Just out of idle curiosity, I searched e-Bay for Contax film cameras from the UK. The first non-sponsored item was a boxed T2. The description starts "If you're reading this, you know about the Contax T2. One of the best 35mm point and shoot/Street photography cameras ever made. Popular with serious photographers and celebs (Kendall Jenner!) alike.". The last part of the last sentence might go some way to explaining silly prices (although I must confess to having to look up who Kendall Jenner is ... ).

A dealer's shop window display card is also listed. £6.99 + £2.99 postage for a piece of white card on which is printed the words 'The Classic Compact CONTAX T2'. Anyone ever thrown away one of those things believing it to be worthless???

Steve

Great stuff!

Nothing wrong with playing with toys, even if yours are a bit smaller than the Harley-Davidsons that some folk play with (yeah, they don't think they're toys, but they are :wink. For your next project, you might try moving on from Mario to little things with a softer feel. As I write, I'm surrounded by Sylvanian Family creatures that my 6 year old grand-daughter has scattered across the floor. If you've not heard of them, look in any decent toy shop or website, they were very popular when my daughter was young, they went into decline but are now back in fashion now she's got children of her own. I'd love to see what they could turn into in your hands !!

Steve

The Godox TT350P works OK with Pentax. Must be the P version - P for Pentax. Price £65 new.

Steve

+1 for what davidwozhere says. A good start, keep it up!

One day you might get fussy about the flat lighting and highlights from reflected flash, so it's worth noting that the ring flash doesn't have to be attached to the lens. If you can focus and press the shutter button one-handed, the other hand is free to hold the ring to one side. Or, if you're good at knocking up ad-hoc bits and pieces, it's possible to make a bracket that attaches to the camera's tripod bush and holds the flash to the side of the camera. Definitely non-standard use of the flash. But people who get hooked on macro often end up making photographic gear do non-standard things and knocking up ad-hoc gadgets. Fun if you like doing that sort of thing and very satisfying when it works!

Steve

Aaaaaghh! Bindweed!! The bane of my gardening life!!! Keep it in the woods - PLEASE! But how can such a nuisance have such a nice flower? No. 3 is particularly good - almost makes me forget that it's a dreadful monster in the garden .

Steve

All three are exquisite. But for me, no. 3 is lifted above the other two by the flock of birds in the field. Not sure why, but it seems to give a 3-D feel to the picture and its position is spot on.

Steve

Possibly the best spent £27.60 ever!

Lots of fun to be had. Enjoy .

Steve

Thanks folks.

No. 4 with the fluttering wings was a 'boy meets girl' moment. The boy landed, approached the girl, they fluttered their wings furiously for a while, and then ... the boy moved off. In the next shot I took, he has put a blade of grass between him and the girl. Teasing her? Playing hard to get? Or she just wasn't his type? We will never know.

Steve

Now, which way round would that be...??

That looks distinctly medical... .

Keep the lens acquisition strategies coming, folks, confession is good for the soul!

Steve

A couple of knowledgeable friends took me butterfly hunting yesterday. The hunt took place at Higher Hyde heathland nature reserve. Given the blustery and not very hot weather, we thought it would be a difficult hunt. In fact, the butterflies seemed to be throwing themselves at us. The only problem was that they prefered to be on the wing rather than stationary. But some obliged. Here are some of the better shots. K3 + DA*300mm (forgot to take the 1.4TC along... ).

Thoughts, comments etc. welcome as usual.

1.



2.



3.



4.



5.



6.



7.



8.



Steve