A little more messing around.

Still nowhere near perfection, but I am seriously impressed with the ability of the Pentax to fix AF, and also to read exposure and then fix it.

Full frame will inherently be better for low light.

I am financially unable at the present, but given a 5II and K3, I'd sell them both to buy the K-1.

You can't take pictures with two cameras at the same time, so why not just have one that does it all?

Look forward to it Phil. Need a few more hours of learning first though!

Interesting comment Stu, but it seems to go against general opinion. That said, my last DSLR was a Canon 50D with some more than reasonable lenses. I don't think I ever got a properly exposed and sharp image out of it, yet most people really rated it. Maybe just a rogue one?

The Jpegs from my first few shots are fine, but I don't see anything at all wrong with a little post processing, certainly for minor sharpening and colour adjustment. Going back (more than) a few years, it's no different to what we used to do in the darkroom.

Shall do. The first sensible purchase was a WR lens

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

It was not rot really good enough to post, but I was just so pleased to get a sensibly sharp image after some serious DSLR grief over previous years. Papa Laz is a friend, who directed me to this place and has been gently pushing me towards Pentax for a couple of years. I didn't need much persuading frankly.

Even with a quick play, I actually find the menus and settings very intuitive. There are obviously a great many hidden depths, but it does seem designed to be used to take pictures, rather than an exercise in software engineering. Frankly, it's everything I always expected in a DSLR but haven't had before.

I am, tonight, like a pig in the proverbial.

Thanks Andrew.

I've always shot RAW, even with compacts where the option has been available. Plenty of disc space here and plenty of backup space, so file size has never been an issue. I am really impressed with the IQ without playing at all with settings. All I've done is to reset most things and install the latest firmware. I changed the file save to RAW, but other than that I have yet to change anything else.

Manual will be bedtime reading for quite a few nights to come!

Only had half an hour spare, but I was desperate to get out with the newly acquired K5 and play.

Just a handful of captures. Straight 'out of the box' so to speak, so I have not done anything with settings or figured out much so far. K5 with 35mm 2.4 DA. RAW conversion on Photoshop, but almost no processing. Just a little warming, as it was very overcast, and a slight crop.

Really very, very happy with this. Aplogies for the boring traditional subject matter, but the garden was the only accessible place today!

Hi Vic!

Indeed we are. I'm in Pipers Hill, so not far at all.

Have relatives here this week, but would be great to have a coffee or beer some time.

All the best,
Richard

Spent a bit of my youth doing this pro, with various medium format, having graduated from assorted SLRs. Went through much stuff, from 645 to Blad, and Contax 35mm. Left the hobby for a while, then got back into it via a few compacts and then assorted Canon DSLRs. Never frankly got on with the variable IQ and gave up for a while. Have been a mate of Papa here for a few years, I have now ended up with a K5 body from Howard. Tomorrow, with luck, a 35mm 2.4 will land, together with a WR 18-55 to play with.

Out of all the 35mm stuff I used to mess about with, Pentax and Zeiss optics always produced images I still treasure. Very much looking forward to getting back into it. The K seems to fit my hands really well, which is a good start!

Thanks Phil!

35mm 2.4 on its way. Also a kit lens just to start with, but the WR version, so that will be a good 'walk around' and something I can use when the weather is like today, rather than yesterday