Thanks for your comments.

Focus does seem to be easier with this lens than many others. (Tripod and focus ring used here rather than hand held and move to and fro until in focus).

Ah, pollen!! I was wondering what the specks were. Never thought of the obvious.

Steve

Surely the only suitable response from you is the truth - why you actually did choose a Pentax. And only you can answer that. If they then question the capabilities of your camera, then of course you need some factual answers.

In my case, I had Pentax film era cameras and a Pentax dslr seemed to offer the chance of using the same lenses for both. That's a perfectly good reason and nothing to do with pixels or how many people were using which brand or even which brand was best. In fact, I started acquiring digital lenses shortly after getting a DSLR so now only one regularly used lens comes from pre-DSLR days. But so what? My Pentax cameras (including a Q) give me what I want, there are plenty of lenses for the DSLRs and what cameras other people use have absolutely no effect on what I do. And that's what I'd say if anyone questioned my choice of brand.

Of course, you could always reply 'Would you have asked that question if I was using a Leica?' and see what they say.

Steve

Spring has arrived.

The small white specks on a petal could, of course, be cloned out but why not accept nature as it is?

K3 + Irix 150mm macro @ f4.




Steve

+1
But don't clone out the brown edges of the leaves. It's nature as it really is, not a defect in the picture.

Steve

You can never get too close to a bird. Pity that birds don't share that view.

A good start. Much like the pictures I was taking when I got the lens several years ago. There's a learning curve, but it's well worth climbing.

Steve

And not just indoors. My wife and I were eating outdoors at a cafe along with many other people. A cat arrived with a live mouse in mouth. It walked round until everyone was looking at it. Then it put the head of the mouse in its mouth and closed its jaws... tightly.

Strange that a big cat with an antelope in its mouth is OK for a prime time TV documentary but a small cat doing it live puts you off your lunch.

Steve

There's life where there shouldn't be, too. My daughter has just borrowed a couple of mouse traps.

Steve

An insurance broker once told me that motor insurers decide how much risk exposure they can tolerate. They then decide how many of each type of vehicle and driver they want on their books in order not to exceed it. If they have enough of a particular type, they will raise their quotes for that type to discourage new business rather than say 'we don't want your type!'. This can change from month to month, so can be worth repeatedly trying the same company as well as shopping around.

A friend found that quotes for his Lotus Elise were lower if he included his wife as a driver. He's still trying to work that one out.

Steve

Taken a month ago. Mainly taken to exercise a new lens - Irix 150mm macro on K3 - and to rise to the challenge of finding something interesting in the garden. Nothing big looked interesting so decided to look small and low. This is what had settled on the remains of an ancient raspberry cane. Levels tweaked to bring out texture in the snow.




Steve

A Velbon Angle Adapter 4. One of those things you think really ought to exist, then are surprised when you find that it really does.

Steve