Thanks for the update Chris.

Indeed we do John and I think people often forget this. A small bird is constantly moving its head even if it appears still. Another reason why we tend to use burst mode. Back to the notion of a heavy f2,8 300mm - provided the f4 focuses well with a TC isn't F4 the new F2.8 with the current improvements in noise levels of at least one stop ISO equivalent esp. for birds? (Disregarding DOF which could be too narrow a lot of the time at F2.8

The results would be nice to hear about though!

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http://www.lightstalking.com/digital-image-noise

Item 2. under - Tips to combat noise generation.

I was puzzled by it and wondered if it had any credence. Not any clearer so far!

Just read this which I'd not seen before:-
"Here is one ISO tip that many photographers aren’t aware of: keep your ISO setting to the industry standard numbers – 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, etc. All digital cameras offer ISO settings between these numbers (such as ISO 250). But, what is really happening (with many camera models) is that the camera has electronically boosted the sensitivity of the sensor to ISO 400, then cut it back to ISO 250 using an algorithm, and this will increase the noise beyond what you might expect for that particular ISO setting."
1. Is this true and if so what is the point of intermediate ISO's?
2. Does it apply to Pentax DSLR's?
3. What does it really mean in real terms of IQ ?

I've got that one - did yours come from Germany? It's very good but mine seemed a fraction too long and didn't quite lay flat on the end of the screen because it curves up at the edge. I informed them and they've sent me another set which seem about a mm short in length but are much easier to fit flat and air bubble free. Non-reflective which is good but it does add a bit of grain to the image as viewed.

Mine's a month old and I think it is the same as it was new. It possibly may seem less quiet because at first it was a contrast from the clatter of the K30 but now I am getting used to it.

I've had my K3 for a month now and as far as I can see the noise performance is similar enough to my K30 for me not to bother. It is slightly better on paper than the K30 but as far as I am concerned the overriding factor with noise is the correctness of the original exposure and the degree of cropping of the image. I've also found it varies with different colours and the degree of shadow. I agree that it seems to have a slightly more "evenness" than my K30 making it easier to remove. In my experience in 99 times out of a hundred these factors outweigh the "specification" and the pixel peeping performance of the sensor so I've stopped fretting about it!

Crikey!He must have a very short and twisty neck compared to mine! Can't get near the viewfinder!

Well it must be better to win the poll than not win it I guess, however much or little it means! Mind you, DPR seem to be keeping it pretty low key - it's not exactly up as a headline is it! Now I have a K3 I'm reasonably confident it will get a very good review but they will comment on the AF and high ISO performance and rate it just below the Nikon 7100.