The grain issue is certainy due to the ISO setting and lighting conditions. 3200 ISO is a tad too fast in my opinion. I'm sure you have shot more sports scenes than I have (a few cars at Brands Hatch is all I've done) but the scenario you describe generally requires a compromise based upon the minimum shutter speed you can get away with (which is usually the reciprocal of the lens length IE: a 300mm lens needs at least 1/300th of a second'ish shutter speed). Then, if your chosen lens produces well defined shots with a wide open aperture (or maybe closed down a stop or 2 to give you a bit to play with and also taking DOF into account), tweak the ISO down to the minimum setting that still produces a correct exposure. This procedure will produce the minimum noise/grain for any given low light scenario. Unless of course, you really do want a grainy result, which you might.

Also, make sure you have noise cancellation turned on in the menu.

I think its worth remembering that most cameras auto settings generally work pretty well within their "average conditions" envelope. When the occasion takes you out of this performance envelope towards the extremes of low/high light, short/long distances etc., Its maybe time to switch to manual and take some control yourself.

Sorry I can't answer your teleconverter question as I don't know of any. I'm sure somebody will be along soon who does though.

Good luck with the lens.

If you are running Windows you're already running *ix (not exactly *nix). Much of Windows is based on the POSIX OS/language.

A long time ago, in a far and distant land, Microsoft once sold XENIX (they obviously couldn't spell UNIX). It was used on Early Altos systems, but I am going back a while to the mid/late 80's.

No I didn't hear about the fiasco you mentioned. I'm an IT professional for goodness sake, spending my days solving customers serious IT issues like showing them how to change the paper or toner or ink cartridge in their printer. You know, technical stuff. I don't have time to listen to tittle tattle

Was it extreme egg on face ? I hope so, nobody should be as rich as Bill Gates. Even his family had a couple of goes at getting it right . . . I'm not sure they succeeded. Isn't he William something or other Gates III ? To be fair, he is giving an awful lot of his money away. Trouble is, he's earning interest faster than he's giving it away, so he's still quids (ok dollars) in.

Tim,

Come on, whenever did a Microsoft OS not work first time

I have actually loaded it on a workstation before, but it was a long time ago . . . and now I can't find the machine.

This time, I'll be loading my digital photo apps on it to see how good/bad it is. I have the latest beta or release candidate (not sure which) so it'll certainly be interesting. I deliberately load this type of thing on old slow machines, just for the hell of it. I've got an old 2.6 Gig HP Pavillion something or other sitting around doing nowt, and I'm getting a bit tired of the familiar XP interface. I do like to live dangerously . . . as long as there is absolutely no risk of me getting hurt.

I have to say that Microsoft are generally proud of their "eat their own dog food" attitude and it's highly probable that many of their workforce are using Windows Vista, even in its beta/RC form, in a production environment IE: using it in anger.

I'm not really much of a pioneer . . . but I like to try and do my bit.

I can't believe anybody is still using Windows 95 but you might add the next generation of Windows to the top of your list named Windows Vista (you may have heard of it as codename Longhorn) to the top of the list. I'll be installing the beta version on a workstation later this week. It could be some other members of the forum already have loaded it. And I'd certainly be interested to know their findings.

You have some lovely images there Liam, and by the way, happy birthday.

I love the shot of the lone mandarin duck and the cranes. The meercat is a classic pose, shame about the concrete background. Maybe you could substitute some African savanah.

Also, I don't think they clip the flamingoes wings mate, looks like they cut a leg off

As far as I know, wallabies are herbivores. They eat grass and other vegetation, not photographers.

The pebble idea is a good one but might be considered unfair. If I get the shot though, I ain't gonna tell anybody how I got it.

Nice shot Liam.

I'm hoping sometime in the summer to spend some time around the salt lakes near my home in Spain where a faily large number of wild flamingoes live and breed, though I've probably missed the breeding season for this year (photographically speaking of course).

The lakes, man made for salt extraction, are around the coast near the Mar Menor/La Manga and Torrevieja region and I'm itching to try out my Sigma 150-400 Zoom on my ist-D (600mm at the long end). If I get any decent pics I'll post a couple.

My dream is to take a shot of a flamingo in flight against a backdrop of the setting sun (without fabricating it in Photoshop that is). I guess I might have to make a few trips to get that one.

Matt,

You have a choice ?

Tanya,

jump in at any point you feel comfortable with. Just for a giggle, start at the end of your thread and work your way up, there's some good stuff here, not entirely relevant to your original question, but that's how these things go. See what you've started ?

Kimbo,

You've echoed my thoughts almost exactly, much more technically actually . . . I'm just not bold enough to challenge the mighty Matt.

Thanks for the info.

? ? ? I wonder if we'll ever hear from Tanya again ? ? ?