Thanks for the clarification Ken, much appreciated.

Regards
David

Hi Ken, just reading updates to this thread and I'm not sure which post in the thread your question is directed at? Is it relating to me breaking the connecting bolt?

Thanks in anticipation of clarification.

Regards
David

It's also worth looking out for the Tele-Takumar 200 F5.6 Pre-set version. Quite rare in comparison, slower aperture but that is not a massive issue on modern DSLR's. Not SMC though. I managed to buy an absolutely mint one for £25 and the image quality is very good. Lovely lens to use, it is very small and light compared to the F4 and I like the pre-set aperture.

Regards
David

A quick update on my post above - Redsnapper have just demonstrated fantastic customer service by promptly sending me a replacement for the broken connector, despite this not being due to any manufacturing or quality issue. Well done Redsnapper, may your tripods sell in bucketloads!

Regards
David

Another vote for Redsnapper 283 from me, although I have just snapped the dual-threaded bolt that attaches the head to the centre shaft (no fault of the tripod, I seriously over-tightened it).

This tripod easily takes the weight of my K-5 and 40 year old Tamron 300mm lens and would be capable of supporting much heavier kit. It also has allen key type bolts on all areas that may need periodic tightening, so is easy to tighten up if joints become looser.

Highly recommended.

Regards
David

Welcome Keir, good to see a younger member on here! I also have the Pentax-M 28mm F3.5. It's a lovely lens, although not one of my most used. It can be a little too sharp for its own good, but is great wide open.

Hope you enjoy the site.

Regards
David

It's a bit like using a tripod. Tripods not only improve the quality of the image by reducing shake, they also have the same effect as primes in terms of forcing more care to be taken over composition.

Using longer primes for portraits (e.g. 135mm plus) also forces more working distance between the photographer and the subject - this can be beneficial when shooting people who are a little camera shy.

Regards
David

That is certainly the way to do it John, a superb example of how effective a good HDR can be.

Regards
David

Absolutely superb achievement Tim, very well done.

Regards
David

It's a lovely photo John and a great result. Perhaps you could try exposure adjusting the RAW file(-1, 0, +1 stops), process it again and post it here for us to see if there is any difference? It would make an interesting comparison.

Regards
David