The Pied Wagtail ( #6 ) and the Mayfly ( #8 ) are stunning.

The lakescape (#3) might be improved by cropping top and bottom to lose the grey cloud at left.

10/10 for the images. Nil point for the vignette effect.

I never try to let photography take precedent over beer. In fact, the former is often improved by the latter.

@PentaxExpert, are your correctly spelled posts typed before, or after, several cans of Stella?

Jacqi2, you have a PM.

Focus bracketing will help to produce focus stacked images, but I think moving the whole camera and lens or subject, without adjusting focus on the lens produces slightly better results.

For that, some sort of macro rail or linear stage is required, or a very steady hand.

I'd love to have a play with a StackShot rail.

Well I had a terrible experience with SRS.

My son and I drove all the way to Watford to get a spare battery for his Canon 7D. They were out of stock.

So instead, I bought a K5, spare battery, and a grip. Well I had to buy something having driven all the way from High Wycombe to Watford, didn't I?



Seriously though, I have dealt with Chris and his team for quite a few years now and it's always been a pleasant buying experience.

I for one have no problem singing the praises for any company or individual that offers such painless service.

Well done SRS I say.

Easy answer, get one of each.

A monopod with a ball head will give you stability and manoeuvrability for longer lenses. A tripod aids macro work, though I doubt you'll be doing much of that with the 300mm.

I don't think there is a simple answer to choosing which lens. I voted for the Sigma 150-500mm.

There are many factors to consider when choosing.

How good is your field craft? Can you get close enough to be able to use a shorter focal length like the DA* 60-250mm or 300mm.

What's your budget? The Sigma 150-500mm is £600, the DA* 60-250 is over £1000.

Do you need it to be weather resistant? The Pentax DA*'s are, the Sigma's are not.

Maximum aperture and whether it's constant aperture in the case of a zoom.

You also need to consider the weight of the lens if you are limited to hand holding, and/or carrying it around all day.

As Smeggy said above, Integral Ultima pro, are about £16 for 16Gb, and £7 for 8Gb Class 10 cards.

You will need class 10 if you shoot video.

Whilst you may not notice any speed difference in camera, you'll certainly appreciate the faster cards when downloading their contents to your PC.