I don't see the distances involved here as "short distances" Stefan.

The point is that standards do matter, otherwise we might as well give up trying to communicate.

However, language does grow and develop amongst the literate as well, and sometimes things come full circle and a very antiquated phrase will re-emerge as the latest "street-speak". An example is the phrasing of which the following is an example.

"I was very happy for him. Not!"

This is Victorian English and re-appeared within probably the last ten years.

Hence the slight difference in exposure.

It's not down to mirror slap then, so I can't think of any explanation just now.

I really can't believe that the lists represent anything like the overall use amongst Pentax users. It's been a self-selecting poll and as such has very limited meaning.

I would guess that many of the poll answers were also liberally sprinkled with wishful thinking.

At that sort of distance DOF would more than cover any but the grossest focusing errors, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Did you use the 2 second self timer to ensure lack of vibration?

There's no mirror slap anyway with Live View, so the difference just maybe could be down to that.

The thing is, we don't criticise the person, we appraise the image.

If I'm judging a competition, the first thing is that there's a lot to enjoy and celebrate in the efforts people put into their images. Finding the good things is a good place to start as it identifies the strengths that can be worked on and developed.

Then we can find ways that the less good points can be improved. In this way, we can be helpful, encouraging and avoid being insulting.

There's nothing worse than shattering a beginner's confidence by trashing their work. The thing to do is encourage their skills and help them improve.

Doing an appraisal isn't easy for everyone, but we can all pass an opinion that may well be helful to the photographer.

Instructions on how to post images are at the top of the Your Photos section.

It was recognised just fine when I tested one, as you would expect a Pentax lens to be.

First, check the contacts are clean, with a soft dry cloth to polish them. If both mount and lens are then OK reseat the lens and try again.

If the fault persists, then it's a fault.

If you want to make the imager darker, then this can be done in Photoshop. I don't know what the tone of the cannon is, but you should be able to match it.

For most purposes though I would use available light - a large window plus reflectors as needed. This is much more gentle than flash and gives a less harsh result.

Incidentally, you make an image darker by reducing exposure, so - EV.