There are some fine images here, David. The 'stand-out' ones for me are the broad-bodied chaser (3) and the bullfinch (11).

At the risk of making a complete fool of myself, something I seem to do with disturbing regularity, I'll wager that those with the slightly cooler colour balance (e.g. 3 and 12) were shot with the Tamron.

Your choice to forgo the dubious pleasures of DIY in favour of photographic fulfillment has been demonstrably vindicated. Without wishing to seem unkind, perhaps you should consider sending SWMBO away for the weekend more often

BW

Jon

PM sent re the 50mm F

Jon

It's a shame that we don't live closer as, IMHO, £425.00 for a K3 in such good condition (and with such a low shutter count) is a bargain

You might want to keep it until your circumstances change sufficiently for you to be able make better use of it.

Best

Jon

PM sent

Jon

[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/6993180714_d7ce14c65e_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />

Orchid by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]

Mixed daylight and flash. Pentax K20D: 1/180s at f11 and ISO 400.

Jon

Fair point so here they are:

[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6989056372_c28d76eb53_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />

1 by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]

[img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7135140879_26e246a0f4_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />

2 by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]

[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7135141271_d2844e86e5_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />

3 by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]

Please be aware that before resizing, I checked the EXIF for each image and discovered that prior to taking the shot at f/5.6 I had applied +0.3 EV compensation; something I had not realised earlier I would have done this 'out of habit' after viewing the histogram for the first shot at this aperture and deciding that it was too far to the left. To compensate for this and facilitate comparison, I compared the histograms (RGB channel) for all 3 images and then reduced the mean and standard deviation for the image shot at f/5.6 to be within the same range as that for the others by applying a brightness adjustment of -30.

Apologies for not having realised this earlier

Begining to regret having got involved

Jon

A thought-provoking and challenging choice of theme, David

Just hoping that I'm man enough for the job: despite my wife's frequent and public assertions to the contrary

Jon

Take your point, Algi, but there are several points on the model in these resized images where subtle differences can be discerned (e.g. the detail in what would be the model's left foot). In retrospect, it would have been better had I used a tripod; thereby avoiding the need to re-focus between each shot. Additionally, I could have done more to even out the exposure differences at the pp stage. In my defence, however, I did describe the comparison as 'rough-and-ready'

Your shot of the nuthatch is a good example of just how forgiving the K5's sensor and Prime II imaging engine can be

All the best,

Jon

To avoid any further confusion, here are some images to illustrate the point I was seeking to make in my earlier post. The images were shot in JPEG format with an hand-held K5 set on Av mode and a 135mm f/2.8 Super Ozeck II lens, opening up by 1 stop between each exposure. The two central links in the chain were used as the reference point for focussing.

The reulting images were cropped in PSE 9.0 before applying automatic colour correction and using the HSL function of the SmartCurve plug-in to automatically adjust the lightness channel. Other than resizing prior to uploading, no other digital edits/enhancements were performed.

[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/7132357145_2bdba02206_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />

Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime - f/2.8 by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]

[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/6986272892_e8a0c8025a_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />

Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime - f/4 by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]

[img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7132358357_d8a0731398_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />

Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime - f/5.6 by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]

Even using this 'rough-and-ready' set up, the DOF clearly increases as the lens is stopped down.

Whilst obviously not as well-exposed as one could get by using the K5's stop-down metering (green button) mode, IMHO the resulting images would be considered acceptable by many (I can't believe I just wrote that - where's my tin hat and full body armour ).

Jon

For the curious, I used the Super Ozeck II simply because it is a recent addition to my manual lens collection purchased for £16.00 on e-bay.

That would be my understanding too, Chris. In practice, however, I have found repeatedly that I can shoot in A-mode over a range of 3 stops (1.8 - 5.6 on my K 55mm, for example) and still obtain well exposed shots (even when shooting JPEGs): a practice I wouldn't dream of indulging in with either the K20D or the Samsung GX-10, which I presume behaves similarly to the K10.

Is it possible that this different, and completely counter-intuitive, behavior of the K5 when compared with the earlier bodies could be function of its sensor: in particular its enhanced dynamic range and hence greater exposure latitude?

Just to be clear, it was not my intention to suggest that one could dispense totally with stop-down metering when using the K5 with manual lenses. Rather, I was seeking to communicate that this 'fortuitous aberration' makes the use of manual lenses with the K5 a little less demanding and somewhat quicker.

Best wishes,

Jon