Impressive Alan for a 'cheap' filter. I've just ordered one too!

Regards
David

I do agree with the comments above in that these have been a little over-exposed. They could do with a boost in contrast too; the exposure would need to be lowered a bit to allow you to do this.

The other thing I would say is that when shooting flowers you need to do something a little different to make them stand out from the norm, like different angles, dramatic dark backgrounds etc. I will include one of my flower shots for comparison purposes only, as this one was taken with the same lens (Sigma 105mm DG EX Macro, superb lens BTW). Also, this one is a similar subject to your last two (Osteospermum).




Hope this is helpful.

Regards
David

Hi Alistair, DO NOT worry about this lens being inferior in any way - it is a superb lump of glass. You don't need the OS version for a focal length of 105mm! When you say it's noisy, it is a screw drive lens so will not be as quiet as a SDM lens, but it is less noisy than some of the Pentax screw drives, e.g. the 16-45 and the 55-300.

My Sigma 105 macro is one of my most used lenses and I absolutely love it. The IQ is superb, the bokeh is superb, the colour rendition is superb. The only thing that could be improved is the AF speed, but this is a common trait with Macro lenses as they tend to have a longer focus throw.

I use mine for macro, for weddings and for general street / walkabout use - it is great in this mode for isolating faces and people from a background. I almost always use it at F2.8 (except when shooting macro) and there is no noticeable loss of IQ when used wide open.

Highly recommended by me.

Regards
David

Excellent Will, that last one is really funny, no doubt more so because of your ironic comment!

Regards
David

The HDR one is certainly more dramatic - whether it is better or not is down to personal taste and what the editor is trying to achieve.

I like them both.

Regards
David

I think we're seeing that HDR has its place, but it is clear that it is not always because of the need for dynamic range, it is quite often to achieve a certain 'look' that is difficult to achieve with 'normal' processing.

Keep the images coming, it is great to see different takes on what HDR can do.

Regards
David

I think I will take you up on that one Mike, I'll contact you when the conditions look like they might be right!

Regards
David

Cheers Mike, I think Magpie Mine would make a great location at sunrise or sunset in the depths of Winter, especially with snow on the ground. It's one of my 'must do's' this coming Winter.

Regards
David

Hello George, you really can't resist can you? I'm not going to get drawn into any silly exchanges with you, sorry to disappoint.

I don't know anything about the question the OP has posed, so I can't answer it, but some of the more sensible members on here may be able to offer the required advice.

Nice to see you back (not).

Regards
David

Hi Daz, I wasn't referring to your post, it was the ones before yours that I thought were irrelevant.

Regards
David