Shopping in Sainsburys, I spotted a Sony 16 Gb SD card.
The price was good (£9.99) but the speed rating caught my eye - this was a Class 4 card rated at (up to) 15 Mb/sec, which is way fast for a Class 4.
So I took a gamble, got home and decided to test it.

Nothing scientific you understand. I have my K20 set to take .jpg and RAW both (RAW is DNG), so my thought was really how long could I do continuous shots before the card could not keep up. I just kept pressing the release (8 times) and watched the little light telling me that the card was being written to. Paused for a few seconds and did it again for another 8 shots, pointed it somewhere different for another seven shots. 46 images in a couple of minutes and the card kept up. Close on a Gb of data in about two minutes (a bit less than the makers claim, but enough to say "fast".

I would not normally shoot that fast, so I think I got a good buy. And. I know that it will not let me down after a few shots.

Geoff

I guess that you are thinking of Badbury Rings - a really well preserved Iron Age (I think) hill fort - a bit like Old Sarum Castle.
The avenue of trees on the Blandford Rd (below the rings) has potential for a shot or two.

Geoff

I have never tried Olive oil either - but since most vegetable oils tend to dry out (as opposed to harden) then it might well be better.
Isoprop alcohol used to come from Maplin, but the best source now is Amazon - large quantity, but very cheap for it. look for Isopropanol.
Geoff

It is not just what you use, it is also how you use it.
Add to MattyH's list:
- masking tape - the sticky side picks up dirt that something else has loosened, and it makes a good seal over places that you don't want dirt getting in.
- a very soft 1/2" paintbrush to move loose dust.
- cotton buds for when you want to apply something fluid sparingly.
- White vinegar - on a cotton bud to clean battery terminals and compartments.
- a pin or fine needle - to get crud out of tiny cross-head screws.
- isoprop alcohol for when you don't want the faint oily film that lighter spirit leaves behind.
- hard floor wax - rubbed into deep scratches in plastic it will hide the white scratch by bringing it to a neutral colour. Note that it does not fill the scratch.

Some people have suggested Vaseline to renovate the rubber coverings on some lenses - but I have never tried this one myself

Geoff

Thank you for proving my point, and in such a hilarious manner as well.

Geoff

Yes, Kris, some prices might help - but who would they help?

I put a price on something - now do I price it posted or post extra?
I name a price on an item, and someone who would really like it says that is too much.
Someone makes me an offer, and I say not enough.
What is the difference? I still have the item and the other guy does not.

OK, so I listed a lot of stuff. IF someone is interested, they know what it is worth to them, in their hands, and they can make an offer.
I know how much I would take for it.
The figures may be the same - but there is still the question of postage.

Example:
The MTO Mirror lens.
I have a good idea what this is worth, but this could be as much as the postage.
Maybe a courier could be cheaper, but now I have to find the time to start phoning round, or rooting through the internet, and the hassle may not be worth it. Equally, it maybe someone who is only an hour away, who can make an offer based on meeting in the middle and actually handling the lens and handing over cash. Like you, I say where I am. For me, the hassle of meeting someone is actually a lot less than that of doing the packing and getting a parcel to the post office counter.

And, I still have some options left to me - it is just that I offered the stuff here first (I mean, it is not like a £500 lens or similar, where I have to get top price).

So, for me, "open to offers" means exactly that.

Geoff

Bump.

Declining health forced me to reconsider what equipment I could expect to use in the future. First off, I have not shot any film all year. I really like the P50, and the MZ-50 has some sentimental value, and the only sensible thing is to dispose of both. This means that some of the big and heavy kit has to go along with the bodies. I am open to offers on any item (on either a “posted” or “plus postage” basis), and will consider offers for bundling items together. If anyone wants to consider a swap for an *istD body, against some of this, then please talk to me. If you want photos or test shots, then just ask. Posted here first before moving on to Preloved, Gumtree, etc.

Pentax P50 Body. Excellent condition (except for some small scratches on bottom plate and on the plastic protector on the bottom of the mirror box).
Pentax MZ50 Body. Like new (except for some small scratches on bottom plate and on the bottom of the mirror box).

