Aiki, as requested this is how I might have tried to crop your photo:

[IMG]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/hefty1969/safran-_1241119940.jpg[/IMG]

I think the blue still dominates but not by as much, and the open spaces on the sides have now gone so the orange part of the picture becomes more important.

Others would probably do it differently and the blues could be toned down in Photoshop, but I've left your picture as you shot it just to show the difference a crop alone can make.

SRS have some basic studio all-in-one kits: link

But yes, eBay is also a good place to look along with any of the big photo retailers - even Jessops!

The only "Pentax Pro Centre" listed on the Pentax UK website for the North East is:

CHARLES EAGLES & SON
5 MARITIME STREET
SUNDERLAND
0191 567 9308

Might be worth giving them a call to see if they have a DA55-300 in stock or if they're prepared to get one for you to try.

The Tamron 70-300 has its own problems; it's sharper than the Sigma but it's also a lot more prone to really ugly purple fringing (which the Sigma seems to control much better). When deciding between the two it's really a case of deciding which is the lesser of the two evils...

From what I've seen (and from what others on here have said) the Pentax DA55-300 is a far better lens than either of them; it's as sharp as the Tamron but has none of the issues with abberations. It also costs around £200 whereas the other two cost nearer £100 (less in the Tamron's case) so it should offer quite a step up to be worth its money.

The Tamron 70-200/2.8 is, of course, a different class of lens entirely and one that I would expect to be very competent. We have users on here that have bought this lens and I can't recall hearing any complaints about it; again it's a much more expensive optic and with nearly all lenses you really do get what you pay for!

Don't forget that film has a wider dynamic range than digital so photos you took before that were "near the mark" on film would be outside your new camera's abilities. It's one of the few areas where film technology still reigns supreme.

I'd say your best bet would be to have a look at eBay. There are bound to be other examples of the same Nikon flash on there and you'll probably find you can get a mains adapter there too. Good luck!

Nature reclaims everything in the end

Unless your flash gun is designed to take an external power source (like your Nikon) then you're stuck with an endless stream of AA's I'm afraid Amin.

The Metz flashes being discussed here come with an attachment for a large external battery pack that can keep them firing all day long - this is why they're the choice of folks like (for example) wedding photographers who don't have time to be messing around with battery changes but need to be able to use their flashes constantly. Unfortunately, neither the flashes nor the external power packs come cheap!

I don't think any light meter will help you but a graduated neutral density filter will.

When you have a bright sunny day the sky is bright but the ground below is also very well lit, hence you can get a nicely exposed picture.

On an overcast day the sky is still extremely bright but the ground is much dimmer in comparison. The dynamic range between the two areas is greater than a digital camera (any digicam, not just the K10D) can capture so you either end up with a well exposed sky with a dark foreground, or a well exposed foreground with a washed-out sky.

A graduated ND filter placed over the lens at the time of capture will even-up the light levels by "dimming" the sky portion. There are also software tricks for achieving similar results in post processing (do a forum search for "HDR").

To be honest sharpness is probably the Sigma's weakest point (as has been discussed here many times). You probably wouldn't notice so much on film as you rarely look at prints with the same level of scrutiny as a digital picture blown up to 100% on the computer screen.

To get the best out of it try and avoid the extremes (use 260mm instead of 300mm etc and always stop it down at least 1EV from the maximum aperture).

Welcome to the forum by the way