Haworth is a pretty nice place, although you couldn't see it for the sea of people at the weekend!

We end up in Haworth from time to time.

I just love old planes, so I really need to get my act together and get to some of these flying days. You have inspired my interest!

Karl, I look even younger in the flesh, so to speak.

You get free shipping.....

I find the cheaper bodies too plasticky, the ergonomics don't suit me, I don't like the IQ as much as Pentax and Nikon, where there are aperture rings they operate the opposite way, the more expensive bodies are too bulky and clumsy, they have had several serious issues and even complete product recalls.

In addition, I find it unacceptable that bodies costing thousands of pounds can be subject to poor image quality and need repairs, even under guarantee.

Which I guess is not what you want to accept, but that's just my opinion anyway!

It's a cracking good lens, buy one as soon as you can! Seriously, I was thinking about how I'm much more in a telephoto mood these days. I used to be a wide-angle person, but now I'm not so sure.

Anyway, this lens is well made, superbly sharp and really very nice to use. It's cheap at the current price, so I wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

Recommended.

Most long lenses (zooms or otherwise) have round, deep hoods. Most ultra-wides have petal hoods. This gives maximum protection whilst avoiding corner vignetting. It is more efficient than a square or round hood.

No, you'll need two bottles at least....

Nikon make very fine lenses, but, just like Pentax, some are better than others. Pentax lenses, or at least the exotic ones, have always tended to be a bit more expensive than Nikon. There's no big deal about it, the quality of both marques is exemplary.

In my view, Canon is the one to avoid.

If you use a 300mm on digital then it gives a field of view similar to a 450mm lens on 35mm film. Therefore the minimum hand holdable speed would become 1/450 sec. In reality, I think you would need faster than this as the "minimum" required varies from person to person and day to day and it's very difficult to hold long telephotos still.

Shake Reduction does help, but there are limits to how much it helps.