Thanks for posting this Brian - it resonates with me quite a lot. My Dad had his first heart attack at 48 (the age I am now) and this has had a huge influence on the way I try to live my life.

Also, my Brother (49) was almost lost to us two weeks ago when he had a massive diabetic episode (previously un-diagnosed, but we have since found out he knew he was very ill 5 weeks earlier and did not get it seen to) which resulted in him being unconscious for 15 hours and close to death on his kitchen floor before he was luckily found (he lives alone). His blood sugar levels were the highest that the intensive care unit at Doncaster Royal Infirmary had ever recorded.

It's great hear you are on the road to recovery and out taking photos again. The last one is my favourite

Regards
David

I agree entirely with Frogherder's post (Bernard), my experience of the Chinese ones I have is that they fit exactly the same as the Pentax one does. I too have removed the spring and have them fitted permanently to all of my M42 lenses, thus turning them into bayonet mount lenses. I've never had any issues with any of the following:

- screw thread not correct
- wobbling / loose fitting
- sticking in lens mount

I'm sure there may be issues with some of the copies, but I haven't experienced this.

Congratulations to Old Taffy for a really excellent write-up, one of the most informative and helpful on the Forum in ages.

Regards
David

Thanks all for your observations. I think it's interesting that there is some surprise I still use the M28mm F3.5 when I have other lenses that could be used for landscape such as these. I do regularly use the other ones (16-45, 17-70 and 12-24) but the M28mm F3.5 gives me very different and satisfying results.

I can't comment on the M28 F2.8 Russ, but I do know the F3.5 version has a stronger reputation. I really would recommend that you give it a try, but it does take some practice to get to know the old lenses and to get the best from them.

Thanks very much Alan, you are spot on as always. The grasses in the foreground did extend a bit further to the right and most of the shots I took of this scene were in landscape format, for the very reasons you have mentioned (see image below).




Thanks Stuey, I use the M28 F3.5 because I think that it produces lovely results, very unlike the modern lenses. One of the main benefits is that it has almost no distortion, something that can't be said for the zooms and is consistently sharp across the whole frame.

Thanks Nigel, I haven't processed any colour versions of the last two yet because I particularly wanted to do BW ones of these, for some reason my eye just saw them this way. I might have a go with colour ones, if so I'll post them for you.

Thanks again for the observations and comments.

Regards
David

I post a fair few images, both on the Gallery and on the Forum and I do want constructive criticism on them if they are not right, or people to point out things that they do like if they think the images are right. I always try to do this myself when I comment on other peoples shots, but I am conscious, especially when commenting on Gallery images, that sometimes my 'constructive criticism' may come across as me being a bit harsh.

There is often better feedback received on images posted on the Forum than there is on the Gallery and I think this is fair and to be expected, as the Forum is the right place for this. There is not as much CC offered on here though than there is on many other Forums, I think this may be because PU attracts photographers with a diverse range of experience and capability, whereas some other sites only attract more experienced photographers.

I don't necessarily think that it needs the photographer to include critique of their own as suggested by ChrisA above, this may be useful but at the end of the day we all know whether or not we like what we see and we should be big enough to say what we think, without being rude or making comments which could be construed as personal insults.

There are a few people who regularly offer their opinions and who regularly ask for critique (QuestionableCarrot, McGregNi to name a couple) and this is good, but it would be better if more of us were open to posting our images and giving critique on images posted by others.

Regards
David

Three from the Lakes, please excuse the oblique title of this thread, but they all contain rocks and they are all in portrait format! All on Haystacks, with the K-5iis and Pentax-M 28mm F3.5 lens.

Tarn





Lake At The Top





Rocky




CC please, hope you like them.

Regards
David

If you want something out of the ordinary I recommend the M28 F3.5 (not the F2.. It is a little bit scarce but not rare and if you're lucky you might find a good one for £30. I would not sell mine - it is one of my most prized lens possessions and is capable of magic on landscape shots.

Regards
David

Hi Drew

I would like to come with you, subject to date? If you can let me know when you're thinking of I'll do my best to come.

Regards
David

It's about 50% quicker than a K-5 with screwdrive lenses. I was using it today with my DA L 55-300 and it is quite a significant difference, makes this lens much more usable for wildlife shots.

It's also a very accurate focusser.

Regards
David

Very nice images, in focus and good use of lighting. The first one is my favourite of the three.

Regards
David

Hi Dennis

I've done a fair bit of macro with the K-x and it is excellent for this type of work. My recommendations would be:

- Get a set of quality manual extension tubes and use them with a standard 50mm lens, something like a Pentax-A 50mm F1.7. If the tubes have black paint on the bayonet fitting you will need to scrape it off where the camera's electronic contacts are, otherwise the camera will not be able to close the lens aperture when taking a shot

- There are various macro lenses to choose from, Autofocus is not important for macro work so you could buy a manual focus lens like a Tamron SP 90mm or a Sigma 50mm F2.8 macro

- When you're ready to upgrade I can recommend both the Sigma 105mm DG EX macro and the Pentax DFA 100mm F2.8 macro. The Pentax is the better lens for macro work but I find the Sigma a better all-rounder, e.g. it is excellent for portraits

When you buy a macro lens, it is best to get one that is capable of 'lifesize' or 1:1 ratio images, as both the Sigma and Pentax are. The Pentax lens focusses a bit closer so will give slightly higher magnification.

I hope this helps.

Regards
David