A small set of images from earlier this week, trying out the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 DG EX OS APO HSM lens with my K-1. Also one image (the fungus log) with my K-3ii and D FA 100mm f2.8 Macro WR.

Comments and CC welcomed as always.




























Kind Regards
David

Yes, you're right, but I do think that Pentax are miles behind on the AF front, even when you compare like-for-like DSLR's with Nikon and Canon, so even though the video was of a mirrorless camera, I still think the point is relevant. I get really frustrated with front and back focus issues on my Pentax DSLR's, this is very difficult to correct with a zoom lens and I'm very self-critical of the images I take, so a lot end up in the bin.

Kind Regards
David

Very nice images, I particularly like the muted colour tones, they suit the subjects really well.

Kind Regards
David

Hi all

As Pentax users we often feel like we're missing out in the AF department. Sorry to add another nail to the coffin, but the AF demonstrated in the video linked below is amazing, especially considering a 2x teleconverter is attached.

Come on Ricoh / Pentax, give us AF like this, not the half-hearted improvements on the K-3iii.

link

Cheers
David

To be honest I wasn't blown away by it. It's certainly much more modern and faster in operation than anything that's gone before, but there were a few things I didn't like. The IQ isn't any better than the KP and in one regard it's not as good (it renders reds in a strange way that makes them look orangey). High ISO is pretty noise-free, but I don't think it's any better than the KP. It also gets very warm in operation, even when just taking still images. I can imagine it would get very hot for video work. The AF seemed very good, although I don't use tracking AF as I don't take that sort of photos. It feels very good to hold, similar to the K-1 but a little lighter. All in all, for my style of shooting, it doesn't give me anything over a K-3ii or a KP, but if you're into sports or birds in flight, then I think it's worth buying.

Kind Regards
David

Hi John

I didn't mean to be too severe, I sometimes think that I and others often glance over images and don't take the time to really look at them. As I had some time last night I thought that I would try and post some meaningful feedback, which I think is more rarely seen on the forum than it used to be. I hope it didn't hit too hard, these are just my own opinions, which really mean nothing in the scheme of things as we all see things so differently. I didn't have the insight of what was your main objective when taking the shots, so I just commented on them as pure images.

I often wish more people would provide critical comment on my images as this is how I learn.

Hope you are well, have a great Christmas and New Year.

Kind Regards
David

What a great set of images! I love the quirkyness in some of these and the considered compositions in others. I think I went a bit overboard with CC on a post yesterday so I'll keep this brief and say that I love the first for its composition, the two lines of trees leaning in towards each other and the guy in yellow on left. I love 4 and 5 for their quirkyness, 8 for its colours and calmnees, 9 for the geometric shapes and 12 for its atmosphere.

My favourite has to be #4.

Kind Regards
David

Hi John

Thanks for posting these, I've taken a little longer to review them than I normally do to try and give some useful comments and CC.

The first and third for me both have some distractions in the right portion, in the first one it's the fence and in the third it's the power lines. The second image works so much better for me, the natural compression from the lens and the slight mist just pull it all toghether and the distant factory / chimney make for a natural place for the eye to settle.

The fourth doesn't work well for me as it has no leading lines and no distant focal point, so my eye doesn't really know where to look, whereas in contrast the fifth image has the leading lines, the same factory and also some nice symmetry with the lines of the distant hills echoing each other.

6 & 7 are lovely attractive images, but don't have the same pull as #5 for me.

8 suffers from a similar issue to #4 in that my eye doesn't move through the shot and doesn't settle on anything in particular.

9 10 and 11 all have strong leading lines but nothing to draw my eye beyond the middle distance. I think #10 potentially works the best of the three and would benefit from a crop at the bottom to remove the horizontal wall, which distracts my eye a little at the bottom left.

12 seems to fall into the same category as #4 and #8.

The final image I think is potentially one of the best, it has a great foreground, but unfortunately the middle distance is obscured and this stops my eye from moving through the shot. Maybe if you had climbed up a few feet to gain a little elevation (nearer the fence on the left?) you could have retained the strong foreground and gained more of a lead-in whilst also being able to capture some of the middle distance.

I hope that this feedback is constructive and useful John, I'm by no means an expert landscape photographer, but it struck me that I might have tweaked the compositions on some of these shots a little bit, to maximise the impact of the images. By that I mean just moving a few feet one way or another, or including something in the foreground / middle ground to help the eye wander through the shots.

As you might gather from my comments, #2 and #5 are my favourites from the set.

Kind Regards
David

Hi Don, this area of the Derbyshire Peak District is famous for the Millstone Grit rocks. In days gone by there was a huge industry here making millstones, the rock was literally split apart and fashioned into the round stones on site. What you see lying around are unfinished or unwanted stones that were just left where they lay and have been there ever since, some for hundreds of years. The two images that show these stones are in a part of Padley Gorge that was clearly a small quarry.

Kind Regards
David

Today was the mistiest day so far in December, so I popped out to Padley Gorge, my favourite place in the Peak District for photography. I'm a little disappointed with my images on the whole, but here are a few that turned out OK. They are a mixture of the K-1 with either a 28-105 WR or a Pentax-M 28mm f/3.5 lens, plus the K-3ii with a Tamron 70-200 f/2.8. Comments and CC are welcomed.

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Thanks for looking.

Kind Regards
David