[quote="johnriley"
Well, welcome back anyway, sorry we had to carry on regardless![/quote]thanks!

I'm afraid I'm only back for tonight, then back to scotland for an indefinite period, no cellphone reception unless i walk for a mile or so, and no internet.....

I'll make myself known again when i get home for longer.

hi, everyone!

sorry i wasn't around when this finished.

I'm astounded and pleased my photo was picked!

I've been unexpectedly in scotland for the last week and at a place with no internet access.

I'll be going back again tomorrow for an unknown time. Just clearing my inbox etc.

Glad to see this weeks comp seems to have got underway without my input!

ist DS - jupiter 9 85mm - maybe f4?

actually its a bit soft at the edges at 50mm.

and the auto focus is bloody slow compared to my FA50mm, (on my DS anyway)

but i agree its a great value lens at £58 shipped. not worth the RRP of £200 or so though!

i'm pretty sure it is SMC just not branded as such, its very contrasty and saturated. (too much really, but good for snapshot/consumer use)

I think it appears sharper than it is because its so punchy and contrasty and saturated

further investigation indicates that:

1. when my monitor is set with its own controls to 6500K it is in fact at a much warmer white point, but if I up it to about 7500K it then actually is at 6500...

2. 2.2 gamma (only option in spyder express) kills the shadow detail. Don't know why i didnt think of this before. in my other profiles I have been using 1.8 gamma which is mac standard.

why do we use 2.2gamma? are other people getting good shadow detail on 2.2gamma or is it just because it appears more contrasty that people like it?

mine has 4 buttons on the screen labelled Menu - f-engine- source - autoset

as well as the power button of course.

they bring up a menu system that sets the screen settings.

it was bought quite recently and made in dec 2006 according to the back panel

I don't recall getting a CD with anything like you describe on it but i'll look again. i'm also not sure how it would be better than using the screen buttons.

i'm also confused as to why spyder express 2.2 gave a different white point (native) to v2.3 (6500k) when as far as I can tell the native whitepoint IS 6500K so the results should be the same!

although actually i'm much more concerned about shadow detail than whitepoint.

i just downloaded the spyder express 2.3 (I had 2.2.3)

and redid the calibration.

the difference is that 2.3 usues fixed 6500K whitepoint and the 2.2 uses native.

2.3 produces a cooler profile more toowards the magenta/blue wheas 2.2 profile was more yellow.

the blacks are equally over dark in both.

I'm using native whitepoint as far as i can tell, which is 6500K

but the spyder calibrated profile still results in a much yellower display than other profiles, even though the whitepoint on the monitor itself is set the same.

whats is the forte manager? the inbuilt settings control panel? how would I run that to achieve an improvement?

I don't think express allows me to input figures for any of the settings you mention, i think whitepoint is stuck at native unless you change it on the display itself and gamma is always 2.2 i've not seen any settings for black and white luminance.

i suspect if i could adjust the black luminance that would address the issue.

its a reasonably good monitor, not true pro quality, but its true 8bit S-IPS and well regarded by a variety of reviewers and user/bloggers

it's a LG L2000C

so it should calibrate OK.

besides - the shadow detail is easily obtainable calibrating by eye! so i would expect the sypder to do better, which it does for colour accuracy, but apparently not for shadow gradations.

the black display the software displays to help you set brightness with 4 blocks i can't really discern clearly the darkest3 as being different.

there doesnt seem to be a setting on the display that will make them different.

the brightness is set full up which is its default.

if i use the profile that i did using the apple calibration tool by eye i can discern the blacks, but the spyder doesnt seem to achieve the same result.