Pentax SMC FA f3.5-5.6/ 28-80mm. Zoom. Some internal dust.
SMC Pentax A constant f4/70-210mm Zoom. Some internal dust.
Tokina SD f3.5-4.5/28-70 Zoom KA Mount. Clean externally (and a lot of internal dust).
Tamron Adaptall-2 f3.8-5.4/60-300mm Zoom. Fitted with Pentax K adapter and an adapted Canon tripod mount. Original front and rear caps.
Bell and Howell f2.8/28, K mount. Original front cap. Cosmetically good, but with one rub mark on focus ring. Some dust.

MTO f8 500mm M42 Mirror lens in wooden fitted case with filters. Has integral tripod mount. Note that this will not fit on any Pentax DSLR due to fouling on the built-in flash housings. Original front and rear caps, lenshood, and 4 x 77mm filters.
Chinon f5.6 300mm M42. Like new. Minimal dust. Original front cap and replacement rear cap.
Pentacon f4 200mm M42. Yes, the Bokeh monster! Preset, 15 blade diaphragm. Minimal dust.
Optomax constant f4.5 80-200mm Zoom. M42. Very clean, minimal dust, smooth diaphragm. With good drawstring sac.
Optomax f3.9 75-150 Zoom. M42, much dust, filter ring has had a ding.
Pentacon f1.8/50mm M42. Looks quite good, and not a lot of dust.
Fujinon-W f3.5 35mm M42 Auto. Cosmetically good, snappy diaphragm. Much dust. But, it does have a very nice leather case. Original push-on plastic front cap.
Practicar f2.8 24mm M42 Original front and rear caps. Moderate dust.

Pentax ME II winder in very good condition. Goes very well on P50.
Vivitar x2 teleconverter in Pentax K mount (front and rear caps).
Boots x2 teleconverte M42

Cable Switch F
Vivitar “Zoom 2500 Thyristor” flash gun. This has a lever lock, and has been converted to a permanently wired PC cord. I believe the trigger voltage does not exceed 14.5 V, and I have used it for about 50-60 shots on a K20D without a problem.
1.5 Metre PC Extension lead.
10” PC Extension lead.
9” Remote cable release. Braided metal cover with lock,

steven9761 wrote
That's not the future, that is here right now. I bought a spare (off-brand) EN-EL14 battery, popped it on charge, put it into the camera and zilch. Would not even turn on - but the charger insisted it was fully charged. (OK, so I got a refund).

For a lot less than the N***n battery I found one that claimed to be chipped for "full compatibility". Got it last week, charged it, works perfectly.

So, I don't know if the chip is licenced or reverse engineered, but I have a spare battery that works.

Geoff

Well, if I could bag this thread, it would do my roses a power of good.
First off, there has been a lot of talk about perspective without saying explicitly which perspective you are talking about. Yes, I can see that it is linear perspective, but there are several other varieties as well.

Yes, magnification does change LINEAR perspective. However, you need to get out and take a couple of shots to demonstrate this. You need about 200 yards of quiet street with houses on either side. Stand in the middle (when it's really quiet) and take two shots (max wide, and max tele) with the same lens and without moving your feet. The centre of each shot should be at the centre of the far end of the street. Now print the two shots off at (say) 10 x 8 and draw lines along the converging parallels (kerbs, top of ground floor windows, rooflines, etc) and look at the angles between them. Do note that the results will be different if you have used a narrow street of terraced houses in (say) Salford or Leeds, and a wide street in leafy Surrey. Of course, the most obvious difference between the two shots will be at the end nearer to you, but that is a function of the acceptance angle of the lens at the two magnifications.

Now think of the way that linear perspective was taught before cameras with zoom lenses - Leonardo's Window. This waas a simple frame (or maybe a small sheet of glass held at arm's length by an artist - who drew what could be seen within the frame. Try this for yourself, and then try the difference by moving the frame a bit nearer. This is exactly what a zoom lens does - it alters the size of the image without altering the proportions of objects within the image, but only the way in which they are depicted.
You can get a good explanation of Leonardo's Window at:
http://legacy.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeonardosWindow.html

And to answer the question of which focal length equates to human vision, it is about 37-38mm (for 35mm cameras) provided you make certain assumptions about the human. There is no straight answer because we are all different, our eyes are spaced a different distance apart, they automatically focus to infinity unless something nearer is required, they all have slightly different fields of view to right and left, up and down; while humans have a general field of view of around 180 degrees, the periphery is not generally procesed for detail (only for movement).

But, in the end, does it all really matter? We zoom in and out (or change lenses) compose, take the shot, go home and process the image and are either pleased with the result or not.

Geoff