I like this Kris, great use of close focus to fill the frame.

Regards
David

There is no lack of flexibility or manual control on the K-x and I would disagree somewhat with the previous observation by DavidG, quote "if you are learning about photography, then I'd say a K10 is a much more suitable camera."

I would think that the opposite is true. Because the K-x is simpler it is probably less daunting for someone learning photography than a K10 would be. However, it still has all of the controls to enable an experienced photographer to use it fully manual if desired and believe me, the K-x is a serious photography tool. I agree there is more use of menus required, but in real world use this is not really much of an issue.

As sterretje has pointed pointed out above, split screens are available for the K-x too.

Regards
David

Bill, regarding your post above, even with a 55-300 lens at F8, focus accuracy is absolutely critical. Even slightly off causes the images to be out of focus; when taking pictures of wild birds, the focus needs to be spot-on the bird's eye and even a bit off renders the image useless in my eyes.

Fair enough, if you're using a 16-45 or something similar it's not too much of an issue, but with anything telephoto it is.

Regards
David

It differed with each lens as each has different minimum focus distances and different magnification. With the 150-500 it was at a distance of approximately 10 feet.

Regards
David

K-x is also superb, you should be able to find one in mint condition for £150 to £200. It's a brilliant low light camera, also great for landscape and portrait work.

It weighs very little so is also ideal for travel, the downside is it's not weatherproof.

Regards
David

Hello Daniel

As a regular 'poster' on the Gallery, I think I have some experience in what happens and can spot some trends. There are several factors that determine the number of views an image receives; one of these is undoubtedly the quality and impact of the shot, but there are others. Here's a list of some thoughts, in no particular order:

1. Some photographers seem to build up a 'following' and people will view their images just because it a photo is taken by them. This is probably also linked to the quality of their work; i.e. consistent high quality gets people noticed and more people are likely to view a photographer's output if it's usually good

2. Subject matter is very important. Consistently, images of still life subjects get far fewer views than nice landscapes, regardless of their quality. Naked and pretty women get the most, even if the images are not too good, portraits also do well. Something that is out of the ordinary will attract attention, e.g. if it's a landscape shot, don't post ones that anyone could have taken, or if you do, make them exceptional

3. Composition and impact. If an image is well composed and has 'impact' in the thumbnail view, it will attract views. This is critical. A thumbnail does not convey the details in a shot, so the general composition and impact is of high importance. Images need a proper 'lead in', if they follow the rule of thirds that helps too, the higher the dynamic range the better.

4. Processing quality. Regardless of the subject, those images which are processed skilfully usually get more views. It might be something as simple as making sure the contrast, colour and sharpness are right. I see a large number of images in the Gallery which simply look 'flat'. I avoid looking at them and would imagine others do the same.

5. Aspect Ratio. Panoramas don't suit the Gallery (resolution is not high enough). Images in 'landscape' format tend to get more views than those in 'portrait' format, but there are lots of exceptions; I'm making a general point here.

I don't think you should read too much into a run of images that didn't receive many views or much comment. Keep posting them and keep striving to improve your quality, if comments are received don't take them personally as usually they are not meant that way.

Regards
David

Hi Dave

I used a test chart, free in Amateur Photographer, placed square on to the camera, mounted the camera on a tripod and took three shots with differing AF Fine Adjustment settings. I then loaded these into Photoshop unaltered and compared them all at the same time in the horizontal tiled view at 300% magnification. Using this method it's easy to see which is sharpest. I continued this process by trial and error until I arrived at the sharpest setting.

The same process was followed with all my lenses. It seems to have worked - the results from the camera in real world shots are great now.

Regards
David

K-5IIs is better all round than the K-5, especially in the AF department, but also in terms of IQ.

However, the K-5 remains a fine camera and at £500 it is a bargain.

Regards
David

The second one is much better than the first IMO, in the first the HDR effect is too much and has created big halos around the edges of objects.

I like the simplicity and quality of the second shot.

Regards
David

Hi Dave, the 150-500 was out by as much as the rest; +10 on the old K-5. After the adjustment in debug mode (+100) it now focusses accurately without any fine adjustment in the normal K-5 menu.

I used F8; this seems fine to carry out the tests. No need for any thread to give any detailed instructions, just follow these:

- Download and install PK_Tether version 7
- Connect the camera via the PC to USB lead to your computer
- Make sure there's an SD card in the camera and switch it on
- Run PK_Tether and set 'debug mode on'
- Use the menu on the camera to navigate through the menu options until you come to the Debug one
- In the Debug menu, select the AF Test option
- Set AF to + or - whichever you need; if most lenses are at + 7 in the fine adjustment (normal menu), +70 will be required
- Once this is completed, disable the debug mode via the camera's Debug menu and use the normal fine AF Adjustment to complete the job

Hope this makes sense.

Regards
David