Hands-On Help Offered

This forum is obviously a great place to get answers to questions about all sorts of equipment and techniques, but occasionally there are times when we struggle to get a definitive answer from online help alone.

You may have a lens that you don't think is working correctly, and the best way to test it is on another camera. Perhaps something odd is happening with your new DSLR, and you want someone else to have a look to make sure it's not 'just you'. Or you have a hankering for a particular lens, but the nearest shop with stock is 600 miles away and you'd rather try one out before spending your hard-earned.

There are plenty of us here with either the knowledge or the equipment to help in these situations, and it might be helpful to be able to ask those that are happy to be asked, if perhaps you could meet up and get the help you need.

I know this goes on anyway, but I'm suggesting that if you're happy to be contacted with a view to a meeting, then pop your name down here and say whereabouts you are. Someone with a problem that hasn't already been sorted online, could then send you a PM and ask if you're available to meet up. If you're not, then that's that, no questions asked.

The onus of travelling would be on the person with the problem. I think we should be clear that we're talking about a brief meeting, it's not fair to expect hours of time to be devoted, unless the contactee is happy with that. Twenty minutes is often more than enough.

If you are contacting someone, please state the problem in as much detail as possible, and the times when you would be available to meet. If the person you contact says "Sorry, I can't help you with this", then please respect this. There are many reasons why they might say it, and it's not for them to justify their decision. Do not take it personally. They might be about to go on holiday, have no experience of your problem, or may have alreasy met up with ten people in the last week and be wanting some peace!

Hopefully, we might end up with a network of people covering much of the country, who can offer assistance when all other options have been exhausted.


So to start the ball rolling...

I'm based in Brentwood, Essex, and would be happy to meet up to help if I can. I have done this a few times already, and have found it's often a week or so before a meeting can be arranged, so don't neccessarily expect to see me the next day.


Hope this helps those who need it.

Dan

Nice idea, Dan, and the conditions you describe all sound very sensible.

I'd be up for this in principle.

Thinking about it, I'd probably only feel comfortable doing this with people I felt I'd 'got to know' online to a reasonable extent, and/or meeting up on neutral territory.

Possibly over-cautious, but sadly that's life these days.

Per pint, anyway

My name is Don and I'm an Alco---er--wait a minute.....
Yeah I'd be happy to meet up for coffee....
Anybody in Winnipeg Canada?

That's fair enough. I think we'd all feel a bit cautious if someone who'd never posted said "Can I come round your house and try out your DA*300mm".

I've met people at visitor centres in country parks before, but that's where you'll often find me. A coffee shop in town would be another good place.

And, once again, this is as a 'last resort' really, if the problem's been thrashed out online, but it needs some 'hands-on' to get it sorted. Hopefully by then, you'd have got a fair idea of what the person's like.

Dan

Anyone finding themselves stuck while out in Northern Virginia/Washington DC area, feel free to give me a ping.

Anyone who wants to can find me at ADAPS every Thursday night...

www.adaps.org.uk will reveal where that is!

Quite so. Hopefully the "hands on" bit won't require pointing at the relevant page in the manual and saying, "Do what it says here".

Joking apart, there's the potential for a lot of information sharing here, as well as help with an individual problem, so I hope this one has wings.

Beer down the pub for me...


I'm in Leeds but not for long... Don't know where I could end up in a few months time.

I'm up for this too, felt like making a similar post in the past along these lines, but as mentioned there are obvious security issues along the way, so good idea to make this a sticky!

Obviously if someone with one post asks to play with my new expensive toys, they will probably get knocked back! But any of the regulars here are more than welcome, it is probably one of the only ways I could help give something back for all the help we get here, being a relative newbie, I can't always give much back!

I'm more than willing to meet up / swap ideas / play with new lenses etc etc, as I feel that meeting with like minded people always helps you to keep your eye on the ball, putting faces to names is great as well!

So if there is anyone close enough to Aylesbury, Bucks that I can help, drop me a PM!

I'm in Ste-Anne des Plaines, about 30km north of Montréal. For those not geographically inclined, it's in Québec (Canada)
Je peux aussi aider ceux d'origine francophone qui ont certaines difficultées avec la langue anglaise.

Yves

Et aussi ceux d'origine anglophone qui ont certaines difficultées avec la langue française?

Count me in

I'm in, and in southern spain but I occasionally get back to my old home in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire (UK) (19th - 29th June next trip).

If anybody has any issues with their K20D or (any old) DA* lens, just send it to me, I'll be happy to check it out (condemn it) .

You could even bring your problem to spain yourself, 400€ a week, €500 + fuel if you want a car to go about yourself. Now I have one spare room, with 2 single beds and one double so it could get cosy (read crowded). I'll even pick you up from Murcia or Alicante airport (extra 30€ for fuel - have you seen the price of it ?).

BTW: The pool is at 24 degrees C at the moment. The beer, 0.65€ a litre, the wine, 0,55€ a bottle and almost drinkable.

Don't all rush at once

Seriously, excellent idea Dan. If I can help, I will.

Could it be you just bought a DA*300 :
Martin.

Well you can't blame a guy for trying. I have to pay for it somehow