If we were the sellers we wouldn't want some of the margins that we would have to sell at.

On the one hand we want choice, everything to be in stock, instant delivery, top class service, exchanges without question....it all has to be paid for and we are now coming out of a period when prices have been incredibly low.

I will be buying anything I want as soon as possible, because it could get much worse.

We all have different photographic requirements and you're likely to get a lot of alternative ideas in a thread like this, as a consequence of that.

In the end you know what you want to photograph and therefore what lenses you need. As opposed to what lenses you want!

For me, the 16-45mm fulfills 90% or more of what I need. The other 10% needs a disproportionate number of lenses for a lot of different tasks.

If and when I replace my 16-45mm it will probably be with the 17-70mm and I will sacrifice the 1mm at the wide end. These focal lengths are the most generally useful. It will also work just fine as a portrait lens - it's only the focal length that makes a portrait lens (mainly) do a 95mm-equivalent is about perfect.

For the longer lens there's little point in having a 55-300mm and 60-250mm, you are wasting money there IMHO. You only need your longer lens to take you to that 500mm and the choice there you have already made.

If you pull the zoom ring to reveal the words Power Zoom then operating the zoom control becomes motorised.

Press the botton on the lens and a focal length is stored. Return to the same focal length at any time by pressing the button again.

Set the switch on the lens to AS or P (?) and you can Image Size Track and do other tricks but just offhand I can't give you the details of those - check the manual!

It works and if done well can look very good. It's important to set the exposure manually and not change it throughout the exposures. There can be many more than 2 exposures.

A Pan Focus lens is usually one with the focusing fixed on the hyperfocal distance. There was a Pentax 110 18mm Pan Focus, but that's the only one I can recall.

I accept what you are saying, but I do see a downside to it and that is if we try to cover every eventuality in the listing then it bores the pants off the reader and might even seem suspicious in itself. I tend to look very very carefully at sellers who list lots of whys and wherefores and make it seem like they have "rules of engagement".

Personally I keep it as simple as possible (just like the competition rules here!) and so far have not really had many problems.

I suspect that what we sell may make a big difference and I might feel differently if I was selling something riskier like mobile phones...

Why don't you offer the lenses you don't like in the Classifieds section? Someone might have a need for them and you could get something towards your new lens purchases.

According to the legal guidance I was given when shooting Images of England, a public place is one where there is access to the public. So basically, roads, pathways, church grounds, parks, open spaces, etc.

The test is do you pay an admission fee, and if you do it is likely to be a private area where restrictions could be in place.

There may be some areas that are a bit grey such as privately owned public spaces such as a development company owning part of a town centre, but it's rare for this to be a problem. London has a few I think.

Enough said.