Ojecco Nikon version works fine on my K5 and Metz AF44-1 flashgun...

Saxon

Folks,

I currently use Adobe Lightroom 4 boxed version but am keen to start exploring the possibilities of Photoshop and so have been reviewing what to buy. I'm in the process of setting up a dedicated room in the house as a portrait studio.

The two options I am considering are:

Photoshop CC plus Lightroom for £8.78 a month (think the price doubles after the first year)

Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere elements boxed bundle £62.99 on Amazon.

Just wondering if anyone has any views on which is the best deal?

thanks,

Saxon

Thanks guys - Sekonic L308S is now winging its way to me for delivery on Saturday.

Saxon

I'm just moving into studio flash photography and have bought an ILux RD300 system and as a result am on the lookout for a light meter. The Sekonic R308 is the obvious choice at £120 but I'm also tempted by some of the vintage secondhand lightmeters on ebay - Western Master etc.

I would be grateful for any views on whether the analogue meters are any good for flash photography or whether I'm better just going for a modern meter (the vintage ones are only £20 ish)

Thanks,

Saxon

Hi chaps and thanks for all the replies! in the end I have purchased the Cotswold Photo triggers in Nikon mount which are supposed to be well reviewed. They're seemingly a bit cheaper than some of the other options out there but I'm happy to report back on how well they work if that's helpful.

Many thanks again,

Saxon

I believe SRS hire Pentax lenses don't they?? Interestingly I watched the movie 'First we'll take Manhattan last night' which is the story of David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton (the 60's first supermodel) and he was shooting on a Pentax throughout the movie as his preferred camera...

Well worth a watch by the way.

Saxon

I'm wanting to experiment more with off camera flash and a lot of people seem to rate the Yongnuo flash triggers. I have a K5, an old Pentax AF200S flashgun and also a modern Metz AF44-1 flashgun. I really just want to get the guns to fire when off the camera and note the Yongnuo RF-603 MK2 comes in both Canon and Nikon variants. I plan to buy from Amazon for UK stock but can someone tell me whether I need to buy the Canon or Nikon variant as people seem to be saying different things on different forums!! Model I'm looking at is http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=YongNuo+RF-603+II

Alternatively if anyone recommends anything else feel free to say!

After mastering compact flash I plan to investigate proper iLux studio strobes but I know the starter kits come with their own triggers.

Thanks,

Saxon

Hi,

Well I went down to a Jessops branch who agreed to match their web price (an error by a member of staff it turns out) so I picked up the DS and 18-55 lens plus a Uniross Sprint battery charger and a 1GB Sandisk memory card yesterday. Jessops prices for memory cards are way above those on the web, but after a bit of haggling they knocked a bit off and I justified buying it there because even in the internet age it's still nice to have the convenience and support of a shop and they do have higher overheads.

It's a beautiful camera, feels great in the hand and is unbelievably light! I'm looking forward to shooting some pics of the party today.

Interestingly we took our Daughter to a local high street photographer for a birthday picture. It was very interesting watching a young female pro work - I really wished I had followed my heart at 18 and gone to University to study photography and made a career of it. She was using a very strange large format camera on a sort of adjustable spring support thing - I think it was made in America and I have never seen anything like it before - shoots large format film. She also supplemented with a Nikon film SLR for more candid stuff. A couple of studio lights and some simple props - we had great fun though.

Will let you gentlemen know how I get on with the DS - I really appreciate your advice.

Jonathan

Just a quick question on the best battery option for the DS - Jessops want £10 each for a CRV3 cell and the DS takes two of them so that's £20 for batteries!! Do you guys use these Lithium batteries or do you use rechargeable ni-mh AA cells and a charger? How long do the lithium batteries last?

Should I invest in a ni-mh battery charger?

Let me know if there are any cheap high street options for buying the CR-V3's e.g. Tesco etc or am I going to be forced to give Jessops £20 to get me going tomorrow for the party.

Many thanks for all the advice.

Jonathan

I'm really grateful to you guys for the very warm welcome and the helpful replies. I think Liam you summed it up perfectly:

"You won't be dissapointed with it, and you can always upgrade at a later date, but you can't rerun the littlun growing up."

As a result I'm going to order the Ist DS at Jessop's - at that price as several of you have pointed out it really is a great deal and will mean at last I will be able to shoot high quality digital and use my existing lenses. I'm still unclear on whether my ME Super era Pentax AF200S flashgun will work with it and would welcome your views on that, plus whether I can use a 2GB SD card in the Ist DS or not and if there are any particular makes to go for.

Obviously I have seen yesterday's announcement about the new 10MP Pentax DSLR, however the reality is that this will probably not arrive before Sept even in Japan and so it will probably be next Christmas before it's available to buy in the UK or USA. It will also probably cost £1200 ish body only so my Daughter will be nearly 2 by the time it arrives and the cost will be more than double the cost of buying the DS kit today. The thought has occured to me too that if I eventually decide that the D2 is irrisistable then assuming I could afford it (big assumption!), I would give the Ist DS to my wife (who is quite keen on photography) and treat myself to the D2! It would be really nice to have 2 digital SLR bodies sharing common lenses when on holiday etc.

I really am very grateful to you all for your informative and helpful replies. I'm looking forward to reporting back on my experiences with the Ist when it arrives. I wonder if Jessops mail order can get it here for Saturday when we are having a birthday party for our little one? That would be a fun first shoot!

Thanks again,

Jonathan