Think of the teleconverter as being a magnifying glass, in which case x2 makes perfect sense. 400mm becomes 800mm. However, there is a two stop light loss, so f/5.6 would become f/11, so camera shake may be a problem. Then we are magnifying the faults in a lens, so quality will suffer to some degree.

Having said that, a x2 converter will convert 50mm f/2 very nicely to 100mm f/4 and as the minmum focus stays the same, suddenly we have a makeshift macro lens.

So there is a place for them, but they need to be the highest quality possible. A 1.4x converter, losing only one stop of light, would be my first choice.

I was referring to the frustration of being without a lens for weeks, maybe months.

Rather than hijack someone's first thread Witek, why not post your problem in Troubleshooter? We can all chat about it there and perhaps make some useful suggestions.

Honesty in relationships is a good place to start. Quite often Sue will suggest I buy something, and quite often I will buy her a new lens/accessory if she needs it. No need for secrets, we both share a hobby and we know how much things cost.

Warranty is small consolation though if the lenses are not reliable. Is there a well documented problem?

Unfortunately, not on my screen, so I can't offer any solution to what you are seeing. Have you virus-checked your machine recently?

Off topic posts removed, a little late maybe, but removed. Please don't jump into Classified Ads threads unless it's relevant to the actual sale.

HDR software is the more versatile option.

I've always replaced the computer, not the operating system. There's nothing wrong with still using XP or Vista if that's what the computer was designed for. If I bought one today it would have Windows 8 and apparently the fancy front page can be reached beyond to reveal something more familiar.

In any event, we have to progress otherwise we won't be able to use the latest versions of programs or eventually even communicate with the web properly.

We started off using Compuserve, but that's a very distant memory now. It's usually just a matter of getting to grips with a new style and I'm sure Windows 8 is no different.

Photomatix Pro does the trick, just don't use the presets and get whatever effect you want.

It starts with shooting the images - how many, what exposure gap between them, etc. I start with 1 EV steps and shoot seven images, others shoot five or three images.

Photomatix will be much easier than Oloneo, or at least that's what people tell me who have used Oloneo.

However, it's up to you how subtle you want your Photomatix images to be.