A friend who I hope will join Pentax User in due course has just bought her first camera Pentax K30 on my recommendation. She has set the camera up OK, formatted the memory card, but has "a status screen with a flashing letter F and also when pressing the LV button the F in red flashes at the bottom of the viewing screen. What do I have to do before allowing me to take pictures"

As I didn't have any difficulty like this, perhaps someone can help please? John

Yes that is it. John

I printed off an article posted on 23rd November 2011 I believe on ephotozine "Sensor Size Explained with sample photos. From that I quote without really understanding it that the Pentax Q (1/2.33 inch Sensor) has a Crop Area (mm2) ie 5.5x 28 Size 6.16 x 4.6 mm. The crop factor is used to calculate what the effective focal length of a lens would be in 35mm terms based on the focal length printed on the lens.

In the article there are photos of cameras, photos of image quality and noise performance from different sensor sizes with each photo having been taken at ISO 3200 and says things to look out for include loss of detail and edge quality. As the sensor size decreases the noise levels increase. The 1/2.33 looks very small compared with others illustrated.

I can't reproduce the article as the edges of the text are missing! John

There is an article posted in the right hand column at the moment about this but my search for the model mentioned has proved unproductive. Can anyone say where one may be obtained please? After the article there is a Sky-Watcher mentioned and when going to this there is a list of other equipment that you seem to need to connect Sky-Watch to the camera so I presume that overall it would cost about £70 and there is no mention on how this might be attached to the Pentax K20D. I was on my haunches phtographing a helliborene and fell over backwards after getting the shot. Would this help to prevent this?! John

Interesting Macro Shots but one or two of them look as though they have been oversharpened in Elements 7. Eg the third one of the first flower and the bluebells. John

I have seen this before, and found it quite fascinating that you can disturb them slightly and then they all return to being close together. Good shots.

I like the printed issue but can see the advantages of a PDF copy so I do not mind which way it goes. I will have to decide which to pay for when the time comes. So either way for me sitting on the fence! Johnwnjr.

I have the K10D and K20D Magic Lantern book. The latter has been re-written to cover the additional features in the K20D of course. Both books I rate as very helpful and well written. Different pictures in the K20D book too.

John

I suggest the Optio 750Z as a remarkable camera. I have posted several shots on the Gallery taken with one. It also records sound, and better quality video than most, but I suppose it is over your budget. It has a separate viewfinder and a flexible moveable LCD. It is especially good for close ups. I believe that it is only available second hand now, and in that case you might obtain a bargain.

On a Forum like this I presume everyone takes lots of photographs. What to do with them? Over the years I have concentrated at one time on Natural History and joined a Postal Circulation Group in which we commented on each others pictures. This was very useful as it made you think about the various pictures and how they might be improved. I have only just joined this Forum, although I have had the Pentax Magazine for years, and used Pentax equipment from the Spotmatic F, through MZ5N, to a couple of Optios and a K10D. For many years I have been making Audio Visuals, thus still making good use of the pictures that I take. I have also taken to printing some of ones I consider better than others, for albums. If you would like to know more about my Audio Visual activities, which nowadays are usually restricted to local venues only, please try the following link I have made this entry as it seems that we are asked to contribute an entry to the forum. So far I have not had a comment on a photograph I entered to the Gallery yesterday, or made a comment, but I hope to contribute more in that way in due course. All best wishes.