Can't find smell-o-vision in the custom image settings....

It is a bit OTT, but I think you should tint it heavily so it looks a bit Warhol'ish.....

Just found him on flickr

He's got a pic on there from 1867 that was taken a week ago

Bizarre... Who is this guy?

Apologies for the late posting of the results, it's been a bit hectic since I have been back in the UK. I also have to confess I forgot it was Wednesday yesterday! Thanks for the entries, I was hoping for a few more, most notably from two members who commented in the discussion thread but then did not enter. However, the images that were entered were all of a high standard and I have had a bit of a problem sorting out the top three.

Pears by Dr Orloff.

A very nice still life, with the addition of the mouse making it far more interesting than it would be without it. Was it a live mouse? I hope no animals were harmed in the making of this production...
A lovely image, and one that fits the theme of the competition perfectly.

Untitled by MarkLJ

A nice panoramic landscape, with very nice lighting. I would like to have seen a bit more depth, however, in keeping with the theme of the comp, and the dark tree on the bottom right could perhaps do with removing IMO. A lovely image but there is too much area without enough contarst, especially in the distance, to show a lot of depth.

Living in Liquid by RPLSF

A very good image, and the second one where I have to hope no animals were harmed... The image is quite bright apart from the background, however, without the wide contrast in tones I associate with chirascuro. It does have some depth to it nonetheless. A very good image, but not quite chirascoro I think.

Spooks for October by JudithAnn

A well put together image, seasonal too with Halloween coming up. For some reason it reminds me of some of Don's studio shots. It does have elements of chiarascuro about it, the lighting angled to give the image some depth. However, I do think the shadows remove a bit too much detail from the two figures.

Hay Bales by Sandanista

I love the light on the hay bales in the foreground, which accentautes their shapes very well. I think the image could be cropped a little bit as the lack of detail in the sky and the noise on the top detract slightly from what is a very lovely picture.

Autumn colours by geordie01

Nice colours, but some of the highlights are a burned out. I think this image needed to be exposed a stop or so less, to avoid these burned out highlights and accentuate the darker areas a bit more, which would also have given more depth to the image.

Acorns by GlynM

A very good example of chiarascuro, lovely tones of brown in the acorns, and a great sense of depth, which has been helped tremendously by the focus-stacking, with everything lovely and sharp. A simple image on the face of it, but done exceptionally well.

Thanks everyone for entering! I have after much deliberation decided on the podium places as follows

1st Place Acorns by GlynM
2nd Place Pears by Dr Orloff
3rd Place Hay Bales by sandanista


HC to JudithAnn for a her seasonal entry!

And over to you, Glyn!

Thanks for that, not got an M42 rear lens cap, but will find a plug and have a go! I can find instructions for dismantling various M series lenses on the web, but not this one.

I started another thread about fungus on this lens, thinking it was on the outside, but on closer inspection and an attempt at cleaning it with acetone, it actually appears to be on the inside of the front element. Does anyone know how to remove the front element? I'd like to have a go at cleaning it myself, if I can get the front element out (and reassemble it of course!) Any advice appreciated.

I think if I ever change sensor size, it will be for a smaller one, once they reach the level of APS-C now...

Whoops! Should probably have been in the Troubleshooter section if a mod wants to move it.....

I went to buy a filter at Mathers of Lancahire yesterday, and one of the salesmen ver generously gave me, free of charge, an smc Pentax-M 75-150mm f4 lens, which is in great condition apart from two spots of what I assume are fungus, both on the front of the front element. The worse one is shown here (apologies for the hand-held macro shot!):




It seems like a really nice lens, so I would love to fix it. I have read all sorts of ideas, from using aceetone, meths and even one suggestion of petrol! Does anyone know how I could clean this lens, or do I need to take it to a specialist? It appears to be just on the surface of the lens. Also, is it likely to contanimate any of my other lenses?