Presumably you are producing around 14 megapixel images (assuming uncropped) from the K-7 so, just as a point of interest, how large do you go, Nigel? (So far, I haven't printed bigger than A3.)

Philip

Vic, the D-FA 28-105 is a super lens (and I use it regularly on APS-C) so, if you're not in a mad rush to buy, why not wait for the next round of special offers, e.g. from SRS. The next 'Black Friday' is not that far away! On a K-1, you could use it to get closer by cropping the image in PP and, if you need a wider field for a static subject, make a composite from 2, 3, or 4 images.

Cheers.
Philip

Thank you for your helpful comments, Nigel. It's good to know your opinions of the brightness in the church. I am pleased that, to me also, it does look realistic, i.e., as the real scene appeared to my eyes at the time.

Another feature I am pleased with (as usual with these in-camera HDRs) is the detail in the window, considering that the camera has aligned three hand-held shots to make the output JPEG.

Now that you have mentioned the slight green bias, I can see that you are quite right. I am not sure now if that was my doing, or whether the window glass has a green tint, or perhaps it's simply due to the green tree foliage outside in the churchyard!

Thanks again.
Philip

Very nice flower shots - number two for me, with the bud over-looking the flower.

Philip

This is an old church in Buckinghamshire. These photos were taken with the K-3 and a Tamron 10-24 zoom, and both were shot in Av plus the camera's HDR Auto Mode, set at 2 EV between the exposures and Auto Align.

The church interior, lit by the light from the windows, was taken at f=15mm and ISO 200, with the camera resting on the font:
[IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/9rnekx.jpg[/IMG]

The window (which is the one just visible extreme right above) was taken at f=24mm and ISO 800, hand-held:
[IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/2ennxc1.jpg[/IMG]

The JPEGs from the camera were adjusted for straightness, plus a few slight tweaks to contrast, brightness, saturation, and unsharp mask, using PaintShop Pro.

Cheers.
Philip

I agree with some of the comments above and I wonder if the HDR mode was appropriate here.

I do make use of it for HDR scenes, and I find that the Auto or Level 1 settings can produce a reasonable image, without the extreme look of some of the images processed with HDR software that we see on the Web. However, even though I shoot mainly JPEGs, I nearly always apply a few tweaks as necessary in PaintShop Pro, so I don't usually accept SOOC.

There are quite a few adjustments that can be applied to shooting with the in-camera HDR Mode of recent Pentax bodies, including image alignment so that hand-held shots are possible. However, I would guess that any software would have difficulties sorting out three images if the leaves (or anything else in the scene) are moving.

Perhaps this scene could/should have been taken in a single shot, with a different Custom Image option being selected (e.g. perhaps Bright or Vibrant), and some of the parameters within it adjusted (e.g. perhaps Saturation and Contrast).

Cheers.
Philip

They are all good shots and I too would put 2 and 3 at the top.

Cheers.
Philip

Great shots, Nigel, and particularly enjoyable are the expressions on the children's faces! Writing as an observer knowing nothing about the techniques of artificial lighting, I'm just wondering if the light on their left side is slightly harsh or is that intentional?

Cheers.
Philip

What's in your coffee today, Nigel?

Antony, did you get a clear shot of the loco when it was further along (left) beyond the bridge railings?

Philip

...and me.

Philip