I recently took some moderate closeups (from about 18-24 inches) of some plants, using the built-in flash on my 1st DL because the light was poor under trees and I didn't have my tripod with me. The lower edges of the pictures contained a nasty shadow of the camera lens and hood.

So, I was about to go and spend £6 on a Kaiser hot shoe adapter into which I could plug the lead of my old Hanimex Pro 550 flash unit, as the 1st DL doesn't have a flash socket, when I read somewhere that old flash units shouldn't be used with digital cameras, as the voltage is too high, and a Wein Safe Sync was recommended, at a cost of £46 - ouch! (If there is any warning of this in the Pentax operating manual, I have not found it.)

Obviously, that £46 would be better put towards a compatible flash unit, but I am reluctant to spend money on something that I would very rarely use. (I have since returned to those plants with my tripod and got some decent shots without using flash.)

I'll be glad to see the comments of all you experts out there.

Thanks for the tip on making one, Matt, but I'm not into making things like that, I'm more of a hammer and a big pair of grips man!

I've now found the Pentax CS-205 on the Net, and it's £29.99. Just as I expected, it's more than double the price of the Hama one.

Haven't heard yet from anyone who's actually used one, though. (I'm a pensioner, so I need to be absolutely sure before I spend any money.)

Sorry Chris and Roger, I was replying to Matt.

Your posts popped up while I was pondering over my composition.

Now everything looks confusing. No offence intended! I stand by my comments on the infra red, though.

I was not aware there is a Pentax one?

The only Pentax one I knew of is an infra red one, no cable, but it can only be used facing the front of the camera. Its only use that I can see is for snappers who want to include themselves in a shot. No use with the camera on a tripod for close ups of flowers or insects.

Is the one you are thinking of definitely for digital? And knowing Pentax, I bet it is at least 50% more than the Hama one.

I've just found that there is a new range of remote cable releases by Hama for digital SLR.

One of these, model CA-1, is advertised as being suitable for Pentax ist D, D5, MZ6 and K10D. It sells for £13.99 in UK.

Do any Pentax DSLR users already have one, and what do think of it?

Ignoring post-production image manipulation, what are the pros and cons of warming a "cold" scene by adjusting the camera's white balance setting, or by using 81 series filters (as we did, or some of us still do, with film cameras)?

It's not a topic I have seen discussed in this forum (if I am wrong, forgive me).

Going back to the original query and answers at the start of this thread, about the removable section of the lens hood, I wonder how many other users like me have lost that piece?

It's an innovative idea, so you can rotate your polariser, but not so clever if the section can be accidentally knocked off or whatever while you're out and about.

I guess I'll get by without it, for I see little point in buying another lens hood when I shall probably lose the removable section again.

Looks like the most foolproof solution for me is going to be to make sure I hump my Benbo Trekker around with me every time I go out with my camera, learn how to use Mirror Lock Up and Self-Timer or buy a Remote Control.

I'm discouraged from taking my tripod every time because it's a bit long and top-heavy to put in a rucksack, and if I use the the carry bag the damn strap continually slides off my shoulder.

Seriously, though, thanks for the 1.5-times formula, it'll come in handy when I'm out with friends and getting grab shots, or on holiday taking memory shots.

Some of the preceding posts have really thrown me now!

Based on something I read somewhere, I was thinking my 18-55 digital kit lens was the equivalent of 28-90 in a 35mm film lens.

Meanwhile, George advises I'll have to multiply the focal length by one and a half, which he thinks is not impossibly difficult. George, you don't know how bad my mental arithmetic is!

Looks like I'll have to go back to school.....

Having used nothing but completely manual film SLRs for years, I am quite familiar with the equation of focal length of lens not exceeding shutter speed with hand held shots, i.e. don't use anything slower than 1/60th sec with a 50mm lens, and so on.

How does this affect digital cameras, whose lens focal length differs from that of 35mm film cameras?

Am I going to have to do some mental arithmetic any time I use an old non-digital lens?

This is important to me as I frequently don't have my tripod with me and I like to shoot landscapes at f11 or f16 with a polarizer, or small plants in poor light with as much depth of field as possible.