Weather permitting am going on a balloon flight in a few weeks time.
Any advice on focal lenghts gratefully received.

Davex.

No I would not, thing is though in a comparison I think one has to decide where the set the boundaries, all lenses at their maximum aperture to me is more consistent a test than say setting everything 2 stops down from maximum, my intent was not to show how good or not the 18-135 is, it was to compare it to a range of lenses of varying reputations.
I think it fairs quite well.

Davex.

After acquiring my 18-135WR I thought some comparisons might be interesting.
All shots taken on K5 as straight Jpegs, max aperture available, matrix metered, Auto Focus. only re-sized in PS no other adjustments.

18mm, 3 lenses Samsung 12-24,18-55WR,18-135WR








35mm, 18-135WR,Sigma 24-70 F2.8, 18-55WR







70mm, DA55-300,Siggy 24-70, 18-135WR







135mm, 18-135WR, 55-300.





Not sure what if anything this proves.
Davex.

I am coming to that realisation, I have zooms and primes covering 8mm - 500mm + a very good teleconverter, I do not have a fisheye so I must Need one.

Davex.

Used the Sgma 8-16 for the first 2 garden shots above, it is a great lens, not had chance to use it properly yet, but off to Sicily in a few weeks. The other 2 shots taken with Samsung 12-24, another cracker;

Inside Concorde.

It`s taken me a while but I have finally found a way around this;
Always get to the post first, put new lens in camera bag.
Buy wife some flowers or other such trifle, possibly actually trifle if she likes it.
If caught never admit the real cost, I find the shoe measure usefull on such occasions, e.g; 35-70 = less than a pair of shoes. If further challenged point out that shoes wear out a lot quicker than lenses, then if you are lucky you can turn the argument into one about shoes.

Davex.

Why stop at 17mm?

8mm


10mm


12mm


17mm



No claims to artistic merit, but they do answer your question.

Davex

No,
Also, Polarisers come in two forms, Linear and circular; this refers to the type of Polarisation not the shape of filter.
Most AF cameras cannot use Linear Polarisers due to the effect the polarisation has on the AF detector, this does not apply to Pentax AF systems
Linear polarisers are much cheaper than circular polarisers, if you can find one.
The only issue you may have is seeing the effect in the viewfinder, much more obvious using live view.

Davex.

An area I have tried to photograph a few times, usually fail.
I wonder if your crop has a touch too much sky Simon?
Think if you cut the top by a third it might give the composition a better balance, thus making the Abbey more the centre of attention?

Davex.

I also thought your post was usefull Chris, I think your summary at the end that;
Is probably correct, the current list price is, as others have said way to high, once it drops to a more reasionable level I think many will find it a good walkabout.
Mine arrives today, hope to do some testing over the weekend.
Keep reviewing Chris, is it usefull.

Davex.