I don't do a lot of macro (read that as practically none) but I have an old Sigma manual focus 50mm f/2.8 macro for the odd occasions that I do. You can pick one up very cheaply and they perform well as both a macro and general walkabout lens. You have to get very close, though, and if I were more interested in macro I'd certainly go for a 90mm or 100mm, as others have suggested. An old 50mm could be a good low-cost solution if you just want to try it out. I suspect they're all pretty good.

Al

You transfer the downloaded update on to an SD card using a computer and pop the card back in the camera to complete the process. The Ricoh website should give full details. There's no need for the cable. I've never used a cable to transfer images -- just a card reader. They're built into most computers nowadays or can be bought cheaply as an accessory.

Al

Thanks for the link. Always fancied trying a ball-and-socket head. I've been pretty impressed with the 7DayShop stuff in the past.

Al

Those cracking Scotties look they're visiting the Borders, with Leaderfoot Bridge (Viaduct) near Melrose in the background. It's a rail bridge over the River Tweed. I was brought up in that neck of the woods. Great to see it again.

Al

The problem with this is that you'll have to stand farther back if you want the image to occupy the same amount of the frame because the angle of view will be narrower. And, as John says, this will change the perspective. It may not make a lot of difference in practice but there will be a subtle change in the look of the portrait.

Al

HSS is certainly what you need and it works well with the two current Pentax flashes. There seems to have been a firmware update a year ago to enable HSS on the Metz 58 with the K30 and K5II -- link -- but I can't see one for the K3. There's a good chance this update would work with the K3 as well and it would be worth installing to find out, if your flash doesn't have it already.

Good luck.

Al

I think you'll find people photographed virtually everything before colour film, although that was a very long time ago now. The "focus" was obviously on form rather than colour.

Even after colour film became readily (although expensively) available, black-and-white flower photography was common in posters, calendars, postcards and specialist publications. Those were the days of carrying around a bunch of colour filters to lighten or darken various parts of the flower to produce the effect you wanted.

There are some splendid B&W flower shots in the internet.

Al

I'm no expert but it helps to take a reading from the ground -- grass or even tarmac -- and lock this in. It's not easy to adjust exposure "on the fly", particularly with fast jets. Mind you, we've got some top-notch airshow photographers here and I'm sure they'll come up with a better approach.

Al

You've got to be pretty lucky to find yourself standing in the right place to frame the scene as you want with a fixed lens. The obvious answer is to walk a few feet or rely on cropping later. Maybe I'm just getting lazy but a zoom seems the preferred option.

Like others, I'm amazed by the results from the MX-1's small sensor, even if it does have one of those new-fangled zoom thingies. Doubt I could be bothered adapting to fixed lens now. I got more than enough exercise in film days with my 50mm and 28mm.

Al

You're right, Sledger. The thread title could be a bit misleading. Sorry. It's just that several people have questioned the lens cap set-up on the MX-1 and it seems to be the same "warning" system that's used on the X5. I was a bit concerned there might be a weak link that could cause problems on the MX-1. I suspect the X5 issue I mentioned could be a one-off, though. Let's hope so.

Al