I would set your camera up on a tripod (if you have one), or on a stable, level surface. Then focus your lenses in Live View mode on the rear screen, zooming in to make sure the focus is 100% correct. Then take a picture with the self timer and check the result. If it is not sharp, I would suggest there's a problem with the lens, if it is sharp then the issue lies with your focussing technique using the viewfinder. This may be due to the dioptre settings as has already been mentioned.

Hope this helps.

Regards
David

This is a great landscape lens, I would be tempted if I didn't have two other zooms covering the same focal length. I've owned two of these and have taken some of my best landscape shots with them.

Regards
David

On the K-m you can use the Debug Mode (various tutorials on how to do this are on the web), but the problem is you can't do it for individual lenses, it is a global adjustment only.

Regards
David

Regards 1:1 magnification John, you can get a lot closer if you use (a) tubes, (b) bellows, (c) reversed lens, (d) butchered zoom with enlarger lens etc. There's no limitations depending on what additional tools you choose.

Cheers
David

Great to see you back Tim, hope we can get out on a few jaunts this year.

Cheers
David

Lovely article Phil and some beautiful images in there. The one of the Sea Thrift looking down on the rocky coast in blue light is particularly striking and one I haven't seen before. Great stuff all round.

Regards
David

I'm not an expert bird photographer by any means, but I do think I have some aptitude for it. So, here's my two-pennyworth:

- I would tend to take advice from the likes of Alan Wennington (Blythman), who is an acknowledged expert

- Learn your own capabilities and adapt your shooting settings to them. What do I mean by this? Well, some of us can shoot at 420mm / 1/100 of a second without camera blur, and some of us can't. I think everyone who takes a reasonable number of images with long lenses will understand where their limits lie and if you need a higher shutter speed, up the ISO to get you there

- Use a camera support where you can - this doesn't have to be a tripod or a monopod. For example, if shooting from a van you can use a beanbag to rest the lens / camera on the doorframe / window frame, this will make a huge difference

- Make sure your focus is calibrated well, i.e. if you focus on a bird's eye, you need to be sure that the camera is going to give the result you expect

- It can make sense to invest a bit more in equipment, this doesn't have to cost thousands of pounds. for example, a DA*300 with a 1.4 TC will produce stunning quality images. Yes, it doesn't zoom, but personally I would use the DA*300 with a TC over a Bigma every day of the week. I think the IQ is better, the max aperture is bigger and it handles better (just my personal opinions here). Also, I'm not afraid to use my DA*300 at max aperture, whereas with my Sigma 50-500 and 150-500 I avoided this as the IQ was poor at this setting.

- For camera settings, I like to use AV, but adjust the exposure by playing with the exposure compensation setting. Normally I'll shoot between 1/3 stop and 1 stop under the centre weighted average exposure as I find this avoids burn-outs in bright areas. You have to take account of conditions on the day and adjust accordingly

- Try to avoid bright backgrounds - you want the bird to stand out, not the background. This might mean moving to different positions

- Try to avoid clutter in backgrounds. it's difficult to get birds isolated without loads of twigs and leaves directly behind, but it's worth trying to achieve this as results are much better

- Don't overlook your garden. Set up feeders hanging from suitable trees, not bird tables. This will encourage birds to perch in advantageous spots in the trees whilst waiting their turn for the feeders to clear

- Think about which birds you want to photograph. I paerticularly like Goldfinches, so I pick Teasels and set these up in the garden with Nigella seeds sprinkled on some of the heads. Lo and behold, Goldfinches come. If you have a shed nearby you can turn it into a bird hide.

Hope there is some common sense and good suggestions here, best of luck whatever lenses and cameras you choose! Apologies for the lengthy post, I tend to get carried away!

Regards
David

Don't worry about something that might never happen Louise. Just enjoy using your camera. Before I bought my current car (Vauxhall Insignia Diesel Estate) I read some reviews on the web that said they weren't well built, weren't reliable etc. I've had it 4 years now and no problems in 60000 miles, it's built like a tank. Same could be said for all of the Pentax DSLR's I think!

Cheers
David

I like my K-01, but it's kept for indoor use only nowadays. It's great with old MF lenses, due to the focus peaking and it has really good image quality. I too find it a pain outdoors, no competition for my K-5iis or my K-3, or even my K-x for that matter.

Regards
David

Lenses are the key here I think. If you've got enough quality lenses to work well with the K-1, then I would say go for a K-1, if there's any doubt about this I would go for 2 K-3's in the secure knowledge you won't need any more lenses.

I'm not convinced about using the older legacy glass on a K-1; I suspect it will be harsh on them unless they are top-notch. Also, until we see more K-1 actual images, I'm unsure how much better it will be in the noise department at higher ISO's? If it is stellar in this regard, then it might be too tempting to ignore and this would be the only reason I would consider buying one at the moment.

Regards
David