These really great (again) - I especially like Cuckoo from the back - great composition and lovely detail. Top stuff!

I have a lowepro apex 100aw - it holds my Q with a lens fitted, plus the other two lenses I have, and external viewfinder, spare battery and mini-polarising filter. Very snug - although a teeny bag, it comes with re-configurable dividers inside (held by velcro) and has an integral rain cover can that can rolled it when it pours down. Also, when all packed up, I can either just take that (small) bag (it has a shoulder strap), or the whole thing can fit inside another bag. So for going on hols, I have a medium sized camera bag with SLR kit in the bottom half, the Q bagged up in the top half, and still have room for other odds and sods, and can then just take out the Q if I don't want, or can't, take the SLR.

Cheers

I think your choice was perfectly valid. You have outlined some of the qualities which attracted you to Pentax in the first place: Value for money; in body SR; backwards compatibility... (you're not alone there). You have also said that you have been very happy with the models you have used, and furthermore that your ethos tends to point towards brand loyalty. I would have thought that is pretty overwhelming. I would have thought you could get good pics from other brands too, but you may have had a bigger outlay on lenses, and I would have thought that cameras in an equivalent price bracket are perhaps not dissimilar in terms of end results...:

I'm with Smeggy - the siggie 85 is (probably) 'next' on my list if I suddenly get gripped by LBA, although it's quite pricey so I doubt I'll be getting it anytime soon. Alternately I would put it towards a sigma 500mm f4.5 (and have to add a monster wedge of cash) or perhaps get a sigma 150-500 from SRS (very tempting:shock I wouldn't limit myself to new lenses either - almost every lens I have has been acquired second hand.

I have a second body (I use a k5 and have kept my old k7 as back-up) but I very rarely use it... I suspect it would be different if I was doing more than simply taking photos for my own pleasure...

Cheers

Beautiful pics Alan - and how fantastic to see a Cuckoo. I haven't heard one since the mid-eighties, and I've never seen one in the flesh. Excellent shots too!

Hi Major, this has come up one or two times before so it might be worth checking through the forum search; but from memory, as the sensor assembly in the camera is, to an extent, floating (so that the shake reduction will work) it's movement is what you hear I think; or else it's a portrait/landscape orientation sensor. Don't think it's anything to worry about and all the pentax dslrs do it... Although if I am wrong someone else will be along shortly and correct me!

Wow Alan these are great! I can only see them on my iPhone screen at the mo, but they look sharp and detailed. I think off them all I like the first best. I like the contrast of the darker background with the lighter head plumage, but also that you have made sure to keep a lot of texture in the plumage with all the shades of grey. He has a pretty noble bearing too.

All very much my cup of tea

Cheers

Not sure whether these will be helpful but here's a handful of samples:

Three from New York during Tropical Storm Maria: day and night (although New York has a decent amount of light at night!)









A stingray taking a break (taken whilst snorkelling)



Classic beach!



Obviously I have done some PP on these to suit my taste, but hopefully gives an idea.

Cheers

It depends to an extent how waterproof you want the camera to be - I bought a Pentax Optio WG1 because I wanted to be able to shoot underwater when snorkelling and I found it great! It worked fine submerged for about 3 hours at a time. I also ended up in a tropical storm in New York, where it was tipping it down relentlessly so I used the Optio there too, and it was also a great general beach-type camera as when it got covered in sand etc. I could just wash it in the sink . Certainly the image quality is not what you would get from a DSLR, but my experience with the Optio is that as long as you keep the ISO low then it is not too bad at all. I'll certainly be using mine again this year.

I'll see if I can find a couple of samples to post if that helps.

Cheers

Here...

link

...is a short article on such a device. I wonder what anyone could do with it now coming with a fresh pair of eyes? The article points out some of the challenges that the device would bring.

Cheers