I was always of the belief that the in-built IR filter in a DSLR "opened up" the sensor's sensitivity range to allow it to "detect" IR wavelengths, and incorporate this additional information into the picture. Maybe I've got it wrong, or I haven't really explained it properly.

I suppose the best way to compare/describe it is like a guitar amp's volume control goes from 0-10, but in the Spinal Tap movie, the amp's all go up to 11, as 11's a bit louder!!...

Okay - I'll get my coat!!

..Or people whose surname is Rowan, perhaps??

This is definitely one of these "mantlepiece" photos - pride of place in your household, David!!

Pete - if you decide upon sending your camera back to the UK for repair, get a price from:

EMS Chronopost
Airpak Express (Manila) - we use their Singapore office as associates.
LBC Express (they have offices in Davao Del Norte).

I would advise that if you choose this method, you fill out a Proforma Invoice, clearly stating that the goods are intended for REPAIR AND RETURN. This procedure is known as AD-HOC OPR (Outward Processing Relief), and suppresses any duties and tax that may be liable. If the camera is at least 6 months old, it can be correctly declared as an OLD CAMERA.

Note also, that camera bodies are DUTY-EXEMPT in the UK, so if you send the body only, no tax will be applied. When the camera has been repaired, the carrier should be made fully aware of the import procedure to the UK, so that you can show to Philippine customs that no duties should be applied to the repaired item.

In any case, if the camera is out of warranty, then you can safely declare a NOMINAL VALUE on the camera of £10, but note that should the camera become lost, damaged, or stolen in transit you will only be recompensed at the value that you declared.

Welcome, Greg!! First of all - what is it that you want to do with your photos? If it is merely to crop, and do basic enhancements, then Windows Live Photo Gallery will be good enough. You can also use it to create panoramic photos, and if you have 2 similar photos, but one of the subjects is facing away from the camera, you can use this program to automatically stitch the 2 images to create a "master" image where all the subjects are facing the camera.

If your needs are a bit more advanced than that, why not see if you can get a trial copy of Adobe's Photoshop Elements? It's a "cut-down" version of Photoshop, so you get all the flexibility of Photoshop, but with the "complexity" trimmed back somewhat.

No.1 would make a lovely desktop background on your computer monitor! It's so relaxing!!

Which MODE are you set at on the top dial, Lukhash?

Press INFO, then use the 4-way controller until the "hand" icon is highlighted. Once you have this, click OK. It should now be set.

In the English-language manual, it is on P142.

Win8 has received mixed reviews. From what I can garner, Win8 is a "cosmetic-enhancement" of Win7. In any case, Microsoft are slowly withdrawing support for XP, so (depending on your current pc's specs) I'd suggest an upgrade to Win7 Home Premium as a minimum operating system.

The only updates I'd recommend as your pc stands are security patches, and any other updates offered up by Windows/Microsoft Update. As already stated, Driver Manager is a "profit-generating" program for that particular software producer.

If DM tells you (for example) that your graphics drivers are out of date, then note down whether your graphics card is NVIDIA or ATI-based, then visit their sites directly. Most hardware manufacturers have "auto-detection" programs loaded on their front page (or from the SUPPORT or DOWNLOADS page) that will scan your system, detect their product(s), advise you of your current firmware, and finally tell you if there is a more recent update. It's a longer process than what DM offers, but you will save yourself a few quid.

I suppose the fact that we have the same player appearing twice in this image it sort of implies a degree of stitching, but I'm guessing that the camera used for this is akin to those used by the likes of NASA and Oxford Scientific Films, Peter.