Thanks for the feedback Brett...to be honest pretty much every HDR shot I've seen I've thought was OTT and initially took a dislike to such processing as my preference is very much natural appearance.

I'm now coming around to the HDR idea though,for some images at least, which I think the point of is to actually make something that isn't natural and hence my choice of tone-mapped - the 2nd shot looks perfectly fine as a natural photo but HDR certainly gives it much more impact - definitely not natural but certainly more eyecatching.

I've absolutely no intention of becoming heavily involved in HDR, I still prefer early mornings and late nights trying to catch that "ideal" lighting, I do think it adds another dimension to certain shots though - often ones that otherwise don't work at all

Simon

Despite being very much in the "natural landscapes" way of thinking I'm dipping my toe in the HDR world using photomatix - these are both converted from a single raw file, I'd appreciate some feedback,

thanks

Simon


[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e68/STKITCHIN/IMGP1745_HDR.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e68/STKITCHIN/SG103131_HDR.jpg[/IMG]

I thought I'd re-open this thread as previously I mentioned that the ideal hiking/camera bag didn't exist and whilst I haven't changed my mind completely I've certainly found the best one so far.

I've just bought a used Lowepro Primus AW & it's very close to being the perfect hiking/camera backpack. Whilst other bags, my Tamrac included, have too small a space for personal gear the Primus has both an internal storage area which is a reasonable size but also has a very large external pocket that can accomodate a fleece/waterproof - the camera section is also pretty good with flap access to the body too

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Primus-AW,1995,14.htm

If you can find one in the UK it's well worth considering

Simon

Personally I think it is - it produces great colour/contrast and is pretty sharp even wide open it's my primary lens for landscape, despite owning the DA12-24 too.

Whilst you may well see a difference in IQ between the 21mm and DA17-70 wide open at smaller apertures you'll probably not notice a difference, obviously the relevance of this depends on your shooting style.

Just my thoughts

Simon

Received today, exactly as described many thanks!!

Simon

K5 & DA17-70...whilst it's tight the neoprene does stretch a little so it still fits ok

Simon

Despite the 12-24 being an excellent lens I'd recommend that you go with either the DA16-45 ot DA17-70 - the 17-70 would be my first choice as it has excellent IQ/colour/contrast and the range is a little more useful than the 16-45.

Just to complicate things you could also add the Tamron 17-50 and Sigma 17-70

Simon

Whilst it's great to have the confidence of using auto iso at last I'm only likely to use it for general use anyway so my initial impressions are that Iso 12800 shouldn't have too negative an effect on the shots I'm likely to be taking (travel photos etc), for tripod mounted landscapes I'll always be using Iso 80 for maximum DR and whilst hiking and using a monopod I'll still prefer to control it manually to keep it nice and low.

I did try a few shots @3200, 6400 & 12800 which were deliberately underexposed and when corrected in Photoshop only the 3200 shots were acceptable - as ever it's still going to be important to achieve good exposure in order to avoid unsightly noise - the K5 sensor is good but it's no miracle worker!!

As a coincidence Gwyn I've bought pretty much the same thing from Ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Neoprene-Protector-Case-Bag-Pouch-4-Olympus-Pentax-DSLR-/1...

It's a tight fit and whilst it doesn't provide the protection of a holster case it should be ideal for going in my normal rucksack when hiking, the holster case I use now just takes up too much space

Having said that I've just bought a Lowepro Primus AW photo rucksack too that I'm waiting delivery of so might end up not using this much

Simon

I just sold the Tamron version on here earlier this week - it's identical to the Pentax and usually cheaper to buy so worth considering.

Recent reviews of the Da 18-135 haven't been too positive whilst the 18-250 ones certainly are so it sounds as though it is a fair alternative


Great shots BTW Mark - terrific lighting!!

simon