I have to admit to also joining the mirrorless movement not long ago. I’d intended moving to a Pentax K-1ii from my current K-3 but after some consideration concluded that what I actually needed was something lighter and more compact rather than heavier and bulkier. In the absence of a suitable offering from Pentax (always late to the party) I went for an X-E3 with 23mm and 50mm prime lenses. It complements my K-3 rather than replaces it. Image quality of both cameras is equally superb. As John Riley said above, this forum is for discussing Pentax equipment so the only comment I will make about the Fuji is that, despite it being mirrorless, using it is very reminiscent of my earliest Pentax days using a Spotmatic with Super Takumar prime lenses - but not limited to 36 frames

There are instances where online images are taken and reused, often commercially, with blatant disregard for copyright but in many other cases images are reused or 'shared' by those with probably no knowledge of the principal of copyright. Exif data often contains copyright information but not many have the means to view it (companies should) or the metadata might have been stripped out. The traditional practice of crediting images in print seems to have been lost with the advent of online publication. So what are the options for a photographer wanting to keep control of his/her images? Physically signing an image as an artist would a painting is possible but perhaps makes the image less appealing to a customer and, in any event, only provides a name. Is there a case for an international database perhaps? Has anyone here any thoughts on this?

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this but thought forum members might be interested in this recent ruling by the European Court of Justice as reported by The A Register:

https://www-theregister-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.theregister.co.uk/AMP/2...

Jim

Excellent photos Gareth, very well executed. 1 and 4 are my favourites. I love the way the water leads the eye to the setting sun in number 4.

Thanks for the tip Daron. It reminds me that I saw a German couple on a camp site who had a tracked sliding platform in the rear of their large 4x4. They slid the platform out, loaded and secured the bikes then slid it all in. A clever system.

I picked up on your comment Daron about putting your bike in the back of your SUV. I always carried my lightweight pushbike on a Thule bike rack on the roof of my hatchback. By comparison I find the electric bike really a bit too heavy to comfortably and safely lift up onto the roof rack. Dropping it could prove rather expensive

Even with the front wheel removed the electric bike won't quite fit in the hatchback with its rear seats lowered so it looks like I might have to change the car for something larger

In the meantime, covering tens of miles on the electric bike is easy and a real pleasure.

Congratulations on the new bike and on a special birthday. That sounds excellent!

A few months ago I did a similar thing and that was also a spontaneous purchase. It's a very similarly spec'd electric bike but in my case a Scott.

I had the same Topeak rack bag on my previous pushbike which I transferred to the new electric bike. One thing I can recommend is the Topeak handlebar bag which is ideal for a DSLR or CSC with attached lens and means you can stop quickly and then instantly grab the camera for a fleeting shot.

As you say, electric bikes can easily rack up the miles without being too physically demanding in hilly areas. Something my not-so-young legs and lungs certainly appreciate

The typo 'deficated cycle paths' made me chuckle as they often are when shared with dog walkers

Problem is I like the K-3ii more for the built in GPS. On top of that I'm also considering a K-1 [/quote]Yes, it’s a shame the 55-300 PLM is not an FA lens, but then it would not be so conveniently compact.

May I rather cheekily suggest that the solution would be to buy my K-3 with my 55-300 PLM lens which will both very shortly be up for sale to help fund a K-1 purchase?

It's interesting reading the comments above. I bought a 55-300mm PLM very soon after they were launched. In use I like that it 'parks' to a size not hugely greater than a standard kit zoom and I have had no problems with doing that or using the lock button. My initial observation was that the zoom ring was slightly stiff to turn and that was an issue raised by others in various reviews. I do like the reassurance of WR.

I have to admit I have not used it for photographing aerial displays so cannot comment on its performance in that context. For general photography I have found it very satisfactory and, like davidwozhere, I use it as one of the two lenses that I carry with me the most, the other being the Pentax 20-40. Although not of the same optical quality the PLM has rather replaced the Pentax 50-135 in my walkabout bag and I have found myself even using the PLM where I might previously have taken my Pentax 150-450 - simply for convenience. Auto-focusing is fast and quiet and, on my K3, is only very occasionally caught out in particular conditions.

So overall I have been pretty pleased with the 55-300 PLM. Despite a slightly compromised but quite acceptable optical performance its compact size, comfortable weight and zoom range have made it a very worthy addition to the bag. Unfortunately, like my other DA lenses it will become a casualty of the planned move to a K1ii. I will miss it.