability of the lens. It's long focus throw makes AF slow *if* the camera ends up having to drive the lens from one end to the other.

However, with QS it's possible to move it manually to close to where you need it, in which case AF is perfectly quick enough. Without this it would be a lot less useful for photographing moving targets.

The other thing that makes it more useful with moving targets (I've used it at airshows a fair bit), is to let the camera pick the AF point. That way, if you're panning, you're less likely to lose the subject and have the lens hunt suddenly to one end or the other. With Auto-AF point selection, you have a much bigger area of the VF within which to keep the target.

No, I think it's a Great Tit.

Sorry, couldn't resist...

No, it's definitely a blue tit. Great tits are much bigger, and have very different plumage.Nice one, thanks, I will.

'Grats from me too. Is there a bigger version we could see?

Yes, he really struggles. I have a feeding station attached to my office window with sunflower seeds in, and the other blue tits just fly in, grab a seed and fly out again.

Beaky flies in, and heart-wrenchingly pecks futilely at the seeds for some time, seeming not to realise that he just can't manage it.

I also have some fat cakes in a hanging feeder outside the window, with a platform at the bottom I've rigged up so that the robins, which don't like to cling so much, can also feed.

He pecks a lump of fat off the cake, then puts his head sideways on the platform, and eventually gets the food with his lower mandible.

Then he flies to the tree, puts the food between his feet, and pecks past it, as it were, to get it into his mouth. He often drops it and has to have another go.

A bit sad really. They're such perky birds usually. I so want to get him inside, and have a go with some nail clippers

I've posted it in a couple of places today, but not before today.

Now there's a thought. I may follow that up, thanks.Resting on the window sill. The best of about 6 shots before he flew away.

ISO 800 too. You can see a bit of noise at 100%, but it's amazing how it disappears when you reduce it from 4000px wide to 1000. I haven't done any other noise reduction on it.

This Blue Tit often visits my feeders, and struggles for ages to get a square meal. Finally caught him today with the Bigma.

[IMG]http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/chris5gd/Birds/IMGP0508-1.jpg[/IMG]

It's called Avian Keratin Disorder, apparently.

If you see one with a similar condition, apparently it's helpful to report it using this survey.

I've edited the picture a bit bigger than the 800px forum limit - it looks better viewed in a separate browser tab.

It's certainly a use of the word 'insight' that I hadn't come across before