Lovely shot which only adds further to my excitement of our upcoming China holiday, it will be the first time we've visited the area so if this is anything to go by we're definitely in for a treat !!

Simon

I've just bought the 40mm F2.8, great pano lens for landscapes - virtually no distortion, I've not had chance to use it much so far but it certainly looks to be a great lens

Simon

Had a quick look at the details of this, although new lenses are my priority as I'm more than happy with the K20D at the moment.

Is it only me or does this look a bit pricey???

Simon

I didn't buy it in the end, I'm still unsure if anything wider than the 17-70 would get used much, my previous Sigma 10-20 didn't. When I do eventually make up my mind its more likely to be the 15mm than anything else though

Simon

You could have used your cash for another lens and exercised the old fashioned way - walking in the fresh air

On second thoughts if everyone did that I wouldn't have the countryside to myself quite so much - I take it back

Simon

My recommendations would be the Pentax 17-70 or Sigma 17-70. If you're thinking about something wider (sigma 10-20 etc) my advice would be to try one first if possible, I found I didn't like the distortion/perspective it produced and that it was too wide for my own "style".

Simon

PM sent

It obviously depends where and what type of hiking you do but a camera bag strapped to the waist sounds way too exposed to me, scrambling up scree paths/climbing between rocky outcrops etc runs too much risk.

For me comfort on long hikes is very important when carrying quite a bit of weight and I've still yet to see any camera rucksac that has anything like the design features of a dedicated hiking one (freeflow back system, straps designed with weight distribution in mind etc)

When your next in a decent outdoors shop try a few, ask them to load some weight into them too - you'll soon spot the best ones if you do this, they should feel comfortable as soon as you put them on - the Osprey Atmos I have is definitely worth a try if you get the chance, a bit pricey at £120 but worth every penny !!

I'm looking for a less bulky case for when I carry my K20D in my hiking rucksac - also something good for travel.

Has anyone tried one of the Optech soft pouches like this..

http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/ViewProdDetails.asp?prod_code=PON09A000101&Prod_nam...

thanks

Simon

PM sent re 15mm

Simon