I don't want to put my foot in it Shaun, as I don't know who took the shots, but I do think you could have done it better. It's a bit full on and contrasty for my taste in portraits, but your daughter looks great and I'm sure she has a future in this.

Regards
David

Thank you to you all for your comments and observations. One thing I would be interested in is more views on the Hitech Pro 10 stop filter. It seemes pretty good to me; yes it leaves a blue cast, but this is very easy to remove in PP.

Thanks for looking!

Regards
David

As Darkskies has mentioned, the best way is to set a custom white balance on the camera. This corrects any blue cast and then it's easy to adjust to personal taste in post processing. Also, it depends which version of the Hitech filter you have; mine is the latest 'pro' version which is a different resin to the original and has much less of a colour cast. There is also information on the internet about variations between different copies of the Hitech 10 stop filter, but I can't confirm or deny this as I only have one!

Regards
David

A selection of shots taken yesterday at Roche Abbey, near Maltby, South Yorkshire. This location is one of my favourites; extremely atmospheric, especially during the Autumn and Winter months. All of these were taken with the K-5 and 18-55WR, except the 'Red Tree' and 'Round Arch' images which were with the K-x and DA 16-45. I have tried to convey the atmosphere of the place and the early morning soft light by using different shooting and processing techniques. I hope you approve, CC welcomed as always.

Roche Abbey Distant View - with Warming Filter & ND Grad 0.6



As above - BW Conversion



Archway to the Red Tree - K-x & DA 16-45



Roche Abbey Autumn Vista - 142 second exposure with Hitech 10 stop filter



View to the Round Arch - K-x and DA 16-45



Regards
David

No worries Darren, thanks for letting us know

Cheers
David

Just wondering, after reading a few forum posts about different lenses, what is the lens you consider as your 'best buy'? A best buy could be measured by various criteria, e.g. performance vs. price, outright performance, suitability for a specific task and many others.

To start the ball rolling I'll give you mine which is the used Pentax DA 16-45 I bought from a forum member for £140 last year. It's hardly been off my K-5 or K-x; it suits me and my style down to the ground. It's much sharper than the kit lens and I don't miss the extra 10mm at the long end. For sheer VFM and the use I've had from it, this is my 'best buy'.

What is yours?

Regards
David

Darren

I live about a mile away from this shop. It is a reputable retailer that mainly sells astronomical telescopes, binoculars etc. but also has a decent stock of camera gear too. I would be happy to check this out 'in the flesh' so to speak, but it would be Saturday before I could visit the shop in person.

Hope this helps.

Regards
David

The shots with the Sigma were good Alan, but these are streets ahead in terms of clarity, colour and sharpness. They are testament to your ability to hold a lens steady and also a fabulous advert for the DA*300.

This lens will soon be on my shopping list!

Regards
David

I voted used K-5 too. I may be slightly biased, but I think the K-5 is the most fantastic bit of kit and is great VFM considering its build quality and capability. I wouldn't currently swap it for anything (except perhaps a nice new K-5IIs)!

Cheers
David

Dave

I'm not sure about the comparison between the two lenses you mention, but I have one observation about the 18-55 lens. It's a great all-rounder, but it does seem to suffer a little from a lack of edge sharpness. This is quite noticeable when comparing with my DA 16-45. The centre frame performance is about the same on both lenses, but the 16-45 is miles better at the edges and produces a better image overall. That said, I still like the 18-55WR; its a great walkabout lens especially if it's wet outside!

Regards
David