Quite agree
Certainly where I live, in a very "arty" city it is almost impossible to get any work unless you put in some serious marketing efforts. There's just so many people doing photo-related work!

I'd certainly make more money in teaching photography and Photoshop than in weddings/portraits etc (and there's no way I can stand the stress! :lol

Matt

I wouldn't mind the change... but I reckon I'm better at system design & firmware programming

Don't forget that if you intend to "dip your toe" in the waters of semi/professional photography it's a good idea to register with your local tax office for self-employment Then, if things go well you should have fewer issues with your returns.

Matt

Indeed they are

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number

f/1.7 sits on the half a stop scale, while f/1.8 sits on the third a stop scale

Matt

Note that both these lenses are 0.5x max magnification
The f/2.8 macro lenses are 1x magnification

I did pick up a SMC-F 100/2.8 macro for £200 a few years back. Lovely piece of glass - doesn't get nearly enough use and have wondered about selling it on but can't get myself to part with it just yet

Matt

It depends what you want to take
You may find that an old manual focus 50mm f/1.7 or 50mm f/2 plus some extension tubes will do the job nicely. You can often find these in local camera shops going for a song!

Matt

No problem Steve TBH, I find video rather trying
(And I have to be careful how much I do at the moment )

Another issue is that I don't really have a location that's suitable for videoing Still, if someone knows anyone with a studio we could borrow (or if someone is willing to stump up some cash to hire one) then that may be possible

Matt

"Just"? I wish video was that easy for me Whenever I've done anything with video it's taken me about 100x longer than the footage to get anything sorted. Taking the video is one thing... producing it into something usable is another.

I was looking for a small informal group, but I'll bear those requests in mind!
Matt

Just an added thought...
If you get the chance to get a Sandisk Extreme III SDHC with MicroMate reader - then get it
It's the fastest USB2 reader I've seen! It really helps when pulling off the images onto the PC
Have several SDEIII and all have been fine (FWIW, all bought from www.picstop.co.uk )
Matt

The most incredible goodwill that I've experienced is from owning Koss headphones. They offer a life-time guarantee Ear pads wear out - phone them up and there's new ones on the way; cable breaks - you can phone and get a replacement for fix-it-yourself, or send in the headphones and they repair them!
In the end I actually hold back from getting them fixed because I feel so bad... wait until there's plenty wrong to make it worth while fixing!
But, needless to say, I only use Koss for headphones
Matt

Could just about make a Sunday afternoon...
TBH it would be easier for me to do it in the week. I can then take a day off work and spend a whole day.

Matt