For 1/10 sec at 180mm that photo is impressively sharp! Was it a bean bag on the window sill, some form of clamp, or did you stop breathing and use the shake reduction?

Very nice photo indeed.

Best wishes, Kris.

My excuse is that I spent my first autumn with the K10 in South Carolina. Not many colours there, just green and a lighter green! I may have to resort to digging through old slides for this one!

Best wishes, Kris.

Thank you for your comments (and giving me second place ). A huge job judging this weeks competition and a very difficult one. Well done to all.

Best wishes, Kris.

There were a few dodgy ones when they first came out but if you get a good'un (one reason to go with someone like SRS) consensus is they are great (but on the heavier side). I have the DA* 50-135 and it's lovely.

Cheers, Kris.

They have all said it already, No. 2 is lovely.

Best wishes, Kris.

Well at least we were both singing from the same song sheet...

This isn't the usual "kit lens" (which is good for a kit lens but is at the cheaper end of the spectrum) but others here will attest that it is a very good lens indeed. I am putting up with the standard kit lens for now and am saving my pennies for the DA* 16-50mm.

Best wishes, Kris.

Hi Karen,

(Probably simplifying but it will answer the question well enough...)

Pentax M lenses were designed for the M-series cameras (MV, MX, ME Super etc) which offered manual and/or aperture priority only. The aperture is set with the aperture ring.

A series lenses were introduced to go with the Super-A/Program A and later cameras that offered shutter priority and full program modes and the aperture can be set to "A" allowing the camera to set the aperture, or for the user to set the aperture from the camera (where the model allows that).

Due to metering problems with the M series lenses and the new digital bodies you are better off getting A series lenses if you can. There was a long thread on this last Thursday.

Hope this helps, Kris.

Matt,

thanks for that! I nearly always use Av but hadn't realised I could put the ISO on the front wheel. Now to start digging in the menus...

Best wishes, Kris.

Karen.

To be able to use the aperture ring go into the menus, go across to the custom menu on the far right, go up three to "Using aperture ring" and then choose option 2, permitted.

You are better off, however, using the lens on the A setting and using the dials which are mode dependent. In P [program], Av [aperture priority], TAv [aperture/shutter priority] and M [manual] modes the rear dial near your thumb sets the aperture.

Hope this helps, and enjoy.

Kris.