Some digital cameras have had conventional cable release sockets, but my guess is that it's easier and cheaper to install an electronic version.

Don't forget that old style releases can cause a lot of damage if used over-enthusiastically. Some of the plungers are far too long to be safe.

But if you do this we have to scroll from side to side and the resizing affects the quality. Much better to resize in Photoshop and upload the correct size to Photobucket. Don't let Photobucket resize either, it's not as good a result.

I'd go along with that, although I am actually about to shoot some film for a project. I don't miss film at all, it's always been about making the images, not the medium.

We have computers using only 1GB of RAM that will quite happily run Photoshop CS2, Photoshop 7 or Photoshop Elements 7. Adnittedly this is the lowest that is useable, give or take, but anything you buy now should exceed this specification.

Our latest purchases have 4GB of RAM and video cards that have 1GB of their own RAM as well, all far in excess of what PS needs.

You do not need anything massively specified for imaging, but 4GB of RAM would be sensible. After that, buying the best monitor you can afford will be more useful. Not all monitors are good for imaging purposes.

I wouldn't go so far as should as I know plenty of people who are excellent photographers and have never shot a frame of film in their lives. This will be incresingly so as time moves on. After all, how many of us have shot lantern slides?

I have mentioned though that shooting a slide film is a useful and interesting experience from which a number of lessons about composition, attention to detail and exposure can be learned.

I think it varies. Sometimes I will know what I want to shoot for a particular subject, so one shot would do it. In this case I usually take two anyway, just to make sure that I have a sharp shot without camera shake.

If it's an experimental subject I'm not familiar with I might take any number until satisfied. There will be lots with minor differences but just one might stand out. This can happen especially where something is unfolding such as changing weather or the final gasp of a sunset.

Not every shot will be a masterpiece, nor does it need to be. Some are just illustrating a point or, for example, purely records of an item.

I have however found enough images that I like to put one a day on ePHOTOzine for the past five years!

Fascinating stuff. Thanks, Martin.

Don't forget things like the Royal Blue Jersey Rolleflex 2.8F, or the Gold and Platinum special editions, the gold Pentax Spotmatic, the LX special editions, and so on.

I have seriously contemplated a couple of coloured K-x cameras for weddings - they would grab attention and be remembered. I admit I haven't bought them yet.

I actually quite like this new trend in different colours for cameras. It's not really new as Kodak box cameras were made in a variety of colours many many moons ago, but just recently we have got into a silber or black situation.

So now I have a nice red Optio P70, a seductively white I-10, and I notice even more shades coming onto the market. There's even a Mint Green Optio out there somewhere - I noticed it fleetingly on Amazon earlier.

And I haven't even mentioned those new K-x colours...The future's bright, the future's almost any colour you fancy.

Here's the place to discuss and comment on this week's competition.