All Forum Comments
Comment by prsjnb posted on Miranda 700 cd with Kx at 15/03/2012 - 20:46
Thank you Lilly for your succinct, pithy comments, armed with which I was able to review several of the entries, including my own, with a better informed and more critical eye
The artistic and technical prowess of Sandanista's entry was evident on first viewing and it therefore comes as no surprise that you judged it to be deserving of 'first place'.
Jon
The artistic and technical prowess of Sandanista's entry was evident on first viewing and it therefore comes as no surprise that you judged it to be deserving of 'first place'.
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Fortnightly competition 88 entries: vignette in mono at 15/03/2012 - 08:08
Very reassuring! Thank you all for taking the time to look and comment
Jon
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Macros with a musical theme at 14/03/2012 - 15:24
[quote:3496ace15f="davidrobinson[/quote] I'm still trying to achieved a result to match the above photo using a Sigma 150-500. Therefore you have to be careful not to dismiss cheap as always nasty. Can you take the risk that is the question?
Regards David[/quote]Firstly, there is always an element of risk when buying a second-hand lens, especially from auction sites such as ebay. Having said that, I have bought several and, with a couple of exceptions, been delighted. Amongst dealerships I have found SRS, MIFSUDS and LCE to provide excellent service in the event that the lens proves less than satisfactory. With ebay, my experience, unsurprisingly, has been more variable.
The majority of sellers I have had the good fortune to buy from have been beyond reproach when problems arose. A couple have been a real pain but I've just stood my ground, documented my grievance(s)objectively and in detail and relied on ebay/paypal to either coerce the seller into providing a refund or to do so themselves under their guarantee system. This has ben successful even in those cases where the seller has listed the items as 'Returns not accepted'.
Other than determination and perseverence, other factors that have contributed to my success thus far have included a careful consideration of the seller's history, how the item is described and presented and asking pertinent and probing questions that require an unequivocal response before bidding.
In the specific case of the Paragon 400mm pre-set, I just wanted an opportunity to 'play' with a long lens and kenw I would enjoy the challenge of mastering its use (manual focus and stop-down metering). preparation is also key, and best results are like to be obtained where you can set every thing up in anticipation of seeing and photographing the subject; for example in a hide. Where a lens of this type can be a real frustration, is when dealing with a 'grab' or 'once in a lifetime' shot.
Hope some of this helps.
Jon
Regards David[/quote]Firstly, there is always an element of risk when buying a second-hand lens, especially from auction sites such as ebay. Having said that, I have bought several and, with a couple of exceptions, been delighted. Amongst dealerships I have found SRS, MIFSUDS and LCE to provide excellent service in the event that the lens proves less than satisfactory. With ebay, my experience, unsurprisingly, has been more variable.
The majority of sellers I have had the good fortune to buy from have been beyond reproach when problems arose. A couple have been a real pain but I've just stood my ground, documented my grievance(s)objectively and in detail and relied on ebay/paypal to either coerce the seller into providing a refund or to do so themselves under their guarantee system. This has ben successful even in those cases where the seller has listed the items as 'Returns not accepted'.
Other than determination and perseverence, other factors that have contributed to my success thus far have included a careful consideration of the seller's history, how the item is described and presented and asking pertinent and probing questions that require an unequivocal response before bidding.
In the specific case of the Paragon 400mm pre-set, I just wanted an opportunity to 'play' with a long lens and kenw I would enjoy the challenge of mastering its use (manual focus and stop-down metering). preparation is also key, and best results are like to be obtained where you can set every thing up in anticipation of seeing and photographing the subject; for example in a hide. Where a lens of this type can be a real frustration, is when dealing with a 'grab' or 'once in a lifetime' shot.
Hope some of this helps.
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on 500mm for £89?? at 12/03/2012 - 10:49
A pleasant and timely visual reminder that the arrival of Spring is imminent!
Similar, but sadly unrecorded, sightings today of both a tattered tortoishell and a brimstone.
Jon
Similar, but sadly unrecorded, sightings today of both a tattered tortoishell and a brimstone.
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Butterflies taken today at 11/03/2012 - 20:30
Don't stand so close to bee (with apologies to Sting and fans of The Police)
[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6826885864_d6020c8fbc_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />
Don't stand, don't stand, don't stand so close to bee! by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]
What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster, is it a monster? (with apologies to fans of The Automatic)
What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster...? by Dr 'B ', on Flickr
Both uncropped and captured using a Samsung GX-10 and reveresed 50mm EL-Nikkor f/2.8 enlarging lens mounted on a bellows unit with ~ 40mm of extension. Hand-held at f/8.0 and 800ASA.
