IQ looks great. But if the DA20-40 IQ is very good then even if the Sigma wins on that count then there are a lot of situations where the Pentax would be more convenient. It is a lot more compact, really a lot more and WR. The price needs to be competitive of course.

Thanks John. I wouldn't say that I've ever lost the joy of producing images but just that priorities can get mixed up sometimes. You can have too many photos of a butterfly but you can't have too many snaps of personal relevance.

Plans are now afoot for us to move to Brighton sometime next year. I am very much looking forward to being a Brighton based photographer. I don't feel I have ever really got to grips with landscape photography here and I feel that the South East, an area I know well, will suit me better. At the least I have gotten stale and a change will envigorate. Just having a quick flick through the archives by far my favourite images from our time here are the quickly snapped and largely technically deficient but meaningful images. This for example will remind me why we moved here:




We all try to produce technically adept images of artistic merit, but it is important to whip out the compact and snap away. In fact more so really as I am guilty of missing in trying to get a more formal portrait.

OK, back to rocks and milky water, roses in the rain and tigers tomorrow.

It seems a rather good deal to me. Obviously the cc thing isn't going as expected (by Adobe that is).

Two potential concerns:

i) The subscription is hiked after the initial twelve months offer period.

ii) Adobe goes bust and leaves you without desktop software.

It doesn't but you can compare your images with those that are generally highly regarded and see if you can determine the differences. If you can analyse the reasons why yours is an inferior image then you will improve. If you think in comparison yours is just as good then you will not. Just use the search engines on 1x, 500pix, look at images that do well in competitions, editors choice images on certain websites. There is much you can learn by critical self-analysis.

You in this context really means 'one'.

I think it should be the norm that any critique or opinion, as long as it is confined to the image and not the individual, should be welcomed. But expectations vary rather too widely for a consistent approach. Different posters have different motives. After a while you get to know the expectations of the individual, but until you do then often it doesn't seem worth offering an opinion.

Personally I am very difficult to please. I am an exceptionally harsh self-critic and welcome the most forthright critique of my own images. I don't need praise, I just need to improve.

There are probably too many that clearly regard their images in high esteem and get a bit huffy when others see things differently. The best approach really is to ask for honest opinion and forthright critique, if that is what you want. Of course it's nice to get wow great stunnings. But it's much more useful to get hints on how to improve.

If you receive few comments then I think it is a fair assumption that the images are either rather too routine or not much good. So silence can speak volumes.

Congratulations on discovering the delights of old glass. As you have a 50mm to play with I would suggest going wider, 28mm to 35mm would be a good range.


You could try the M28/3.5 for around the £40 mark.

I would recommend trying K series glass. A bit more expensive but there are always bargains lurking. I particularly recommend the K28/3.5 and the K35/3.5. Bang for buck I don't think it gets much better.

Revenue/profit is difficult at the moment, the camera business is suffering big time with a lot of reports of declining sales in general.

I'm sure a lot of Nikon and Canon users are eyeing Pentax' APSC line-up and growing lens choices with some envy. Pentax has a real opportunity to become a leading player in that sector.

Question is, which is the right horse to back? It's very difficult to predict where the market growth will come from. We are seeing some pretty nifty squeezing of sensors into bodies that don't really seem large enough to accommodate them. Full frame cameras are coming down in price and size and that risks squeezing the APS-C market. So if you concentrate on smaller sensors and systems to go with them then you are gambling that you won't be out-innovated. Look at the 4/3rds system. Olympus backed that one big time and it's not going well.

These are highly challenging times for the camera industry. There is one common factor that is shared by technology companies, sooner or later they go bust.

I think things could look very unfamiliar in ten years time, maybe a lot sooner. Ricoh haven't really yet laid their cards on the table and it will be interesting to see what they want their camera division to be.

My answer is yes.

I think the K3 looks like a really brilliant camera. But I don't think it is all things to all humans. I believe like every other camera, it is not suitable for everyone. A jack of all trades and master of all isn't really how life goes.

Actually I do believe what they tell me, I just don't believe what you are telling me that they tell me.

You say they tell me "Don't hesitate to buy a K3"

I believe they tell me"......if you simply want the best that Pentax currently offers, don't hesitate to buy a K-3.

You may regard that as exactly the same, I see a crucial difference. One I can believe, the other is a typical out of context soundbite beloved of markeing departments. Clever but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. It could even be regarded as a misleading conclusion of the review.

Pentaxforums advise that this camera is

Not so good for:

videographers
sports shooters
beginners

I am none of those, well perhaps the last, but nontheless I am grateful for them taking the trouble to point that out in case it were a relevant factor in my decision. Responsible and credible imo.