Just a bit of fun to generate some debate, what is your favourite lens and why is it your favourite? We're talking Pentax or Pentax fitting lenses here. I will give you a starter for 10:

Pentax-M 28mm F3.5

It's my favourite because:

1. It's a superb landscape lens, it captures colours and details brilliantly

2. It is the best lens I have for rendering Greens, saturated and vibrant but still natural

3. It is not a zoom, it makes me think

4. It is not AF or auto aperture, it makes me think

5. It was cheap (£30)

6. It is beautifully made

7. It delivers great results

Let's have your thoughts on your own favourites!

Cheers
David

All very nice and well shot, but I am just loving number 4. The tones in this one are gorgeous, I like also the relative under-exposure compared to the others in the set which makes the depth of colour greater.

Regards
David

Love the first shot, a very creative way of portraying the power of the water.

Regards
David

Hi and welcome!

The K-5iis is a great choice, it is considered one of the best Pentax DSLR's and is fast becoming a classic, you won't be disappointed if you can find a nice one that's been well looked after.

Regards
David

These are excellent George, 4 and 5 in particular. It looks like a good copy of that lens, they're nice and sharp.

Regards
David

The short answer Vic is 'yes', but as usual there's a bit more to it. A better option rather than sticking your Hard Drive in an external box would be to stick it inside the PC. To do this you either need a Desktop PC with a decent sized case, or a higher-end laptop that has dual hard drive bays. I have an Asus N750VJ which has two drive bays and I run Win10 on one and Win 8.1 on the other. The Win10 drive is from my previous PC which got damaged and was paid out on insurance; they allowed me to buy back the hard drive which I simply installed in the new PC and used it as my main (C) Drive with all my previous software installed and working as normal. You may however need Microsoft's assistance to validate the Windows installation as most are only licenced for the PC they came pre-installed on, so might be reported as 'not validated' in a different PC.

With the system I now run I can choose to boot the PC to Win10 or Win 8.1. I use Win10 as the default, the alternative is reserved for emergency use, in case of hard drive failure etc. The other thing you may find is that some software and drivers don't work in Win10 and the vendors haven't yet got around to providing updated ones. Common issues arise with Bluetooth, Touchpads and High Definition Audio Drivers, so it's always useful to be able to switch to an older operating system if you have problems.

Hope this is not too technical.

Cheers
David

I think the second set is more successful than the first John. The background colour in the flower shots clashes with the colour of the bloom and I think this detracts a little from the images.

In the second set you have been much more successful at isolating the subject from the background the colours are bright and complimentary. Great bokeh too in these , especially number 5.

In the second set, I would have been tempted to lower the exposure by at least one stop, to make the highlights more subtle, then process to bring out the shadow details. I think this would have given the shots more dynamic range and greater punch / impact. Great potential in the second set though, especially number 6 which I think is the strongest shot, with the best subject and composition.

Regards
David

Hi Sara, you've certainly gone in at the quality end with that combination! My best advice would be:

- Keep your shutter speed reasonably high - 1/500 second or higher, unless you are very expert at holding the camera still. Camera movement will be the biggest reason shots are not sharp, unless your equipment has an AF issue. Don't be afraid to up the ISO to keep the shutter speed up, also your DA*300 will be fine at its widest aperture, as it is a superb lens

- Use a camera support whenever possible. Tripod is best, but not easy to move, monopod is usually more practical for bird photography. If you can't use either, rest the lens on something, a bean bag is ideal

- Choose your backgrounds carefully and try to avoid clutter behind the bird. Isolated twigs as perches are good

- Calibrate your lens to your camera - you would be surprised how much focus variation there is on different lens / body combinations

- Don't use the 'machine gun' technique - learn timing on the shutter button and you will become natural at knowing when to press and when not to

Hope this advice helps you to get some great bird shots, others may disagree with what I've said but it works for me.

Regards
David

PS I forgot the most important which is learn to be in the right place at the right time. This will mean getting up early.

It's OK in Sheffield, nothing out of the ordinary as rain goes, but very mild. It's amazing how much difference 40 miles or so can make (Leeds / York). Might be a good time to pay Sheffield a visit!

Regards
David

If you haven't used the lenses for a long period of time they can have focus issues. Not sure why but it's to do with the SDM motors. These lenses need to be used regularly to avoid issues.

Regards
David