Bewithching eyes!

Anybody who can look good in that hat must be very beautiful indeed!

I tend to agree with the view that ANY DSLR will have all the adjustments and manual options you need to take the 'right' picture, or at least what you had in your mind when you were taking it.

It was one of the most frustrating things about a Fuji bridge camera I owned once, changing the aperture/shutter speed/metering etc was a nightmare of double key presses or messing about deep in menu systems by which time your shot had gone! You needed 15 fingers at least to operate it quickly, and although I live on the edge of the Fens with the resultant extra digits on both hand, I found it impossible...

K-X vs K20d will boil down I expect to what feels right in your hands, although I have to say it would be sensible to get the camera that will work with the accessories you already have...

A timely thread for me this.

Can I just say firstly that personally, I think people worry far too much about what camera brand they use, I say just use what you've got, unless you can't do what you want with your current kit, and you're sure it isn't you, but definately the camera stopping you...

As for Pentax, yes, I still recommend it. My Brother in law purchased a K-m at my recommendation, and my best friend a K20d and they are both delighted with them and already looking at what lenses to acquire next.

The DSLR market is so fast moving though, that sometimes a camera has the edge over another for a while, but it's not long before it's all changed and all the while you'll have got great images with whatever camera you had...

I still look at my landscape pictures captured with a K10d and 17-70 SDM and remark to mysef how I've never quite managed to get the same results since. Different yes, and very nice, but not the same. There certainly is something pleasing about the 'Pentax Look', but I find it hard to explain what it is! For me, this is one of the big merits of the current generation Pentax DSLR's.

Maybe that's why I think I'll pick up a K10d and a Pentax wide angle prime for just that kind of work. I'm trying landscapes with my Pentax 645, but it's hard, and expensive, and ultimately I'm too impatient to get film developed and scanned after every trip!

Children in Need seems as good as any?!

If you PM me your details, I'll get it to you as soon as the postal system allows!

Been having another tidy-up here at home, and I've got one of those Pentax shoulder bags, the one you get with a Pentax DSLR kit, sitting doing nothing.

I'd like an established regular member to benefit from it if anybody wants one?

I'll cover the postage (UK only!), just promise to stick a quid or two in a charity box next time you're passing one!

They sound like the female adaptors, that reduce a 3/8" hole to 1/4"?

I would need a male adaptor to turn the 3/8" screw to a 1/4" one on the tripod, more a sort of 'bush'.

Manfrotto do one I think, the MA120, but last time I looked it was out of stock.

I do have a tripod with a 1/4" screw, so it's not a big deal, I was more making the comment that it was a shame the Slik head above couldn't be adapted for the bigger screw tripods.

Thanks! I'll take that!

You're right Martin, in that this type of Gimball head is only really for long super-telephoto style lenses, the ones where such a system is required I guess. When setup correctly, you can move the camera/lens to any position and it will stay exactly where you left it. For setting up at a birding location, behind netting or in a hide, it's an ideal solution. It still allows full panning/tilt movement (one handed if necessary) for birds in flight etc.

If you need the flexibility to be able to whip the Gimball off a ball head to fit your camera body to it, then this isn't really the most convenient solution.

It does screw off the tripod easily and quickly though, and then you can fit whatever you need in its place, such as a ball head.

If you already have a decent ball head (arca swiss style etc), then it might be better to get the Wimberley sidekick attachment, or one of the similar clone systems available. You really need to check your ballhead is up to it though, as many aren't.

I think, as with so many things in photography, the law of diminishing returns applies with tripods/mounts etc.

This was just a heads up for a workmanlike system for not much cash in comparison to the established big names.

That's right George, it only works with lenses that have tripod feet, as per the Kirk Cobra design.

I wasn't sure if that would be allowed, but it's eBay seller;

dvaccessory23

He has all manner of interesting things for sale, including booms and steadicam type stuff.

Quick delivery and good comms from him too.