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Here are a few from awhile back: they seem sharp enough to me to suggest that the camera is not the root of the problem, but more experienced eyes may not agree. They are all raw files converted to jpeg and resized with no sharpening.

1. K-5 + DA 55-300mm



2. K-5 + DA 55-300mm



3. K-5 + DA 18-135mm



4. K-5 + DA 18-135mm



5. K-5 + DA 18-135mm



Thanks,

Thanks, David. I'll dig out some old ones from before I had the DA*300. I don't recall having problems before, but your eye is better attuned than mine insofar as you know from experience what the lens should be like. I'm just beginning to realize that now.

If anyone's following this....
did the AF fine adjustment with the DA*300mm, ran the same test again and the difference was noticeable. Have n't been able yet to get any birds or dragonflies because of the weather, but got out today in the wind and found a few cows that were reasonably still. How would you rate the level of sharpness here, please?
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Thanks,

Derek, thanks for this. The focus point for all the tests was the lower case letter "a" which is as near to the centre of the text as I could get. The two/three lines of text to the right of the "a" line (ie further from the camera) seem sharper, suggesting back-focussing, as David pointed out. Is your second paragraph as you intended? Shouldn't your "closer" and "further away" be the other way round?

Paul, I was so intent on setting everything up accurately for the test shots, I forgot to turn off the SR! Back to the drawing board! (With fingers crossed that the solution could be so simple - surely not!) No need to apologise!

Conditions not as good today, so may have to wait until tomorrow to repeat the tests and make the adjustments - I don't really have the indoor lighting to be sure of doing them correctly.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

Thanks, David. I'll try the adjustments first as soon as I can. I'm well aware that my results are not as sharp as I would like them to be, especially when compared to yours above and lots of others that are posted. The logistics of returning equipment are daunting, but if that what it comes to ...

Trying to determine if lack of sharpness with the DA*300, with and without Pentax 1.4 rear converter, is due to my incompetence or to possible calibration issues. As advised, I have tried to take comparison shots (please see below) and would be grateful for any insight you may have. The shots were all taken in my back garden late this afternoon, in good light, no wind, using both a tripod and remote shutter release. They were all taken using TAv setting with Auto ISO, single central AF point using the rear AF button, all focussed on the letter "a" in the centre of the image.
Do you think adjustments are needed to the camera settings?

1 K-5, DA*300 at F4 and 1/800s



2 Same, with 1.4TC at F5.6 and 1/800s



Then from a slightly more frontal view:
3 K-5, DA*300 at F4 and 1/800s



4 Same, with 1.4TC at F5.6 and 1/800s



Thanks for any observations on these,

Hi David, Carl,
I've taken test shots as suggested, but am not sure about the outcome! They seem to me to show back-focussing rather than front. I'll post them in the "Trouble-shooting" forum, which seems a more appropriate place, if you wouldn't mind casting your eye over them.
Thanks,

A few from our week in the French Alps in July - lots of cloud and rain sweeping through, making for constantly changing scenery. Hope these give a bit of a feel for the summer alpine scenery.

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I have a free one called TackSharp which is simple and straightforward. Seems OK to me - it expects you to have an unreal ability to judge distance with the naked eye down to the metre, of course, but don't they all?