Sue and I have often thought a photo trip would be nice, but the cost has put us off. That and wondering what ability level they are aimed at.

The K-1 is already a staggeringly good camera, Pentax hit the ground running when they went into full frame. This is probably no real surprise as it was many years in the making and Pentax are already very good at making cameras.

The Mark II rumours would not tempt me to upgrade, but I don't intend to anyway, not until something seriously breaks down anyway. It could reassure those who worry that the longer term doesn't look good, but it never does, no matter what is released. If we look back over the forum I think we'll find a long history of posters predicting doom.

Things just keep going though, and according to the reps at the last event I was at 2018 is planned to be an exciting year. I guess we'll find out.

If it proves anything, it proves that these competitions are meant to be fun, whilst being sometimes a bit challenging to excite our imaginations. It is a process meant to be enjoyed.

Judges will get a better response to what they set if it's clear, straightforward and interesting. A simple subject like "red" or "the number seven" gives room for a wide entry of the obvious and if we wish, for the imaginative to push the boundaries with. The more complex a task set the less likely we are to get a good entry. People are busy and photography may well be their recreation, not an ordeal.

To recap on the rules and guidelines, after the first entry is received there should be no comments on anything in the actual competition area, so nothing to distract the judge. Likewise, if a discussion thread is opened in the forum, after images start to be posted the judge is expected to withdraw from any conversation. It's intrinsically unfair to give further explanation to those who enter later rather than earlier - we need a level playing field. All magazines in print media will refuse to enter into any correspondence about a competition.

Above all, let's be courteous, considerate and enjoy the process. Hope that clarifies the general ethos behind the competitions.

There has always been an enthusiastic base of users here on PU who have been advocates of Silkypix.

Personally I never use the CDs that come with cameras, preferring to do everything using Bridge and Photoshop.

We are straying a bit from the umbrella rules here - that is, the judge sets the brief and then once entries are in retires from threads and further comment until it's time for the judging. We also don't comment in the actual competition thread until the judging is done, instead using threads like this one. Unfortunately we have in effect three images judged before the competition is over.

It's a bit late to worry about that now, but in future competitions we should go back to the basic principles, otherwise we'll end up with shifting sands each time.

But the moment has been prepared for....

So very often not getting the best is a long term mistake. Sue bought me an iPad that I didn't know I wanted a few years ago, and it's still going strong. Not only that but I found it would do all sorts of things that were actually useful after all.

Things do change of course, but generally all marques have been getting faster and better as technology improves. Trying an *istDS now seems really quite slow in so many ways, whereas the K-1 is blisteringly responsive. No doubt this trend will continue.

The other factor is the lens, and some of the supposedly fast camera bodies can be quite slow when coupled with the wrong choice. If we really need something specific, then we will search out the make that offers the required features.

One thing for sure, there are plenty of choices competing for our cash.

I see the Q-S1 is still in there.

Excellent shots.