Also worth trying BBF ( back button focusing ) holding the AF button with your thumb with your finger on the shutter simultaneously.

It keeps the lens constantly focusing on the subject and stops any slight lag, I use it a lot for BIF

I'd rather not use a tc but crop in instead.

Roughly doing the same thing but without the light loss and slight extra weight.

The other thing is 1/500 sec is a tad to slow, based on rough suggestions your shutter speed should be more than your focal length.

So 450mm on a crop camera is 695mm without a tc so you'd need to be 1/800 sec minimum and roughly 1/250 with the tc

Oh.... I do really like #2

I'm not one for framing an image, but these work superbly well.

+1

Total weight is 11.2kg inc bag and bits and bobs 645z, 28 - 45, 45 - 85, 80 - 160, 120 macro with ext tubes

Thanks Lennybloke

That's an estimate, I can weigh everything out, or itemise it but the biggest weight is the 25 - 45 lens.

There's additional batteries, filters and a flash plus trigger in that as well

The ideal opportunity / reason / excuse to try out a 645z with a lens or 2 Lennybloke.

645 lenses can be had relatively cheaply on fleybay via Japan, I've purchased 2 that route, both boxed and described spot on and a vastly reduced ££ than in the UK Inc shipping and any customs charges.

I admit I'm late in contributing to this thread, although I've followed it from the start, I've 4 x Pentax cameras and take out generally what I expect to use on the expected target shoot.

The heaviest is the 645z bag at iro 15kg to 18kg and cos of the nature of when I use the 645z it's generally carried most of the day but the weight is spread over the shoulders / back and the camera / lens is then handheld to remove some of the weight from the bag.

Then it's the K1 or K3iii option's, the 3 has a 150 - 450 permanently attached and will be carried on wildlife or action shoots again most of the day, a sling type shoulder strap helps to distribute the weight evenly, the same with the K1 which with either the 70 -200 or the 24 - 70 with the other lens in the bag.

The oddball is the K5ii IR which gets chucked into various bags depending on the weather on offer.

Lennybloke - good luck in reaching a compromise to suit you, there's a good selection of suggestion in this thread.

Well shot and processed, #2 & #3 equally for me