Wrest Park is a beautiful place and that comes across in these photos. The compositions in several of these make interesting views. For me, some could be a little brighter (a K-5 image can take some brightening without noticeable harm).

(I suppose that you might have been experimenting with the camera, but I would guess that base ISO and centre-weighted metering would have worked fine for all of them.)

Cheers.
Philip

Unusual and interesting set. My choice is number 4 - the distant turbines and the slightly angled wave-line enhance the sense of depth in the image for me.

Cheers.
Philip

But therein lies the main point - it is not the object that is the problem, it is the user. A similar point could be written about guns, but there are strict laws to license and control their ownership and use, and they are not sold over the counter in high-street shops to anyone who wants one.

There are issues of privacy, safety, accidents, casual and/or deliberate nuisance, and possibly terrorism, associated with drone use which should be taken seriously. In my view, strict legal regulation of the sale and use of drones is necessary. They should be used only by trained, licensed and insured adults, and preferably only as a tool appropriate to their profession.

Cheers.
Philip

I agree with Ian. Although Pentax cameras always seem to offer good 'bang for the buck', for many of us £1600 is a big sum of money, so it makes good sense to wait and see what the experience of extensive use reveals, and perhaps also to wait for a drop in price. There will always be plenty of others, who choose to afford to pay for new kit as soon as it is released, who can give longer-term usage reports.

What I don't understand is the posting of web-size images from a K-1 in forums. Are they significantly different compared with similar shots from a K-3 or a K-5 or a K-r or even an MX-1? Some of them might be good photographs (content, composition, etc.), but what can those small posted images usefully tell us about this new camera, other than when it is switched on it actually works?

Cheers.
Philip

Unless it's not long enough for you, the Tamron 17-50 might also be worth considering.

Cheers.
Philip

A remarkable image - well done!

What size did you print, John?

Cheers.
Philip

Wonderful - well done!

Cheers.
Philip

The EXIF data shows.....

1st image: Image Tone=Bright; White Balance=Auto; White Balance Shift=0

2nd image: Image Tone=Bleach bypass; White Balance=Flash; White Balance Shift=A7 (red)

.....presumably causing the red toning.

Cheers.
Philip

A stitched panorama? Whether you have a prime or a zoom with you, it's a simple matter of shooting several (even hand-held) overlapping shots and it's then easy to join them together - there is even free software for the job, e.g. Microsoft ICE.

Cheers.
Philip

Great shots, Nigel - you've captured the details well and, in your processing, you have revealed the bird's markings and colours wonderfully. You have also shown us the quality possible from the Tamron at 300mm wide open, when in the right hands.

Cheers.
Philip