I think your approach is very sensible Dave and I agree with it wholeheartedly.

I actually agree with this too I've never said I ignore web reviews or comparison images, but what I have said is that I value personal experience more. We all have to take in opinions and facts from many different sources and we all place different levels of importance on each source according to our personal preferences. I have read a lot of information and compared a lot of information on the web about the K-3 for example, but I'm not prepared to make any final judgements until there's a lot more real world evidence out there.

Any judgements I've posted about the K-5 and K-5iis (very old news now) have been based both on my personal experiences and what I've read. For what it's worth, the opinions I've posted on the K-5iis vs the K-5 have not diminished, in fact they have grown stronger the more I have used both cameras in the same shooting situations. I think this is broadly borne out by general opinion in the photographic world, but there will always be a wide range of opinions, some that agree with me and some that don't.

Regards
David

I think the D7100 uses a different sensor Jon, made by Toshiba?

Regards
David

That's quite interesting Barry; it just goes to show that we shouldn't believe everything we see on / download from the Internet and we should sometimes rely on our own judgement too.

Of course this will be dismissed out of hand by Smeggy and he will probably think you have (quote) 'shot yourself in the foot' by offering your opinions based on your own personal experience.

Personally I would have more trust / belief in opinions such as you have given above than in any comparisons / reviews based on the internet, thanks for this useful information.

Regards
David

Maybe I used the wrong word with 'arbitrary', what I was trying to say is that the camera is making the decisions. Clearly Pentax have expertise in ensuring that the JPEG output is satisfactory. However, 'you get what you get' when the camera is left to make the decisions whereas with PP in RAW the photographer (or processor) can make a multitude of independent decisions. A skilled processor will probably come out with a better result, but the JPEG route may be better for those who are not as confident / skilled at PP.

Regards
David

I agree with Dr. O. Essentially what the camera is doing when shooting in JPEG is taking the RAW image and applying arbitrary processing to it which includes NR and compression. If the camera can do this it is possible to do it yourself on a RAW file in post processing and with the right skills and knowledge a person can do it better.

I also agree that a 800px image on this forum tells us nothing. Where the K-3 is concerned I will only start to make a judgement when we have some real feedback from real users who have shot a variety of images in the real world. We've started to see some of this coming through but not nearly enough.

Regards
David

The ones from the seller I have linked to fit properly. I have 7 of them and all fit just fine with no issues on the threads and a tight fit in the bayonet. Like all other items, there are decent and not so decent cheaper alternatives.

Regards
David

It's a nice image Alistair but I wouldn't say it's exceptional. I would like it more if the view was moved to the right slightly as it seems a little unbalanced in favour of the lamp post and would benefit from more of the road in view, disappearing into the distance.

In terms of the colour, this is probably more accurate to the way you saw it than the original version posted, I think somewhere in between the two would represent a good balance; maybe this one has a little too much yellow and the first one a little too much red?

I hope this is useful.

Regards
David

Hi Piotr

Yes there are lots of questions!

- You need a M42 to PK Adaptor, flush fitting with infinity focus, like these on ebay: link

- Pentax SMC Takumar 55 F1.8 is an excellent lens

- It does not have AF, it is manual focus, manual aperture only

- Yes, you can use it for recording videos

Hope this helps.

Regards
David

I love the Bridge Shot, it has a tremendous amount of impact for me and I wouldn't tone down the colours in this one as I think the heavy saturation suits the mood of the image perfectly. I agree it's not quite central, but this is nothing that a small crop wouldn't rectify.

A also like the second image, but I do agree that the colours in both this and the third one don't look right. The third one doesn't hit the spot with me, maybe it's the colours, but I think also that the composition doesn't give my eye anywhere to wander through the image. I always like to see a sense of depth and perspective in a photograph and this one doesn't have that for me.

Thanks for posting these once again Alistair and giving us the opportunity to comment on them.

Regards
David

[quote:3496ace15f="DanielH"]Ok David but unfortunately my cheap m42 adapter has ruined the mount on my Tak 55mm 1.8 and nearly knackered the K mount on my K30![/quote

I haven't experienced any problems at all, I can only speak from own experience. I suspect that a lot of adaptors get stuck because of the spring clip that 'locks' them into the bayonet; this is why I have removed these from mine and after doing this I've permanently attached them to my M42 lenses and they fit perfectly with no issues taking them on or off. How were you using this adaptor?

Also, I would guess that some adaptors are better made than others. For me, it would be a complete waste of money buying the genuine ones because they would give me nil benefit over the ones I already have.

Regards
David