Thanks for correcting me guys, you clearly knew what I meant to say!

Cheers
David

I own one, it's a lovely camera, takes superb images, but I generally use it indoors, where it excels with manual focus lenses due to the focus peaking. I wouldn't use it in preference to a DSLR, except for indoors, but you have to bear in mind the value for money when buying one of these used. I bought two mint examples for £150 each, my son has one and I have the other. They are also good for video as long as you turn off the sensor shake reduction.

Regards
David

Looking at the images posted there seems to be a variety of issues causing the problems, some of which have been mentioned and some not. These are my thoughts:

- Shutter speed is definitely an issue, although I often successfully shoot wild birds at 1/60 with a 420mm lens (DA*300 + 1.4TC) with the appropriate camera support (bean bag or tripod). There are several factors that come into play with slower shutter speeds:
(i) Subject movement - birds flit and move very fast, quite often a slow shutter can result in a blurred subject even without camera movement
(ii) Camera stability - are you shooting hand-held or on a tripod?
(iii) Remote or manual shooting - it can be a good idea to try some remote shooting with birds that are returning time and again to a known location. If you have any way of triggering the shutter with a remote release you can mount the camera on a tripod, point and focus at the spot where they land and eliminate any risk of movement that would otherwise be caused by pressing the shutter button. This method requires a lot of planning, observation and patience

- Distance from the subject - this has been covered in a previous reply and may be another reason to try remote shooting on a tripod. It is critical with wild birds to get as close to the subject as possible, especially if you are wanting to crop heavily on the final image

- Aperture used - F5.6 results in a very shallow Depth of Field at 300mm. This can be a plus point, but only if the focus is pin-point accurate, otherwise your images will end up very blurry, as can be seen in some you have posted

- Lens choice - unfortunately the Sigma 100-300 is probably not the best for wildlife shooting. Unless you have an exceptional copy of the lens you will probably find it is not sharp enough, especially at the extreme long end of the focal range. If you can get the camera in closer it would be better to step the zoom back a little, say to 230mm or so as it will probably be sharper there. Ultimately, for this type of photography you need a more capable lens for top quality results

- Background is something that hasn't been mentioned here and it bears no relevance to sharpness of images, but I thought it worth a mention as we are looking at some specific example images you have posted. With bird shots the background is critical in terms of isolating the subject from its surroundings and drawing attention to the subject. I would suggest with the Blue Tits, moving the camera to the side 90 degrees, so you are not shooting directly at the nesting box, but are shooting across the front of it. This way you have more chance to get a nice clean shot with no distractions in the background.

I hope this helps, some of what I've said above may not be possible given your kit and the location of the where the birds are, but sometimes you have to think a bit outside the box to end up with professional looking results.

Regards
David

I've had two 16-45's and really liked them both, great IQ when compared with the kit lens. I sold both due to overlaps in focal length with other great lenses I also own, no other reason. I have a 12-24 which I wouldn't part with, from experience I think the 12-24 is a step up in optical and build quality; both of the 16-45's felt a bit 'loose' and got looser over time, so I think they have a tendency towards this. Not badly built, but not stellar either.

My preference is for a 12-24 to partner with something like a DA 17-70 or Sigma 17-70, both great lenses, the Sigma shades it for me due to slightly sharper images at most focal lengths, better AF, 2.8 max aperture and close focussing ability. The 12-24 is a superb landscape lens, difficult to better for a Pentax camera.

Regards
David

I would consider a frameless approach, there are various options including some companies that will embed your image behind a clear acrylic sheet. This makes it easy to hang, you can even suspend on wires if you wish and also protects the image from any possibility of damage. I'm going to try that with some of my music festival shots as I think it would suit gritty images of rock bands and the like. You can also get bevelled edges on the acrylic if you want.

Regards
David

I don't think you need to worry about the battery lock lever Rob, I've never heard of one failing and mine is 18 months old now without a hint of an issue.

Hope you like your K-3, it's a stonking camera.

Regards
David

Lovely photos Mike, great adverts for your technique and the lens. Sorry I'm not in the market for it as I wouldn't part with my DA*300 and 1.4TC for anything, but given the quality of these shots surely someone will buy.

Cheers
David

Glorious images Neil, thank you for showing them to us.

Regards
David

Magnificent shots Alan, thank you for showing them, I've really enjoyed studying this set. The light makes all the difference, allied to your undoubted skills as a photographer.

Regards
David

Does anyone want to come and help me repair the stone walls in my cellar? I'll let you take a few photos if that would help!

Cheers
David