Personally I think a good calibration device is pretty much essential if printing images, however it's usefulness can be limited by the monitor. From my experiences the standard "TN" panels aren't great at displaying the full range of colours and I've found my editing has improved since moving to an E-IPS monitor.

I guess it also depends on how you use your images, if sending to online print companies then I think accurate calibration is important, for home printing probably less so

Simon

Hi Jon,

Interesting to read your review....I tried to get hold of the 80-400 before eventually buying the 55-300 as I'd read a few good user reviews but couldn't find one anywhere. Your photos back up what I read, looks a nice lens & you did well to get one

Simon

As Alistair mentions Hyperfocal isn't quite as useful as you'd imagine for digital, in fact I've read several articles stating specifically NOT to use it. I use the technique suggested by Alistair (1/3) & adjust focal point/aperture to suit the foreground I have.

I know it's not strictly "professional" but the 14MP of the K20/K7 allow for some generous cropping so sometimes, where foreground sharpness is priority, I deliberately include a little more foreground & crop if it appears slightly soft - although this doesn't happen very often to be honest and obviously depends exactly what you have in the foreground

Simon

I'm always trying to get my photography out to a wider audience and I'm pleased to say that I've been fortunate enough to have my images published on the front covers of the "North Wales 2011 Calendar" & "Snowdonia National Park 2011 Calendar" as well as 3 images inside the "2011 Llandudno & Conwy Calendar" all produced by J.Salmon Calendars. Don't forget to buy one if you're in North Wales this year!!

Simon

Hi,

I'm suffering the same frustration....the 12-24 is far too expensive now, Pentax lens sales must be suffering !!

Iknow a lot of people have the Sigma 10-20 and are happy with it but I owned one for 4/5 months & didn't get on with it, I found the distortion a bit "odd" for my tastes.

Having read endless reviews/personal comments on the alternatives over the last 18months though I tend to agree with Richard, the 12-24 is the best option. Reviews suggest it's sharper than the 15mm prime and the other alternatives and distortion levels are the lowest you'll probably find in current UWA lenses.

Sorry if this doesn't help, my own thinking is do without or spend the now silly money for the 12-24

Simon

Thanks for the comments, I'm quite pleased considering cloud was everywhere when I arrived at sunrise so missed the first 1hr of decent lighting.

The "church" in the last is now a B&B, looks pretty impressive inside too..here's the webpage for anyone interested - & no I'm not on commission

http://www.stcurigschurch.com/

Simon

My DA17-70 has a couple of obvious internal dust spots, I regularly have shots from it printed at 18x12inch and I've never noticed any effect of the dust

Simon

Enjoy the read but don't count on it proving useful. Last night I checked 3 different weather forecasts for Snowdonia, all said "clear and sunny" from dawn this morning....guess what I saw when I arrived, cloud everywhere !!
Unfortunately from my experiences landscape photography is about spending many wasted days/hours trying to catch the best light...it does make it all the more special though when you get the shot you were hoping for. I just wish that those petrol prices would come down to make the wasted trips a little less painful!!

simon

Set off at 5.30 this morning hoping for a few shots of Snowdon from the Pinnacles - never tried it as a vantage point before. Unfortunately the cloud only gave me around 1hr. The Church in Capel Curig (now a B&B) caught my eye on the way back so thought I'd try one from there too.

Simon

[IMG]http://www.landscapephotographyuk.com/images/snowdon_pinnacles_2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.landscapephotographyuk.com/images/snowdon_pinnacles_1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.landscapephotographyuk.com/images/capel_curig_snowdon.jpg[/IMG]

I must admit to being pretty lucky over the years with cars and have owned a few makes (hope this isn't the death knell !!)....probably the most reliable I've had was my last one, Hyundai Coupe...hopefully the VW I've swapped it for is as reliable !!

Being honest though I've always tended to stay clear of italian cars

Simon