For ISO 1600 i am astonished! I feel guilty if i have to creep up to ISO 250!. As for the shots, I am impressed as the way that the delicate detail has been reproduced in the first image however i find the bright out of focus highlights in both shots draw my eye away from the main subject. Still who could resist taking a shot in such lovely sunshine?

Regards - Pete

I have only used the K10D and K7 and i have never experienced such high levels of noise in my thousands of night shots. Do yo have the long exposure noise reduction switched on? (If you have that choice on the K20D)
My own night shots are taken at ISO100 or 200 and generally i begin taking shots whilst there is still some colour in the sky. Usually i begin at 15 or 20 seconds at between F16-F22, gradually increasing the exposure time to 30 secs and widening the aperture to around F11 until the sky becomes too dark. Very occasionally i might use an exposure of several minutes if i am using a 1m Candlepower torch as illumination for the subject.
Regards - Pete

New stabilisation for Video enabled DSLR`s link
It is a throwback to the old rifle grips of the 1970`s (Which i still use with my telephoto lenses.) Only i paid £8 for mine brand new from Dixons in 1976. Not as fancy as this new one but i would`nt be without it.
Just goes to show there`s nothing new under the sun!
Regards - Pete.

The British Journal of Photography is running an exclusive interview with Don McCullin in the first of it`s new Monthly issues out next Wednesday.

Regards - Pete.

Do you format your cards regularly? if not perhaps that might explain the glitch? (Just clutching at straws here!)

Regards - Pete.

Another useful piece of kit is a home-made Vacuum cleaner, All you need is a cheap electric tyre inflator (Around a fiver) or a Compressor and some plastic tubing and connectors from a pet shop Aquarium store. It works a treat for cleaning the nooks and crannies inside the Camera.
Just around a metre of 1/4 inch tubing from the Tyre inflator then add a T piece connector then put a short piece of tubing to the opposite end of the T and around 150mm-200mm or so to the bottom of the T to use as a mini Vacuum.

Regards - Pete

Thats nothing! I was chatting to one guy who was emptying a cesspit whilst he had his C---n Camera on the seat of his Sludge Gulper Wagon. Changing the lens with one hand.The camera lens throat facing upward.
Another new meaning of C--p Photo`s?

Regards - Pete

It`s horses for courses! I choose the method i think will best suite the shot. Sometimes there is`nt time to fit a ND or perhaps it`s not worth the bother! I prefer not to put anything in front of my lens unless the benefit outweighs the disadvantage. I have had to remove flare in Photoshop from using a grad too close to the angle of the sun. I can fit the Cokin hood for some focal lengths but not for the wider shots with the 16-50 using the P series grad. One other useful method is to apply a graduated filter in Photoshop. Best done on a clear layer so that you can adjust the opacity or even change the colour.
Besides, Doing it in PP is cheaper than forking out on a Grad , Adapters ,Holder and hood!



Regards - Pete.

Not for me i`m afraid. Personally i find it difficult to enjoy reading anything more than a few lines on a screen. Anything longer than that i will print out and read in comfort. The quality of the Paper used in PU mag has a big appeal for me. Ok some of the articles have reminded me of AP in the 70`s but you can`t beat the touch and smell of a quality mag.

Regards - Pete

Amateur Photographer Mag carried out a test on several of the common ND Grad filters and all displayed a colour cast either blue or brown to varying degrees.
Wherever possible i take bracketed shots so that i can blend in the darker areas from one of the under exposed images. Though that cannot work in every case, I do prefer it to using a grad. Sometimes i make two different Images of the same shot in RAW converter and blend in the same way.Another useful way is to duplicate the layer in photoshop and then choose Multiply from the drop down menu (Where it says normal) this doubles the value of the colours then you can use the eraser tool to lighten the area`s that you want to keep bright or use the Opacity slider to adjust the level of darkening over larger area`s. If you need to darken more just add more layers.
Regards - Pete