I presume you're lining up the red dot on the mount flange with the red dot on the mount (not the red button on the aperture ring or the white blob)?

Have you tried holding the lens release button in whilst mounting?

I read in one of the magazines some months ago that big camera manufacturers are unlikely to make similar lenses partly because they might demonstrate focus issues with the cameras. Particularly as most cameras only have limited numbers of suitable AF points for accuracy at wide apertures, losing a gazillion of AF points or AF modes in the process. AF performance to the uninitiated could look quite poor depending on shooting style or subject matter.

Hi All,

Having burnt/melted my MX-1 strap on a candle, I'm looking for another one - or info as to where I can get one from?

Regards,

John.

I'd limit my shutter speed to 1/350th or less (more prop blur always looks better than not enough).

My biggest problems with aircraft are exposure and framing:

Exposure against a blue sky isn't too much of a problem, but a white cloudy sky is a real problem if you're not careful. My preferred way to work is in manual having spot metered off grass lit in the same way as the aircraft, checking frequently that you're getting the results you expect (the exposure doesn't usually change too much). I find this works better than trying to spot meter the aircraft itself.

With framing, I often miss wingtips or tailplanes if framing close to the edges of the frame, most often with silver/grey airliners with slender wings.

Another problem are other spectators' heads or loud speaker stands etc. that get into shot when panning across the crowd line which can cause problems with the AF trying to focus on them as you pan.

John.

+1

[quote:3496ace15f="Defragged"]This is a report from this weeks Amateur Photographer:-
That suggests more to me that more people are prepared to buy specialist gadget insurance (on top of their smart phone/tablet contracts & insurance) and it doesn't necessarily relate to sales of kit.

FF is a photographic legacy and is really only relevant to relatively few photographers (most of whom are using it because it is currently the 'best' cost effective option). Sensors are going to get smaller with higher resolutions and a smaller sensor will always be preferred by the electronics industry.

Consumers generally are more impressed by cameras that run Android or have Wifi and instant social media uploading - all of which are much cheaper/easier than bigger sensors. That's why the biggest negative comment in reviews for the K-5/ii is that there's no dedicated movie recording button. FF is not the way to go in this environment.

I didn't like the MX-1 not having a viewfinder (and stated that was a deal breaker), having looked at one I changed my mind and bought one. A pared down DSLR just isn't what Pentax need right now, they need mass market / cool stuff that builds the brand and a good range of DSLRs and lenses to go with it and a good distribution chain.

People don't buy CaNikon as their first DSLR because they have FFs or the Pro's use them, they buy them because the retailers are wall to wall CaNikon with very little of anything else (and they're easier for the sales people to sell). Sony have their own presence due to their other consumer products and don't really care about their old Minolta users.

Pentax need to push their USPs (weather sealing, SR with any lens, lens compatibility, Ltd lenses etc.) more and more effective marketing. The most prominent comment in the K-01 reviews was the name of the bloke who 'designed' it (someone I'd never heard of before - or since). Apparently he also designed the DA 40 pancake - all 10mm of it. A bit more razzamatazz about the camera itself might have been more effective.

AP this week has reported that Fuji's camera division made a loss of £6 million in the last three months - they're going to concentrate on high-end gear - but it hasn't stopped them announcing a new instant film camera: link

I was surprised to see one photo magazine do a sleeping bag review "One night you might find yourself camping on a remote hill top and the right sleeping bag will allow a comfortable night's sleep enabling you to wake fresher for your days shooting...".

Funny thing was they were all £2-300 sleeping bags, no doubt the review was borrowed from a sister 'outdoorsy' magazine. Presumably in exchange for them to run a "Why you really need a supremely expensive/complicated camera for your next night out camping..." article.

Don't forget the obligatory firework issue in October (unless its been replaced by the Halloween issue these days).