Second one is definitely better IMHO.

Regards
David

OMG we've started something now!! I never even thought about it until I used my son's K-m (which is now mine as he has a K-x), but since seeing the images it produces I think CCD still has the edge, even if the pixel resolution is lower. 'Gloss' and 'Matt' sums it up nicely.

Regards
David

It is quite noisy but i have used it for bird shots in a hide only 2m away from the birds and it did not upset them in the slightest! The noise is subjective and I suspect it is noticed by the photographer more than it is by others.

Regards
David

Depends what you want to use it for, but the Pentax 55-300 has fabulous image quality, but probably focusses on AF slower than the Sigma. I can only compare the Pentax 55-300 with a Sigma DG APO 70-300 (I have the Pentax, my son has the Sigma) and the Pentax blows the Sigma away for image quality (sharpness, colour and contrast). It is also better built than the Sigma. I would buy the Pentax even if it has gone back up to normal price.

Regards
David

Darren, good to see you are learning more already - it's just a matter of using your camera as much as possible and getting to know it inside out. DSLR's are complicated beasts by their very nature and this is why most people don't use them and stick to ccompacts. if you're serious about taking pictures that require some skill and judgement, the results you will get will be far better than any compact can deliver. Keep at it - it won't take long for you to master it.

Regards
David

This is ancient history now! Amazon had them at £135 for a day or so! Keep watching these forums and you will get tip-offs very quickly in future!

Regards
David

I don't seem to have an issue with manual focussing - I can usually get it spot-on. If the light is really low I use 'Live view' and magnify the image. If you do this you can get the focus 100% right almost every time and it's definitely more accurate / reliable than AF in low light. If you're taking still life shots or shots of a model who will stay still, there's no reason not to use manual focus. Anyway, most of my lenses are not AF so I don't have a choice with these!

Regards
David

Very interesting technical comparison between CCD and CMOS which seems to imply that getting high quality images from CMOS is more difficult than with CCD. To my eyes, in Pentax cameras the CCD images are slightly superior, assuming that ISO is kept at a reasonable level. For high ISO the CMOS images (newer sensors?) are much better.

Hope we haven't started a major disagreement here but I suspect others will weigh in with their views! I sit on the fence because I have both CCD and CMOS sensor cameras and love them both!

Regards
David

I agree with Mark T's and Pentaxophile's comments. I almost always use manual focus in artificial light, or alternative use the live view in magnified mode if focus is really difficult and critical. I have no complaints about the AF abilities of my Pentax DSLR's although I don't have a K-5, only K-x and K-m.

Regards
David

5 million what Shaun? Is this pence, pounds, yen, dollars or something else?

Also, I wonder how anyone would know if they were the best in the world? As far as I know there are no ratings for photographers unless someone can tell us different?

Regards
David