I have to say that there is another Pentax related forum available which has a vibrant and vigorous membership. There appears to be no shortage of advice and guidance at all levels, and many of those who post are active in the photography community.

These are the "ambassadors" that spread the word on a daily basis, by using Pentax and happily take the time to explain the benefits to anyone who asks questions.

Regardless of which advertising campaign the other manufacturers use, or which celebrity is seem holding the product, the best advert is someone actually using the product. A quick google search of "professional pentax photographers" came up with the following:

http://www.jonathangorsephotography.com/blog/2014/5/why-i-shoot-with-pentax-came...
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/36862469
http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/forums/threads/pro-photographers-who-use-pe...
https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/do-pros-use-pentax.359807/

Over the years I've upgraded Pentax bodies so that I now have three, and also picked up a number of lenses which are now (more or less) compatible with all three bodies. I've got a number of colleagues who have Nikon and Canon cameras, who can pick up new bodies or lenses from local shops while I'm restricted to one or two online international suppliers.

If I was starting again from scratch with no previous knowledge of manufacturers, it would be easy to fall into the "starter kit" trap and pick up a Canikon kit, and once you start on a manufacturer it gets expensive to change.

When I started Pentax was more widely advertised, in fact my first body kit was purchased from a high street shop in a small town, the sort of shop that won't touch Pentax any more.

Other manufacturers want to bulk sell to people who think they need a digital SLR, but will probably never use half the features that it has (although I personally reckon that with the rise in mobile phones and tablets with cameras the number of Canon and Nikon buyers may have dropped).

With Pentax I think the majority of the buyers are serious amateurs, who do their research and read the reviews and pick the body that gives the best features that they want.

So the question is, do you want quality equipment or do you want to save money?

Nice images, it's unusual to see a Mig in the skies over Cosford.

Gone are the days when I was there and you had a dozen different aircraft types and they were all ours!

I've seen some fantastic images taken from the Mach loop over the years, my favourite was an inverted Jaguar (the best way to go over a ridge and continue to fly low is to invert just before you go over. Then you pull back on the stick to dive down into the next valley, inverting back to normal flight).

I just wish I'd had the digital gear I have now 25 years ago, because I think of all the aircraft we had back then which I never got to see in this area. Buccaneer for one, Lightning (not likely but you never know) and Phantom second and third.

I prefer the first as well, but then if I'm taking portraits or general pictures of people I much prefer that they are doing something. People look much more natural if they are doing something, even if it's just chatting to the person behind the camera. Posed portrait shots always appear stilted and posed, and I avoid having anyone look into the lens.

I'm left handed, and read from left to right, but with regard to the image in question I'm not bothered which way round it is flipped. Generally speaking the images that attract my attention most are the ones where your focus can wander over the entire image and discover something new wherever you look. Images where there is a single point which your eye is drawn to and held there don't interest me, which is probably why I don't take much notice of advertisements.

The image in question has great depth of focus, so all points are clear as you would expect to see them in real life. There is an even spread of points to notice, from the fence posts to the gate, and even off into the trees. The tyre prints raise a question of how they appeared and why anyone would go out on a day like this, and the road past the gate makes you wonder what is down there.

As David Trout mentioned, it has balance, and it looks right.

I read the comments on the UK weather with interest, but you don't have all the problems you know. We have a public holiday on Monday so I was watching the weather with interest to see if I could get out in the garden and get some work done. Saturday morning and by 09:00 it was 30 degrees C and by lunchtime 36, so all I could really do was sit inside and watch it all turn crisp.

I miss the bank holiday rain we used to get in the UK.....

What a fantastically simple idea, thanks for sharing it. I assume therefore that you could achieve different lengths of extension tubes by removing the glass on a number of lenses, depending on the body length?

We have a local camera store that has a table outside full of the odds and sods they can't really use for real bargain prices, I've often fancied raking around to see what I can find but this gives me a better excuse for a visit.

It is often said that the only sure fire way for a photographer to make money is to sell his camera! Saying that there are a few I know who do get some monetary reward, but it's few and far between and depends on someone liking an image and buying a copy.

Personally photography is a hobby that captures my time, and with a strict limit takes a bit of money every year. I take photos because I like what I see, if someone else likes what I take then thanks, I appreciate it. But to be honest I would never try to make money from it because then I become a slave to looking for images someone wants, checking everything is right, agonising over processing then hoping that the customer is satisfied.

That would take the fun out of it.....

Fit like Iain, and welcome.

I look forward to be reminded of the scenery.....

Liney