To add to what Matt has written. The shorter the focal length of the lens, when reversed, magnifies more than a longer focal length lens.

If you can imagine that a 28mm lens, when used normally has a wide angle of view which it makes smaller to fit your sensor/film size. So, when it's reversed, it has the reverse effect of making very small things look very big. A 50mm lens has a narrower field of view than a 28mm lens, and similarly, when reversed, it doesn't magnify as much.

Using reversed lenses produces razor thin depth of field though, but that's not a problem because if you get 'the macro bug' you'll be looking at focus stacking very soon.

Hola y bienvenidos de España

or,

Hello and welcome from Spain.

Super series, shame the light wasn't in your favour though.

BTW: The bird on top . . . is the male

Cynical, or what?

You need a holiday Mike.

The larger capacities are probably aimed at the video market. I imagine the ratio of current model still cameras that can shoot video v those that can't is very high.

One thing to remember is that you have three, and only three, variables to influence exposure. If you want higher shutter speeds, and smaller apertures, you must change the third variable, ISO, to suit the situation. Otherwise you need more light, or better quality lenses that perform well at wide apertures.

That's it in a nuthatch (nutshell) really.

Being in the right place, at the right time, with the right light, and the right gear, and the ability to use it is all you need. I seldom manage it.

Your shots are very good. Perhaps over cropped so you either need a longer focal length lens, or get closer. Some extra PP work will rescue them, I'm sure.

Lovely to see one showing off its crest. Well done.

They are very common in my part of Spain but I haven't seen one this year yet.

We've got cuckoos and migrating cranes around at the moment. No shots yet, but still hoping.

I think it should work fine. I have a lot of 32 bit apps running on my Win7 x64 PC.

If you have Win 7 Professional or Ultimate, you can download a free Win XP Virtual machine so no worries anyway.

Search the 'net and help for Windows XP mode, and Windows Virtual Machine.

Thanks for the links. I was surprised to learn just how much double sided sticky tape is used to hold our cameras together.

PS & OT: Sorry to read of Skweek's demise. We've lost three in the last two years.