Both dog walks today were with the K1, the morning with the Irix 11mm and afternoon with the Pentax-FA 135mm F2.8
1. Morning (Irix 11mm)



2. Morning (Irix 11mm)



3. Morning (Irix 11mm)



4. Afternoon (Pentax-FA 135mm)



5. Afternoon (Pentax-FA 135mm)



6. Afternoon - with the main reason for the walks! (Pentax-FA 135mm)

Agreed, on all counts.
With the winter months closing in at an alarming rate it is a photoshop technique to explore

Great images John. The "Q" series are super little cameras

My copy has had some pretty extensive use and has never missed a beat - if you use the focal length covered it is a superb tool

Both shots work well, but for me the colour version edges it because of the beautiful muted woodland hues. Close call though!

Nice work, definitely reflect a gloomy day!

I think that "Judging" for the weekly competition is maybe the wrong term. Personally on the few occasions I have won and then been required to set the next subject I have taken the view that I am picking those images which speak to me , for whatever reason, and ranking them 1st to 3rd. At the end of the day it's just a personal opinion.
I do like to receive the comments on photos I have submitted as it helps me look at my images through somebody else's eyes which can be very enlightening! So out of respect for those who have made the effort to enter I like to leave some comment on their efforts.

With regard to admins judging / picking a winner - 2 thoughts. Firstly the limited pool of admins would mean that the range of views / choices would also become limited leading potentially to a more sterile competition (no reflection on our admins but human nature dictates what we like / don't like and if the pool of opinion is limited so are the results)
Secondly on the recently launched sister site (cameruser) the admins do pick the winners but little or no feedback is left which is a little disappointing.

I think to improve our photography we need feedback (and maybe not all positive!) - as has been said in other responses this should be a safe friendly environment so helpful / polite/ friendly comment on our work should always be welcome

Sorry for the ramble - should drink more coffee before typing

Congratulations on some great images.

Thanks for the comments, commiserations and suggestions.

As a last roll of the dice I have reloaded the firmware as suggested but to no avail.

Need to keep a close eye on my 3 remaining veterans (*ist DL, K200D and K10D )

I like to cycle through my older DSLRs and give them and outing every so often - a long time favourite has been the 1st*D the oldest of my Pentax DSLRs. Taking a few shots around the garden I noticed the preview screen was giving some strange results but pressed on regardless. On downloading the files it seems the Ist*D was determined to help me with producing some abstract images (see below). I have tried new batteries, reformatting the card, re-setting to factory settings etc all to no avail. The only thing I have left to try is a new CF card (I know I have some somewhere!). If that fails then the 1st*D will become my first non-working digital SLR on the display shelf