Welcome Jon.

There'a PU meet proposed at Bradford on Avon, date to be confirmed (see thread on this in Local Groups). Chance to swop notes with other users - far less scary than any camera club or evening class!


Steve

Chris - if the BoA meet comes off, I'll pack my DA 10-17 so you can get a feel for what 10mm looks like on a DSLR and how it comes with the DA 16-45.


Steve

I start in AV but will use Exposure Lock to meter the area away from my centre piece where the tonal range is close to what I think is the mid point is, then recompose and shoot. Thats manual exposure in all but name.

I also use manual focus a lot - especially when I've got good light and I want the max depth of focus. I use the AF to get me close, then switch to MF for fine adjustment - usually pull the focus back to get more foreground in focus, using the great depth beyond the focal point to best advantage.

How you set up your camera is a function of what you expect to shoot most. I tend to shoot static subfects like landscape, so depth of field is more important than shutter speed to freeze the action.


Steve

Last trip abroad I had my Velvia 100F zapped 7 times (LHR, Dubai x2, Sidney x3 & Auckland) to no ill effect. 4 of the 7 hits were on exposed rolls.

Might be something that is peculiar to the film that caused you problems Womble.

I do have a lead bag, but don't use it now. That's because last time down under (06/07) some bright security guard decided to hit the gain on her machine rather than reject the bag for a hand search. Might have been Melborne - remember I felt like belting her at the time as the bag contained a lot of exposed film. Luckily she didn't do any damage - but I had to wait another couple of weeks til I got home and had the materials back from processing to get confirmation.

7Dayshop did bags - might be worth a punt. No good for the Horseman though.


Steve

Rich - it's a major step up:

6.1meg CCD > 14.6 CMOS
Weather sealed
Dust Removal
Sensor Orientation
Better viewfinder .85 v .92
Better ISO range 100-6400 v 200-3200
Better AF
More accessible controls - ISO especially now on button/wheel combo
More programable options 37 v 19

to list but a few

I still use an ist D for work related photos. It has the same CCD sensor and is very adequate. But it's harder to use relative to the K10/K20 series and definately so compared to the K7. You'll find the K7 so much more user friendly and even if you don't use the full range of options and facilities (not many will or do), you won't regret it.

HTH


Steve

Steve - confirmed my thoughts as the lens had been fine uptil then.

John - worked as it should on the K20 - the pole fisherman in my portfolio taken with it, and on this trip it was fine on the K7 until it was almost time to go home! Use it on trips because I can match to any body - film or digi, AF or MF, so in terms of space,weight and range, a good lens to have in the bag.


Steve

First thing I did John - failure occured in Australia last month on the K7. Checked it out on both my K20 & K10 when I got home, and again on an MZ-S - no joy. Gave the contacts a second clean also - and still no joy.


Steve

I've a Sigma 135-400 APO which has lost the ability to communicate with my digi bodies when in A setting. Other contacts work OK - my MZ-S shows the F stop info no problem on it's displays.

My thought are that inside the barrel, the A setting contacts are not aligning correctly or there's a bit of muck in there.

Anyone else had a similar problem? How did you fix it or whom fixed it for you?


Steve

And before anyone asks, no, I'll not be selling it. Will pay to get it fixed - too useful a lens to dispose of!

I'm up for it. Rugby season's finished til September, so apart from a couple of weeks in Greece - ash clouds, Greek ATC strikes and flight cancellations not withstanding (just had to rebook x Gatwick as our Bristol flight's been cancelled), not many prior engagements at the week ends in the diary so far.

Wiltshire Downs can be good for landscape photography,ie
Tan Hill/Adams Grave
Roundway,
Barbury Castle
Uffington Castle
Avebury (early start to avoid the crowd, then walk up onto the Ridgeway for the Grey Wethers etc)

Not good for the the other halves though


Steve

Alistair - for most landscapes, a DA*16-50 or DA16-45 will give you the width you'll need.

The only times where the extra that a DA12-24 will be useful is in mountain or fjord country (ie from a boat on Milford Sound in NZ) or high rise urban areas - that's my experiance anyway. You will find sometimes in other uses that an extreme wide angle is helpful - see my gallery shot on the SS Gt Britain with a DA14. Could have been done with a DA12-24 (or a Sigma equiv).

It boils down to whether you want to invest in a lens whose range you may not use in full very offten versus one you will use a great deal but might not be OK in some settings. I'm v fortunate to be able to ignore the opportunity cost element of the equation.


Steve