I don't have either, or anything like them. But how could you go wrong with the DA* 300mm? I have seen some stunning images taken with it. Unfortunately I have nothing like the need or the funds to get one.

Kind of annoying to be judged on the frame and not the image but I guess frames aren't the done thing here. Maybe a note to that effect in the rules? FWIW I upload my image once and might use it in several different places. The frame preserves important info should the image ever be out of context.

Two of my favourites here are the lonely deck chairs of GlynM (though a contrast boost would help) and Gartmore's Landlocked Ship. Nice to see everyone's submissions!

Lightburst At Castle Point:

Great shots... precise and sure. I love that beetle.

I have now completed the definitive article on this subject, over at the Theatre of Noise. Please read
Ricoh Lenses On Pentax Cameras -- The Ricoh Pin Fix.

That's terribly harsh as a general rule. People use old Tamron Adaptall mounts or M42 mounts or many old k-mount lenses on Pentax bodies with no problems at all. In fact for some that's the whole fun of the Pentax system.

As far as slighting Vivitar lenses... for a while they had some of the best. I have a Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 macro, made by Cosina, which is my default lens. It is plastic but has great optics and is small and light. It produces shots like this:




And then there's the Vivitar Series 1 105mm macro f/2.5, often regarded as the best macro lens ever. I have one over the Atlantic on its way to me, and I am anticipating it greatly!

Actually there are very few examples of this. The main culprit is the PK/A-R mount, which is to say Ricoh. Do a search and you'll find out all about that. But even then it's pretty simple to do some surgery on the mount and make it compatible, as I have done in two cases.

Sounds like the OP has a bum lens, but this is the exception, not the rule.

Some local street art. I love how it juxtaposes with the surveillance camera.

I am glad this worked out for you!

I dealt with them for two lenses. They are terrible at email and even phone communication. They did not send a receipt via email as requested. They overcharged me on shipping. But they did declare a lower value to avoid duty.

When I raised some issues on another forum this finally got their attention and I received an email response. This included a PDF of the receipt. They offered to discount my next purchase by $3, the amount they say I was overcharged. However by my calculations this should be $18. And I don't know why I should have to buy again just to have a previous mistake rectified. Plus all the time it took to sort this out is not billable.

They do not pack their lenses very robustly - the retail box goes directly into a padded envelope. This may be enough in some cases but not others. I am now thinking one of the lenses as received might have been put out of alignment. When I can afford the down-time I'm sending it off to Pentax.

They are, however, very inexpensive. The delivery was timely. But price is not everything. I have bought three times since, but not from them.

Less aggressive than wasps? Back in Canada where I grew up, hornets, with their dangling legs and wild looks, were easily the most aggressive of all flying stinging things. I saw a terrier overwhelmed by an entire colony of them. I swear the poor thing would have died except it was rescued by its worried owners.

Wasps are rather benign unless you annoy them exceedingly. Hornets will attack for the fun of it. Either way, have your camera ready!