I remember impressed seeing Hale Bopp back in the day on looking rather impressive over the Alps. This one seems not quite as visible, but just as photogenic. I had a number of (obvious) locations in mind, all involving the idea of the passage of time and with minmal artificial light. I wanted the comet small in frame to give a sense of large scale 'wonder', and important in the composition but not dominating. Ideal shooting conditions presented them on the weekend of 10 July. Unfortunately, being overexcited by the end of a working week I had a few beers and couldn't drive anywhere, thus missing noctilucent clouds. The same happened on the Saturday. Then clouds set in. Fortunately on Sunday past the weather was ideal, so I hot footed it to Stonehenge to be joined by 50 or so other photographers on the tiny A303 verge trying not to get squished by lorries all night long. Exceptionally difficult to photograph, especially with lorries thundering past affecting camera stability. Tried to make use of uncontrollable light, such as the torchlight of the security guards and passing lorries/emergency vehicles, also hoping that satellites kept out of the scene. These are the results that are OK. I got pretty much what I wanted on the lone church on the Romney March. If conditions permit then I might try one last shot somehere trying to get the waxing Moon in shot (not sure if that will be possible)- after which the comet will be washed out.




Same - think I prefer mono:




A couple with the plough in shot:





h
A touch of handy lighting:




This is Fairfield Church, a survivor of a lost village:

A dream location, and you did it justice.

In answer to David's question - neither.

The gallery picture is only a minor crop to straighten, rather than crop to APSC. The 12-24 is not ff compatible but it's not bad to use. Sharpness to edges is surprisingly ok. Centre sharpness is plenty good enough. So knowing the limitations then it's perfectly usable on ff. It's main issue for me is chromatic aberration, but that is no worse than on crop sensor. From 17-24mm it doesn't vignette.

I don't use it that much - the 31mm is my go to landscape lens. I would have gone for a 15-30 but for the required investment in a whole new filter system. I was hoping that Pentax would make the wide prime (20mm?) on the roadmap - but that has been kicked back again so probably won't ever arrive. Also annoying that Sigma won't make their lenses in K mount. So my preferred option is the Irix 15mm (if you can find one) to use alongside the 31mm.

The following examples are all taken with the K1 and 12-24 with only a small amount of cropping from the long edge, or none. I am to blame for the dark edges, not the lens. Furthermore, as none of them are ever likely to be printed at all let alone printed large then quality perfection doesn't matter. Although I reckon they would stand up to all but the pickiest critic (which is me anyway). The only pictures I'm likely to print with this combo are the pierscapes, where edges and corners are featureless so the 12-24 works just fine for those:

Can't disagree with that, unfortunately.

I can't think why anyone with a 43 or 77 would go for a 50 or 85. There are older lenses at those focal lengths that work very nicely on ff too.

I think there are rather more of us that don't wish to go for the 15-30 (terrific lens though it well may be) because of the size and because it requires a whole new filter system. Wide primes are an obvious hole in the line-up and should be prioritised.

Ricoh are not doing very well. The vast majority of the company that is, of which the camera business is a titchy (and by all accounts unprofitable part). I hope that doesn't impact on everything except the Theta, but it well might.

What mock-up primes were those?

It's easy. Just deliver what is on the roadmap. It's taking too long.

I absolutely need a DFA 20mm f1.4

I would also like a wider prime.

Sigma make a 20mm f1.4 which isn't in K mount.

Irix and Laowa deliver wider in K mount - if you can find one in stock.

I have an M20mm f4 - it just isn't up to the K1.

The 12-24 isn't up to the K1 either (it's not supposed to be).

Other roap map lenses like the standard and medium telephoto primes are not a priority in my view (or even necessary) since the Ltds, inter alia, are excellent on the K1.

There's a FM?

1. Put an expensive lens on it,
2. Stand in front of something interesting before most people have woken up.
3. Put it on M and try a few settings until it comes out right.

A 4% Moon will set shortly after the Sun does, so it will have no affect whatsoever. The Milky Way is brightest around midnight.

Excellent set. 1 is my pick.