Hi David,

Thanks for the info.
How is the DA*300 going?


Regards,
Matt

Hi all,

I'm after a used K3 body at a reasonable price if anyone has one going?


Kind regards,
Matt

Hi all,

I have just returned from a trip through Africa and have had an ongoing problem with the shutter on my Pentax K-5. In the past I have had very rare occasions were the shutter has frozen mid-capture and never thought to much of it as a simple power off/on returned the shutter to the correct position. Unfortunately in Africa the shutter became jammed/frozen in its closed position. On pressing the shutter release button you could hear the shutter release trying to activate the shutter but it seemed like there was either not enough battery power to complete the release or the shutter was simply jammed in place? On top of this a message had appeared on the screen reading 'battery depleted' and the camera would the power off. I promptly ordered a third party battery(I had been using an original pentax battery), and when the third party battery was used the shutter began to work again. This lasted approx. 24 hours before the shutter problem and message returned. In frustration I gave the camera a good whack and what do you know, the shutter began to work again. This was then my method of repair on several occasions during the trip as well as flick the mirror manually which would also work in freeing up the shutter.

Has anyone else had this problem? The shutter count currently sits at just over 32,000 so should have plenty of life left yet.

Would appreciate your advice input.

Regards,
Matt

Morning all,

Just a quick update, I have just purchased a Sigma 150-500mm HSM lens and so far am very happy with a few test shots I have taken.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond and offer advice on the matter.

Will endeavor to post some pictures on our return.


Regards,
Matt

Thank you all for the great advice.
I didn't expect all of this information so quickly but it definitely gives me something to think about and digest.
If anyone else has any more advice or opinion please offer what feedback you can.

Will keep you posted on progress.

Matt.

Afternoon all,

I have recently posted a 'wanted' topic for a 50-500mm Sigma HSM lens.
This lens of course is fairly rare in 'used' form and this may be a good indication as nobody is prepared to lose it from their setup.

My budget is fairly limited (max. 450-500) and this also makes things slightly difficult.

I have been investigating alternatives in this range and have reasonable options available within budget which include, DA 300mm, Sigma APO 120-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 OS HSM, Sigma APO DG 170-500mm F/5-6.3, Sigma 150-500mm f/5.0-6.3 APO HSM DG and of the non-HSM 50-500mm Bigma.

I am going on safari in Africa in July, so will be mainly concentrating on wildlife photography and I also would like to spend more time capturing bird life back here in the UK.

Does anyone have any opinions or recommendations either through personal experience or advice from others?

I understand the DA 300mm is probably the sharpest lens of the above group but my only concern is the lack of flexibility in terms of range.

I have also been tempted by the TC option which I could pair with the Tamron 18-250mm lens that I carry when traveling. Once again though, my concern is that I am going to lose out on image quality by using the TC.


Any help would be greatly appreciated. As you can tell, I am wanting to try and get it right first time round.


Many thanks,
Matt

Hello Aleks1298,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Its great to hear of some first hand experience with the lens I am currently pursuing.
To expand a little bit on my travel plans, I have just recently got back from 2 months in India and felt that I really missed the range. My favourite travel lens of choice that I currently possess is an 18-250mm Tamron. It is a great lens and in most cases is perfect for backpacking but in India, particularly with the wildlife, I felt I needed more range. On investigating longer range lenses the Bigma kept on appearing as the recommended option. I will be off to Africa in July for a 2-3 month backpacking trip and didnt want to fall short with the range as I had in India.
Thanks also for the advice on the monopod over tripod, that was going to be another question.

Do you think I would notice much diference in performance and image quality between the HSM and NON HSM 50-500mm lenses?

Also, I have read that using a TC can sometimes effect image quality, any advice on that?

Many thanks,
Matt

Bump, still looking Ladies and Gents.

Hi Lancer3397,

Thanks for the advice. I will keep a look out.

Regards,
Matt

bump