All C&C appreciated.
Jon
[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6826885864_d6020c8fbc_o.jpg" class="comment_image" />Don't stand, don't stand, don't stand so close to bee! by Dr 'B ', on Flickr[/img]
What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster, is it a monster? (with apologies to fans of The Automatic)
What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster...? by Dr 'B ', on Flickr
Both uncropped and captured using a Samsung GX-10 and reveresed 50mm EL-Nikkor f/2.8 enlarging lens mounted on a bellows unit with ~ 40mm of extension. Hand-held at f/8.0 and 800ASA.
All C&C appreciated.
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Macros with a musical theme at 11/03/2012 - 17:31
gartmore wrote:
Thats a bit cryptic, which thread are you referring to?
Cheers Ken: that was the best laugh I'd had all day Thats a bit cryptic, which thread are you referring to?
Was your choice of 'cryptic' unintentional or, as I'd like to believe, deliberate and intended to amuse whilst impressing on the reader your quick wittedness and grasp of the subtleties and nuances of our language?
More of the same, please
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Is this a lie and why? at 08/03/2012 - 15:59
Depending on the age and spec of your motherboard, you might want to consider USB 3.0. I recently purchased an external HDD enclosure equipped with USB 3.0 from Maplin and have been impressed by the quality of construction and performance link The price is not unreasonable, IMHO, but I have seen what appears to be the same unit offered on e-bay for a little less.
HDD prices have rocketed in price in recent months due to the impact on production of the floods in Thailand. Strangely, this has not resulted in the price of external back-up drives increasing to anything like the same extent. Paradoxically, therefore, it might be more cost effective to buy one of these rather than going the DIY route and purchasing the drive and enclosure separately.
With regard to Firewire, if your current motherboard has support 'built-in' you are unlikely to experience a problem whatever iteration of Windows you are using. If not, however, be wary of using an adapter card if your OS is windows 7, as there is a known issue with the inbuilt drivers which Microsoft seem in no hurry to resolve
Jon
HDD prices have rocketed in price in recent months due to the impact on production of the floods in Thailand. Strangely, this has not resulted in the price of external back-up drives increasing to anything like the same extent. Paradoxically, therefore, it might be more cost effective to buy one of these rather than going the DIY route and purchasing the drive and enclosure separately.
With regard to Firewire, if your current motherboard has support 'built-in' you are unlikely to experience a problem whatever iteration of Windows you are using. If not, however, be wary of using an adapter card if your OS is windows 7, as there is a known issue with the inbuilt drivers which Microsoft seem in no hurry to resolve
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Recommendations for external HDD enclosure at 04/03/2012 - 17:46
Well-earned congratulations to the winners in what proved to be a 'tough' competition with a high proportion of possible contenders for that coveted 'top spot'.
Thanks, too, to Simon for setting and judging the challenge.
Jon
Thanks, too, to Simon for setting and judging the challenge.
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Fortnightly competition 87 entries: bokeh at 02/03/2012 - 15:54
Portrait of a dunnock - an oft underated 'star' of the (not so) silent (foliage) screen
Caught in the spotlight... by Dr 'B ', on Flickr
From an original JPEG captureed using a Pentax K20D with Sigma 400mm f/5.6 and EX DG 1.4x TC. Post processed and enhanced (:roll in PSE 9.0, with the mono-conversion acheived manually after much experimentation
Jon
Caught in the spotlight... by Dr 'B ', on Flickr
From an original JPEG captureed using a Pentax K20D with Sigma 400mm f/5.6 and EX DG 1.4x TC. Post processed and enhanced (:roll in PSE 9.0, with the mono-conversion acheived manually after much experimentation
Jon
Comment by prsjnb posted on Fortnightly competition 88 entries: vignette in mono at 02/03/2012 - 14:30
Any body there knows solution???
In my view, your options are to save until you can afford to purchase a flash unit that will allow you to take full advantage of the features offered by the KX (prices start from around £50.00 in the U.K., for a very basic model such as the Metz AF-24), or buy secondhand. If you decide on the second-hand route expect to pay around £20.00, for which, if you are patient, you will be able to buy a Pentax AF-200T in good condition. This will not allow you to use the P-TTL capability of your KX, but it a very robust unit that can be used in auto-mode (on-flash sensor) and gives you manual control of the flash output (full or 1:1, 1:2, 1:4 and 1:, which, take my word for it, is a very useful feature to have and adds enormously to its flexibility and range of applications. NB the externally similar AF-200S does not share this feature and should, IMO, be avoided.
You can find more details about the AF-200T here: link and more about Pentax compatible flash units (new and legacy) here: link
Jon