I agree Mike, I am interested mainly in Birds, Butterflies and Flowers with the DA*300 and I appreciate your work at Airshows needs a different approach, but for me the 150-500 isn't missed.

I suppose I was trying to balance your point with an alternative view, which is what Forums like this are good for. Also, I haven't found the focussing with a TC attached to be any slower than without it and not any slower than my 150-500 was. On the K-3 in particular it is fast, accurate and doesn't hunt, whereas it does hunt with small subjects like garden birds when used with the K-5iis, hence my preference to use this combination with the K-3.

Regards
David

Welcome from me too, your winning entry was great, well done!

Regards
David

After buying my DA*300 and 1.4 TC the Sigma 150-500 didn't get used at all and I sold it. I've never missed it for a second.

I mainly had the 150-500 for the 300-475 range, no need to use it at the short end as I have better lenses for that type of work. At the long end there is no competition between a DA*300 and TC or a Sigma 150-500, the Pentax combination beats it all ends up; faster aperture, better IQ, lighter and smaller.

Regards
David

A beautiful image and a great start to the series.

Regards
David

Interesting to see Jules that the Bologna Video was shot on a K-5! I wonder why the K-5 was used and not a K-S1? Perhaps it has better video quality?

Also, the shutter noise on the K-S1 vs. the K-30 vs. the K-x, seems to be identical between all three cameras. The noise from the shutter on the K-x was one reason why I upgraded, it's very loud compared to a K-5 or a K-3.

I think you've posted a wrong link on the second video, this points to the same place as the first one does.

Regards
David

I'm sticking with Pentax. I'm not a professional, I enjoy my hobby and I doubt whether I would enjoy it any more with a different brand. Plus, I don't fancy selling all my lenses and starting again!

Regards
David

The weather adds so much to these Andrew, it saturates the colours. They are a feast for the eyes, my favourites being 1 and 5.

Number 3 is a bit dark and would benefit from the levels bringing up a bit, and the HDR look in 4 isn't for me, but both of these are fine shots regardless of whether or not I like the processing.

All in all, a very fine set of images.

Regards
David

Nothing has happened to the challenge o going out in foul weather and taking real images that the photographer sees through the viewfinder! No, I don't think photography is disappearing into Photoshop!

Does everyone seriously think that photographers of yesteryear didn't manipulate their images? Do you think that Ansel Adams produced his shots 'straight from camera' with no supplementary processing? No, he dodged and burned like a demon.

This is such a false argument to me, the art of processing is equally important as the art of composing and taking a picture, in fact it is probably where the artistry comes more to the fore. I really can't understand the obsession with 'straight from the camera, no PP'. Most people I suspect who claim that their shots are 'straight from camera' have actually used a JPEG image, which is processed to death by the camera! There is an argument for saying that a processed RAW is actually more natural.

Well, you did ask!

Regards
David

The bridge shot is great, very powerful and graphic, with just a hint of fabulous scenery in the background too. The black and white suits it to a tee and although it is a bit dark, I don't mind this.

I'm not so taken by the garlic and spider shot, I think it maybe lacks a real focal point, despite the spider.

Al very enjoyable set though Kris, thanks for posting them.

BTW, this 'five in a row' idea seems to be going well and is getting a decent number of comments.

Regards
David

A belated 'thank you' to Bill, Stuey and Simon for the last set of comments. I hope to be organising a trip out to this location in the not too distant future, depending on weather conditions and other factors. If things go right this could be an opportunity for a rather special day or two, so keep your eyes peeled. There is lots of wildlife here too, Squirrels (grey), Deer, Jays, Wrens and all manner of things found in the English Countryside. Also a rather stunning old house that drips with gothic charm.

Regards
David