Fascinating set. 2nd version of No. 1 improves an already good photo. No. 2 draws me in, makes me look into it rather than at it (if that makes sense). However, the patch of background at the top left is a bit distracting to me, how about cropping the top to remove it? No. 3 reminds me of another photographer ... American ... name something like Adams Family ... got it, Ansel Adams! Not sure that knobbly pine (or whatever it is) works as well as aspen though .

Now you mention it.... . There's also a coypu if you let your imagination wander .

Steve

Isn't the answer obvious? Buy it, try it, and if you don't like it then sell it at a profit on e-bay.

Seriously, though, the Q is a totally different experience to a DSLR. Best to look at it as something different rather than a substitute. I've got a Q and Q-S1, both get used as well as the K3. The little 'uns are easy to carry around 'just in case' and less intrusive when I don't want to be conspicuous.

The original Q is very well built and feels reassuringly solid. Later models have more plastic and don't feel as robust. If it's the original Q, don't expect to get away with high ISO, it's a tiny sensor (ISO 400 is my limit and can still be a bit noisy). Later versions use a bigger sensor (ISO 800 on my Q-S1 is OK for me). You'll miss a viewfinder and the screen can be a pain in bright light (or if your eyesight isn't good!).

The 01 standard lens is very good. Wide open, you can get some worthwhile OOF blur, but nothing like a DSLR with a fast normal lens. The 02 is much better than some reviews suggest. The 06 tele-zoom is also very good (although mine recently packed up, still waiting to hear whether it's repairable ). The fisheye is fun, if you like that sort of thing. Worth noting that f8 is the limit with the Q for sharp images, diffusion sets in beyond that. However, the ND filters built into some Q lenses are a big help with bright light.

Is it an outdated system? Depends who you ask and what you mean by outdated. Nothing new in the Q series for several years and not likely to be any in the future, and it does have a small sensor. But if it does what you want (which it does for me) and you can get the lenses you want, then it's a viable system.

Hope that helps.

Steve

Thanks. I'm wondering whether it can be trained to leave us sensible locals alone and just go for the chips, ice creams and sandwiches of the thoughtless, stupid and downright dangerous non-locals flocking to Dorset beaches at the moment...

Steve

First steps away from the nest today (unless I missed it yesterday). The nest is behind the chimney of next door but one. Mum (or Dad?) is totally paranoid about other birds in the vicinity. A jackdaw on the neighbouring roof was chased off, a magpie in a tree next door was threatened and a passing gull got the shock of its life. Lots of noise at other times, too, of course.

Whatever you think about herring gulls, their UK conservation status is 'Red' so another young 'un ought to be a welcome sight. So enjoy saying "Ah, cute!" with a clear conscience!

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Steve

Nicely done, as usual. And thanks for explaining about them. I've learned something new today, which makes it a good day.

A disturbing thought - from now on, sight of a pork pie will make me think of shield bug eggs.

Steve

Lovely picture, well worth fighting through adversity!

Have you tried a right-angle finder in those situations? Looking downwards rather than forwards can sometimes be enough to get rid of blur from the sun. Not always possible, of course, but it's a trick that might help when live view and eye-to-viewfinder don't work. (I've also found that cleaning muck off glasses can help...)

You're fortunate to be able to grow roses like that. Wrong sort of soil round here, roses are a lot of bother and not much to show for it .

Steve

Yep, that last shot for me, too. In flight, in focus and laden with pollen.

Steve

Nice set. Keep bouncing back!
Love In A Mist (botanical name Nigella damascena). If it likes your soil, you've got it forever - it self-seeds furiously. A good photographic subject from initial bud, through flower to dry seed head. So come back with camera in a few weeks when the seed heads are forming .

Steve

Ah, wombling free again!

Amazing that those shots were taken in a densely populated part of a big city. And at a time when crowds have started to fill open spaces again after the pressure of lockdown. Where are the people????

Steve

Sleeping in the sun (the dog, not me...), the eyes opened slightly, the head rose, a brief glance at the world, human takes photo without dog noticing, an annoying itch dealt with (by dog, not human...), then head down and eyes closed again. What a hard life Willow has...

K3 + that great portrait lens the DA*300 + 1.4TC. Anything shorter and she notices you're there and the opportunity has gone!




Steve