Thanks for that excellent link Clarky. When you see the negs and neutrals all on one one page it is very sobering indeed. I have added that great investigative tool to my favourites. You are very right about paying attention to those withdrawn feedbacks too, as they usually speak volumes about bullying tactics and often can be more telling than the negatives and neutrals of a seller.

Drew

I have never had experience with them but their prices are always tempting me. My personal opinion is that their record is what is holding me back from buying from them. I'd have another look at your conclusion if I was you. (of course if I was you...who'd be me?)

They have had 18 negatives just in the past month alone and over 400 negatives in total. Granted their percentage of positives is high but you should scroll down at least the past month (at 200 per page it goes quickly) and read all the negatives before you decide. Also read all the neutrals too where people are unhappy but just too afraid to leave negative feedback.

BTW, I'm Canadian just like Mac but beware...the Internet is just as much the wild west out here as it is anywhere else.

regards

Drew

: : :
Did you have a birthday G?

I'm guessing it would be for the same reason as correcting pictures taken on dull and lifeless days from dull and lifeless.

Drew

: : :

I did a search for 10-17mm and got 45 hits here. Lots of info in those topics and some very good tips on its use. Also try going to http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/ and from the home page click on Image Data then pick Lens and then chose the 10-17mm fisheye at the bottom of the list. You should get back 33 stunning examples of what this lens can do. Also check out Niblue's and Galloot's websites for further examples.

If I fail to get one of these lenses from Santa then I believe I finally have enough money squirrelled away to buy one myself in January.

Drew

I did not bring up the insurance issue as the be-all solution to solving the crime problem. It was calm advice directed to Clarky as to how to deal with the loss of his material goods and his possible trauma drawing on the knowledge of my past experiences. Other than that, most of this discussion is not even close to participating in. On the other hand, I certainly am learning a lot about some of the personalities here.

Carry on.

Drew

Well said (in your first and second post) Don and excellent advice as to how not to let the perpetrators continue to make you more of a victim. But WOW. I cannot believe some of the reactions expressed here as to the extent of retaliation desired for the loss of some "stuff", from amputation to murder.

Over the years I have had several break-ins at my retail store and once into my home. Never did I have the "violated" sensation a lot of people describe. Truthfully it always felt more like a long expected inconvenience. Insurance has always been fair to me and from my past experiences here are a few tips for you Clarky.

1. Don't lie about what you lost. The adjusters are experts at seeing through that and you will usually lose in the end.
2. Find out the rules for replacement before you blurt out what you would like to do. For example, do I get full replacement value if I don't re-buy the equivalent model. Can I lump my whole claim to buy one fantastic camera?
3. Get all your receipts, serial numbers, police file # etc. ready before the insurance adjuster arrives. That saves at least a week or two of delay settling your claim. (Boxes and/or instruction manuals can also work as proof of ownership.)
4. Do your research to prove the value at today's prices. I was able to parlay my 20 year old Minolta equipment into the latest Pentax model and I turned my 10 year old crappy camcorder into a couple of nice lenses.
5. Expect to be broken into again like what happened to McBrian. They usually wait until you have settled your claim and have bought your brand new stuff. Beef up your security.
6. Never leave your precious exposed memory cards etc in your camera. EXPECT it to be stolen, that is just how it is today.
7. Read Don's first post again but skip #A! Do you really want your old stuff back again or would you rather brand new stuff? Do you really want to go to court?
8. Deal with the inconvenience and for your whole family's sake... move on and enjoy your new stuff .

Hope that helps you.

Drew

As near as your wife and I can tell, of the top 10 most prolific posters you easily have top prize for that statistic and are actually more than double George's modest amount.

All about Clarky

Forum veteran Joined: 19 Jul 2007
Total posts: 553
[1.26% of total / 4.50 posts per day]

Nothing like that at all Clarky. It's just Nature's way of telling you to do something else with your life. This little known feature usually kicks in when a user surpasses the 4 posts per day average and you are waaaay overdue.

Get outside and take some pictures!

Probably because they are not signed up to as many forums as Ben has posted this request to. I can't read French either, what am I voting for? Best Shameless Self Promoter of the Year?