The clamp is to stop focus creep (lens barrel moves due to gravity) which these lenses are prone to, especially when shooting vertically, up or down.

The FA 77mm is slightly faster than the DA 70mm at 1:1.8 compared to 1:2.4.

The FA 77mm is also a full frame lens and can be used on film bodies and any possible forthcoming FF DSLR body.

I think it's a smc Pentax-A 35-70mm 1:3.5 zoom.

Interesting read. I wonder if the author of the site, Allen Rockwell, is related to Ken Rockwell.

I think that works better than the original.

That looks like the vegetation from #4 with the sky from #3.

There were quite a few that found there way to the bin I'm afraid. I was having trouble with getting the focus correct. Even when I did get it right, which was most of the time, something found its way into the background. I used the DA* 60-250mm all day and found it a bit too long at times. Out of 766 images, 535 were at focal lengths between 60 and 140mm.

Hiring the printer was an experiment which I think will probably lead to a purchase. Four or five shows like the one we've just done will pay for it.

Creating an account is too much trouble for some, but not many as most people want to log in to see photo's of themselves or their animals and hopefully buy them.

Enter Shop > Equestrian > Leabarn Open Show.

Sorry Mike, I've only just seen your post. The weather has mostly been awful as I'm sure you know, but for the event I shot with my son Richard, it was a roasting hot day.

The shots with image numbers beginning K51 are mine on his site. You may need to create an account to see them.

We were printing on site with a rented HiTi P510S Dye Sub printer. The score on the day, Pentax K5 sold 28 images, Canon 7D sold 22. Need I say more.

I shot a total of around 800 images, I was a bit trigger happy I'm afraid. Some early ones are a tad overexposed because I set the K5 with +0.7 EV comp, the same as my K20D, but it wasn't necessary.