I've spotted that already to be honest, I was hoping for something a little less pricey though

Simon

A tall ask I know, just wondered if anyone has a DA 14mm or possibly a DA 12-24 they would like to sell?

thanks

Simon

Hi,

Looks like you had similar weather to last week, I was there doing some hiking.

I like the conversion but must admit I'm not 100% sure on the composition, the foreground rock looks a bit lonely on its own and feels a bit out of place tucked into the corner - just my thoughts

Simon

Haven't used a TC with the 80-320 but did try out the highly respected Tamron 1.4 TC with my DA 55-300 - results were disappointing and I returned the TC, cropping the image produced better IQ. By most accounts the DA 55-300 is the best "consumer" zoom for Pentax so I'd be very suprised if you managed any decent results

Simon

Yes, thanks for the "heads-up". I've used the tips and it's certainly helped with shot 2, looks great in print now. Shot 3 still needs a little more work - the scenery looked good but the sky ended up too grey

Simon

The title pretty much says it all. I've decided I'm going to buy the
DA 14mm which SRS currently have secondhand. However Purelygadgets are selling them brand new for the same price.

Having used SRS previously I know that their customer service is excellent but new vs old for the same price is very tempting, just wondered if anyone has any experience with Purelygadgets?

thanks

Simon

Thanks for that Gareth, I'll be calling into the newsagents for a look shortly !!

Simon

I've owned several of the consumer "tele" options (Sigma 70-300 APO, Pentax 55-200, Tamron 70-300 & now Pentax 55-300).

If it's "bang for buck" you're looking for I'd agree with the earlier comments regarding the Tamron 70-300, it suffers quite a bit of CA but it's very sharp at all focal lengths.

Personally I think the best of the above is the DA 55-300, by some margin. Great colour/contrast and very sharp at all focal lengths, minimal CA - obviously it's the dearest option though

Simon

Thanks for the feedback/comments although the ones commenting on shot 4 as "not right" are a bit strange, it's pretty much as shot with virtually no PP.

2 & 3 needed some hefty processing to "rescue" them due to the haze at 3000ft, my PP skills are a bit limited which probably accounts for the comments. Normally I try to catch the best lighting, this wasn't an option this time around.


As the trip was primarily a hiking one and all the shots were taken along the way I'm happy enough to have anything to bring back, as I mentioned in my first post the lighting was definitely a bit challenging

Simon

Thanks for the feedback...2 & 3 needed some "contrast masking" due to haze etc, a technique which I have very little experience with, any tips would be appreciated. The other 2 shots have very little PP applied

Simon