This is an interesting read 'There was no holding on'. Not just for how aerial photography was done in its pioneering days but also for the use of image manipulation techniques which many people would now frown on but were then cutting edge and all part of the art and craft of producing aerial photos.

Steve

What a collection!! Every one at one time was a reminder to some people of someone they had known, loved or perhaps even hated. And now ... I wonder how many people know anything at all about those whose names are on the gravestones? Such is life - and what comes after. Oh dear, your poignant but superb set has made me go all thoughtful and philosophical... .

Steve

Ouch!!! I feel your pain. I'm sure you'll enjoy the 18-135mm, though. Like you, I've read lots of good things about it. Looking forward to seeing some photos from it sometime .

Steve

Methinks you might be getting unnecessarily concerned about f4 and low light. You'll probably want to be working at f5.6 or f8 (or more) to get depth of field, so f4 is not a limitation. That doesn't mean a tripod is necessary - anyway, it will probably be forbidden in a cathedral or other public building. Fairly long exposures are possible from in-camera shake reduction, high-ish ISO and steadying the camera against whatever solid and firmly fixed object is available (resting the camera on the shoulder of an unsuspecting family member is possible, but from personal experience you can only get away with it once in your life!).

Steve

Fisheyes distort - deliberately so, that's what they are designed to do. Wide angle and ultra-wide angle lenses do not distort but they can give rather odd-looking images. However, they only look odd because our eyes and brains are not used to seeing wide or ultra-wide angle. Crop an image taken with a 10mm non-fisheye lens so that it matches the field of view of a 'normal' lens (say 35mm for an APS-C camera) and the crop won't seem distorted because it's what the eye/brain is used to seeing. Do the same with an image taken with a 10mm fisheye lens and it will still appear distorted. The skill of a photographer with a wide/ultra-wide angle lens is to visualise a good image before pressing the shutter button rather than just hoping that getting as much as possible in the image will turn out OK (because it probably won't).

Steve

Just out of curiosity, how much do you get hit when purchasing from the UK? I've only thought about it from the point of view of importing into the UK, not the other way round.

Steve

For the KP and K200D, a 35mm lens is 'normal', not wide angle. For wide angle, I've got a soft spot for the 16-45mm f4. The difference between 16mm and the 18mm wide end of the 18-55mm is significant and it's constant f4 so no shrinking aperture as you zoom in. It's a bigger lens than the 18-55mm but quite manageable, weighs 366g (cf 18-55mm 220g). Just one quirk - the 16-45mm extends as the focal length reduces, the opposite of most zoom lenses. They seem to be going for about £90-£100 on the usual auction site, there are some for £80 - £100 at MPB, one for £79 at WEX, one for £70 at CEX.

The 10-17mm fisheye is probably out of your budget but it's an interesting lens for interiors of cathedrals etc. if you fancy being a bit creative rather than just taking record shots.

Steve

Out of idle curiosity (I don't have a GR of any sort) I looked at the Nisi website. It says "The NiSi Compact Cameras System Master Kit is compatible with Ricoh GR3 and not with the GR2 and GR.". That sounds pretty definitive.

Now, although I don't have a GR, I do have a couple of Q series cameras. So... could the filter holder be fitted to a Q lens (40.5mm thread) via an adapter?

Steve

A wife of such creativity deserves to be treasured .

Steve

Looks much like my bit of south Dorset. Not much colour other than green and brown, lots of dried or dead leaves on the ground. Possibly a result of a very hot and dry summer round here which badly affected a lot of trees. Good luck with finding some stunning autumnal colour after the forecast cold spell!

Steve