Would this image look basically the same shot at f4.0 then? You'd get a faster shutter speed as well which might help I guess.

Well done, that is a great image, just the right balance of subject and environment.

You've messed up the eyes unfortunately Fletcher - looks like the aftereffects of a levels adjustment layer with masking gone a bit overboard. I think you've revealed the brighter under-layer too widely around the eyes - I'd suggest painting with a reduced opacity on your brush and tapering it as you reach the whites ending up with nothing just before the eyelids.

Poses and expressions are great for me - if I could get my lot like this I'd be very happy.

There's a slight greeny tinge to the skin tones I detect. Hope this all helps

Excellent and thanks for giving the settings details. Am I right in thinking you need to stop down a bit, like you have here to f8.0, in order to get the whole moon sharp? I think there's a super moon coming 2nd week of August, so I hope to have a go than . Thanks for showing this great image.

Its an 80's lens, manual focus, and has an 'a' setting on the aperture ring that allows the camera to control aperture directly, thereby giving auto-exposure control in Av and P modes, a remarkable aspect of functionality translated from over 30 years ago to todays modern digital dslrs. Build quality from this era and series is very high, and many are optically excellent. There's a few 50mms from the period, there will be different opinions on their qualities, but £60 sounds ok for a good example.

Yes, that squirrel is great, the way his tail tucks around the branch just rounds off the compo beautifully. I love the first also, a very bold effect straight on centred with that impressive wingspan ... Lively gentle tones also. Those are my favourites, the others don't quite have the same impact.

Nice Portraits Alistair, lovely expressions. The toning works on the first but not on the second IMO. This is because it complements the 'high-key' nature of the first. The lower shadows in the second don't go so well I feel, and overall contrast is too high to sustain a single tone.

K30 and 18-135! Sounds like a potent combination. I've always been wary of the so-called 'superzoom' types (like the sort offered by Tamron such as 18-200 or something quite extraordinary like that), because of the clear optical compromises involved, all the extra elements and extended zoom mechanics.

But the 18-135 seems more ideal - a most practical range for ease when shooting a range of subjects on a single outing. And then if required a longer telezoom or prime can take over from the 100 or 150+ range.

Have you got some pictures, sounds like a very interesting item .

Very impressive indeed, both IQ and photographer skill. That 560 is clearly very happy at f8.0. Is the 7% the whole crop Alan or just the subject actually? It would be very interesting to see the uncropped original just to get an idea of the scale involved, if its easy to do for us....