actually I've been shooting rifles since I was about 9, my camera technique is more or less the same as my rifle technique but with less of a bang at the end!

I got mine from here

http://www.telescopesplus.co.uk/viewsubcategories.php/Accessories/T-Rings_for_35...

they don't have any Pentax ones right now, but they'll be back in stock soon enough

unless there turns out to be something seriously wrong with it, you just made the best lens purchase I've ever seen. I have literally turned green with envy.

My Dad has one of these for work (photogrametry), and he reckons it's sharper than the 50-135 DA* which he has for the same purpose.

John Hedgecoes New Manual of Photography.

A superb photographer with very good taste in equipment, most of the shots in it are taken on an LX.

because at 35mm film size the rule of thumb works nicely for most people.

Technique plays a role here as well, here are some tips for whatever they may be worth, they work for me. I'm not the worlds best photographer, but I am disapointed if I get noticable camera shake at 1/60th and 300mm (450 equiv) with SR on.

0. Establish a stable base, Seems obvious, but if you aren't stable neither is your camera. Get a good footing with feet shoulder width apart. BTW this is zero because I thought of it half way through and didn't want to re-number everything.

1. Relax, don't grip the camera too tight since tense muscles tend to shake more

2. Breathe, take one or two deep breaths, then stop comfortably before you release the shot. By comfortably I mean simply stop breathing at a comfortable point in your breath cycle, not conciously holding your lungs full or empty. For me this is ~1/2 way.

3. Brace yourself, this can mean leaning on a convinient wall, or just tucking your elbows in against your chest will help some. Triangles are the key here.

4. Slouch, you'll look stupid and your mum will shout at you for bad posture, but you'll shake less. Same reason as 1. I usually go into a slouchy posture as I breath out before I release the shutter

5. Having framed your subject, gently gently depress the shutter. It should take you slightly by surprise when it goes off.

6. Follow Through, when the mirror blackout finishes and the viewfinder image returns, you should still be looking at your subject, beautifully framed. With practice you will have a pretty good idea at this point weather or not the shot came off.

7. Multiple exposures, as a last ditch, when the best shutter speed I can get is really too slow (say under 1/60th at 300mm), I start shooting in bursts of 3 frames. The middle one will often be the best of the three, since you didn't move to take it.


Obviously for fast action some of these become more difficult, but I reckon good technique is worth at least 2 stops.

My Dad has one with a damaged focus mechanism, it will only go to ~1:2 but is optically stunning.

I have always been very happy with my Tamron AD2 SP 90mm 2.5, it is one of my 3 sharpest lenses (the other two being a CZ Flek 35mm and SMCP-FA 50), but the Kiron makes it look like a beer bottle.

I don't know if the Kiron is better than the Pentax DFA, but I'd be quite surprised to discover it is measurably worse.

Of course it's manual focus so you probably don't want to be spending the new price of a Sigma or Tamron macro on it, but if it's in good condition and you can get it under £200 I'd bite the other guys hand off.

my enquiring mind imediately wants to ask the question, which is less bad in eco terms

1. running a digital photo frame in a responsible way (ie, only when there's someone around to look at it)

2. using the ink and paper to make yourself a new print every month

don't get me wrong, I think you are probably doing the better one, but I suspect it's actually closer than it might first appear.

the only way to compare like for like in this kind of situation is to start with RAW files from both cameras, preferably taken at the same time of the same subject from a tripod, and process them both the same way (eg with RawTherapee on defaults).

That way you eliminate all other possibilities, and if the images from the Canon still look sharper then you may have a problem with your Pentax.


Canon default settings tend to (IMO) oversharpen, and Canon users are often used to Canon default settings and also oversharpen.

A touch of processing can make a good composition into a great photograph, too much processing can make even a great composition into bin fodder.

well you do have such a convinient single throw lever system......