The video is a bit of a cheap shot against iPhone users and Apple though, not really constructive.

Still life is an arrangement of objects that is then photographed. A bit like flower arranging but with whatever you wish - old boxes, a knife and fork and a dead pheasant covered in cobwebs, for example, would make the ingredients for a classic still life.

The objects chosen are arranged in a pleasing way.

It can be quite difficult to create a really good stiil life image.

Are you sure you want a metal hood for protection? There is no give in metal and all a shock will be transmitted to the lens. A plastic or rubber hood will absorb some shock as it flexes.

If you can find one, the Tokina ATX 80-400mm is a viable choice and quite compact, albeit also quite heavy.

There are suitable Sigma and Tamron zooms available new.

The Jethro Tull cover was preceded by several years by The Four Seasons album "The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette" (Philips, 1969) which consisted of a 6 sided gatefold in the style of a newspaper, plus an 8 page mock cartoon supplement in full colour.

Yep, colour.

Can we stop the sniping now please?

It isn't the length of time proportionate to the price. It's the time that a given item could normally expect to last in normal use. There is a limit of 6 years in the UK.

A lens could be expected to last well beyond 6 years, regardless of price. A camera body that had shot 300,000 exposures over three years could be argued to be at the end of its natural life.

If you get underexposure, just use manual and increase the indicated exposure by the required amount. With a digital camera you will be able to check straight away if you have given enough exposure.

Don't forget you don't have to accept the indicated values.

Or use a spearate hand held meter.

If you had circumstances like that with two lenses, then you have a choice. Depending on what you wanted to use a lens for you can match performance to requirements.

So in the example given, a macro lens that was superior when stopped down would generally be an advantage. Most macro shots need as much DOF as we can get, so stopping down is the norm.

A telephoto lens where distant shots at open aperture were the aim might well have an advantage if it were razor sharp wide open. If it was a portrait lens, then most subjects would not appreciate the razor sharp rendering of all their facial defects...

That's why I think it's a great pity that manufacturers don't tell us up front what the characteristics of their lenses are. If they did we could make more informed choices.