The issue isn't whether upgrading is a good idea or not, it's having the choice taken away and being made to pay.

I prefer the sort of shot where some parts of the shot are proximally sharp and the rest is a blur, as in Orloff's shot. But I agree with Simon: well worth trying out - how could you resist giving it a go? (The results remind me of those '70s Cokin "special effects" filters).

You could use a deconvolution sharpening plug-in like Focus Magic. I know there's the argument that you could do the same to the k5iis, by if the image is already tack sharp when viewed at 100%, further sharpening will become counter productive.

Google+ is pretty good! It's nice for networking and building lists of contacts, and the image hosting is good. I had migrated from Flickr because Google+ allowed more generous image sizes and online storage.

However the tables turned recently when Flickr was updated, allowing essentially unlimited uploads!

I haven't used Ephotozine in years, unfortunately. I used to absolutely love it - but the small image size, only one image per day allowed, and horrifyingly cluttered site design.... yeech. Needs a revamp IMHO!

... with the 01 lens it seems pretty petite!

Well, I'm glad I have my CD copy. Monthly online activation sounds a bit of a faff. For business users with always-on internet connections it makes sense. I don't know what you do if you have to go 'off grid' for a bit and your monthly subscription comes up. (Actually there probably is a way of paying two months ahead if you know this will happen in advance).

Ah, I remember that one, Paul. I was going to comment but must have got distracted. It was a superb architectural shot, made for black and white.

Great thinking from Adobe. "Oh, no! Everyone's using pirate copies of our software, or using free alternatives, because we're so expensive. I know - lets raise the price some more!'

Printed quality would also be interesting to compare, say at A2. I'm not suggesting you actually print at A2 - just print a small section on A4 or 8x6 paper, but at the same magnification as A2.

Congrats Patricks, that's excellent! I wish I was heading to ROI this summer, but unfortunately it's not likely