You're most welcome

Cracking lens for a decent price:

https://www.ffordes.com/p/SOR-42-045485/pentax-af/70-200mm-f28-di-ld-pentax-af

Spyder 4 Elite now sold to Kevin (Urbanmeister) of this parish.

Sigma 100-300mm f/4.0 APO EX DG (mark 2 version) which performs very well with the matched, 1.4X APO DG teleconverter. These do come up in PKA mount from time-to-time, but tend to sell quickly. I've had one from new and it'll probably be interred with me

Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 Di LD Macro - far easier to find than the above and can be had in excellent condition, even from dealerships and with a warranty (my copy came from Ffordes) for under £300.00. Don't believe everything you read about the AF performance of the Tamron. Whilst not whippet-like, neither is it sloth-like. Sharpness and contrast increase dramatically above f/2.8. Has excellent close-focus capability. See also link

Happy hunting

Now sold to Nigel (longtimelurker) of this parish

An early version (hence fabricated from steel and not aluminium) of this versatile, effective, robust and easily serviced, British design and manufactured lens gimbal. Further information can be found here: link

Superbly engineered and finished, the only criticism that could reasonably be levelled at this earlier version is its high mass (approximately 1750g including mounting plate). On the up-side, however, this does result in it possessing tremendous stability when matched with a suitable tripod; even when supporting the largest of lenses.

Asking price is, though I say so myself, a very reasonable £50.00 plus £10.50 p&p (RM 48h tracked and signed for; slightly less if sent by HERMES). The price includes TWO Giotto (MH611) QR plates .

As with all my items, if not completely satisfied, a full refund of the purchase price will be given provided that it is returned 'as sent' and at the buyer's expense.







Thanks for looking.

Jon

Lack of response dictates price reductions:

Spyder 4 Elite - £35.00

Spyder 3 Pro - £30.00

Postage for either (RMSP 48h tracked and signed for) - £5.10

Jon

And now it is the turn of PetaPixel link.

Lots of positives, but with the usual caveats (fixed screen; expensive) leading to the same bottom line: a worthwhile and justifiable purchase for dedicated Pentaxians, but unlikely to appeal to first-time buyers or tempt established photographers to switch systems.

Should we loyal few care what the pundits think? Sadly, in my view, yes. For if Pentax is to have a viable future, which I for one should like for at least as long as I remain capable of taking photographs, it needs to expand and cultivate its user base.

Hey-ho!

Jon

Balanced and to the point: recognises the K-3iii's strengths and innovations whilst noting that these, along with the high cost of ownership, are unlikely to be sufficient to attract new users to the Pentax stable.
link

I have faced the same dilemma and, for what it is worth, my experience has been that a 300mm represents the absolute minimum under normal circumstances. Even then, and using the APS-C format, this focal length can prove limiting, especially with the smaller species, unless one adds a decent TC (1.4x or 1.7x) into the equation. If you can find, and afford, one of suitable quality, a 400mm is a better bet and failing that, there is always the Tamron 500mm 55B Adaptall II Mirror lens. The latter is compact, but has a fixed aperture of f/8 and wafer thin DOF. It also produces so called 'doughnut-ring' OOF highlights, which many find distracting.
Whilst AF is a distinct advantage to have, it is often necessary to resort to MF, particularly when photographing birds in trees or hedgerows.

In addition to a long telephoto lens, you will find that a solid tripod and gimbal head significantly increases your success rate. Even then, you will need to maintain a high shutter speed, which in the UK generally requires the use of a high ISO setting (800 or greater). Because of this I tend to shoot RAW and frequently resort to the use of dedicated NR software (DxO Prime, in my case).

If one shoots from a hide, or has almost limitless patience and is prepared to stalk the subject, bird photography with lenses shorter than 300mm is perfectly possible. The importance of good field-craft (a knowledge of the chosen species, its behaviour, diet and usual habitat) and forward planning should not be underestimated.

FYI, my own 'birding kit', which has been acquired over a number of years, includes a Sigma 100-300 f/4 APO EX DG with matched 1.4x TC, SMC-Pentax A 400mm f/5.6 and the aforementioned Tamron SP Adaptall II 500mm f/8. My current gimbal head is the Sirui PH-20, a relatively inexpensive, carbon-fibre model that combines lightness with great stiffness and strength and which articulates with silky-smoothness.

I hope the above is of some use and has done nothing to deter you from pursuing your interest in bird photography