The size comparison photos in the review are useful but I was still surprised at just how small the Q is when you see it in real life. I was playing with one in Jessops the other day and comparing it with an Olympus EPL-3. The Q with kit zoom lens really is very much more compact in every dimension than the Olympus with it's 'collapsible' kit zoom.

Sorry to be thick but what are C and D mount lenses?

Just to resurrect this thread, I bought one of these watch rolls from John Lewis today. The space between dividers is a perfect fit for DA 15mm, FA 43mm and DA 70mm. The DA 21mm also fits but because it is so short needs a little extra padding to stop it moving around.

I particularly like your second shot Simon. There was a spectacular double rainbow at some point on the return journey...it would be great if someone was fortunate enough to grab a shot of the train in the landscape with the rainbow behind it.

[IMG]http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff505/Philip_Brockbank/Chester010.jpg[/IMG]

I was a passenger on that train Simon, so it's good to see some lineside views.

My pic shows Tornado in rather less attractive surroundings, taking on water at Nuneaton (unfortunately under a flat grey sky). If it is a little unsteady it is because we had just enjoyed a champagne breakfast...

You have a PM re Tamron 10-24 and Sigma 150-500.

What I would like to see is a Nex style mirrorless body that will fit the pancake lenses that Pentax already make. A large sensor slim body with slim lenses sounds ideal to me. I guess it's not so simple though because of the registration distance (is that the correct term?)

Probably too far for me to attend but 46115 Scots Guardsman is scheduled to cross the viaduct on both Sat 1st October and Sat 8th. On the first it's pulling 'The Train of Hope' and will be heading south from Carlisle late afternoon. On the 8th she is hauling 'The Hadrian' heading north towards Carlisle in the morning. I don't think timings have been published yet.

This is a fairly new lens, so used examples will be hard to find. I bought mine new from ebay seller Kerso a few months ago for £449 but the price of U.K. stock has come down recently and the SRS price of £469 looks good to me.

If you don't mind buying used stuff you can pick up a nice old Gitzo weekender tripod in good nick for about £50 if you look around. Stable, compact and lightweight though slightly less than full height. If you like the engineering of old M lenses you will like the handling of these. Everyone seems to want carbon fibre these days so prices of aluminium pods are pretty good. For the smaller size pods the weight difference between carbon fibre and aluminium is not that great. I even picked up a Gitzo basalt tripod for £50 a few months ago that was virtually as new.