I have found in many situations that making sure the highlights aren't blown is enough and then using the "fill light" slider in Lightroom pulls up the dark areas. I couldn't guess how many times I have shot bracketed shots for HDR and then found I could get away with carefully editing one of the exposures. When I do use HDR I do it in Photomatix.

Amateur Photographer had a surprisingly helpful issue on HDR a few weeks back, much better than their usual standard.

K.

The K-5 looks like a great camera to me but I shall be sticking to my K20D simply because (a) I don't have the cash and (b) if I did have the cash I'd rather spend it on one or two of the lenses I have on my list. I hope the K-5 sells like hot cakes for all our sakes. The new 18-135 does tempt me, however!

K.

Links like this have been posted many times before. Good luck with the sales. K.

I had a quick play with the second one. I used levels to brighten it up quite a bit, then an adjustment curve to increase the contrast and a BW conversion layer. It worked rather well apart from the sky going all blocky when I tried to darken it down a bit and make it more threatening due to working on a lo-res jpg. With the original file and a few quick tweaks it will be a very nice shot.

K.

Thanks to the British Consulate taking forever to issue my lady love with her visa I have been there quite a few times this year. LBA has definitely had to be on the back burner.

K.

Just for you...

Yup, it is a "K". The first series bayonet lenses didn't have a designation (e.g., M, A etc.) but the convention has developed to call them the K series. Often you'll see I'll refer to a lens as a SMC "K" ... for precisely that reason.

K.

The two people are looking down Broadway. The pointy building in the background is a church spire.

Thanks for your comments. K.

The trumpeter is doing a solo and 'going with the flow', the bassist is watching his colleagues for the sign that they are going to move onto the next section/solo.

BTW Gareth, there is no such lens as a Pentax-M 55 f/2: it is either a M50 or a K55... Sorry, I'll stop being a nerd now.

K.

I wasn't dismissing it at all John, in fact quite the opposite! My 18-55mm "kit" lens has been my main lens ever since I got it and I have seen no need to "upgrade" to the other alternatives. If I need something faster I use one of my older manual lenses. £600 does, however, seem a bit pricey for a lens which I assume is intended to sit in between the basic lenses and the star lenses, and would, to be frank, be out of my current price range. It is a lens I am very interested in because, as I said, I like to hike and a single WR lens would be ideal for that use. I just have my fingers crossed that it's price is in my range and that its IQ is as good as my copy of the 18-55mm.

K.