I'm not a huge fan of super-zooms and the closest I've got is the 16-85mm, which is superb, but it's not really long enough for air shows I suspect. The Pentax lens with the biggest range is the 18-270mm which I understand has a decent reputation and will cover focal lengths enough for 90% of all photography as long as there's decent light.

If you don't need to cover the wider focal lengths with the same lens then the 55-300mm PLM has a fantastic reputation for IQ and lightening-fast AF.

If you want to also consider a camera upgrade then any of the newer models will offer a higher pixel count which will allow greater crops. They'd also offer better AF and probably higher ISO performance, increasing IQ at the high shutter speeds I imagine you'd need for air shows or wildlife.

The grass always seems greener on the other side so I'd recommend trying out other equipment before buying or selling.

Some things are easily adapted to, such as zooming direction etc, others are simply worse, and you may find that a lot of things you take for granted with your Pentax gear is far more complicated or difficult on other brands. Even simple things, like Canon and Nikon both put their lens release buttons in about the most uncomfortable place it could be, making lens changes more difficult. Stuff like that.

Pentax ergonomics are the best there are and smaller cameras, while likely lighter, will be less comfortable to hold.

As for Pentax focusing being more precise than that of other brands, that's simply nonsense. The biggest problem Pentax has is accuracy of focus and mirrorless cameras are far more accurate because they use the sensor to focus.

There are certainly advantages to mirrorless but Pentax cameras are simply very well designed and many others aren't.

FYI the Toshiba card uses a specific app or you can simply use the browser of your choice to navigate and download too. I use the app these days but for a time I had a mobile that I couldn't make work with the app so I used the browser option. That was a few years ago and I now have a newer version of the card and I imagine the app has also been updated.

Not that I'm aware of. A Toshiba Flashair card will allow transfers to any device with wifi. They're available up to 64GB, and though they cost roughly double what a non-wifi card of the same capacity would, they're very useful and worth the cost. I always have one in slot 2 of my K-3.

I got around to uploading the photos I took a couple of weeks ago in Valencia while visiting the city of sciences. Didn't have time to go in as we spent all day in the Oceanografico, but I mainly wanted to see the wonderful architecture from outside. It's a really stunning place. I imagine that in the morning golden hour it's fantastic but we caught it in the evening which was pretty good too.

I'd have liked to have shot some film too but weight considerations meant that I went all-digital that day.

These were all taken with the K-3 and the 16-85mm.


Valencia by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Valencia II by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Valencia V by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Valencia XI by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Valencia XV by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Valencia IX by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr


Valencia X by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Good decision, I'd say the 16-85mm is the best landscape lens I own, though it's a shame they put the price up by 60 quid. Has the price gone up recently at other retailers? It's 584 at SRS and Amazon UK so still a little cheaper than them.

Thanks for this. I used to use bounced flash a lot with my old K200D but stopped when I moved to the K-3. Lately I've been thinking I should go back to it as it can produce great results and this looks like a helpful product. Sent to my folks' place of course so who knows when I'll get it, thanks Brexit.

Link to save you searching: https://www.manfrotto.com/uk-en/ezybounce-flashgun-bounce-card-ll-ls2810/

I've never used any of these films because they are "special" shall we say. These look very grainy indeed for 100 ISO but the photos are nice.

As you already have the 55-300mm it makes little sense to add an 18-300mm unless you need a one-lens solution, for which the 16-85mm would certainly be a superior option - it really is a superb lens and I've found that landscapes are where it really shines. Like the 18-135mm it's also weather resistant if that's something that would be useful.

The 17-70mm would be useful and a bit faster than the other options, if that's more important to you than sheer range. If they have it available then the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 would be a superior option with less range but faster and with excellent IQ.

You can fry your sensor too, especially in live-view.