What you should buy is largely dictated by your budget?

Basically, the advice about panels above is largely good, but dependent on budget my preference would be to get a good TN panel and calibration device over a budget non-TN panel without one.

Best bet is to try and see them in the flesh, so to speak, to check out the viewing angles. I have a 22" Samsung TN panel as my main monitor at home, which although good in viewing angle terms and brightness, had a distinct blue colour cast at default settings. Using a hardware calibrator, this was removed and the panel is now a joy to look at.

I think the cases we all read about in AP and the like are a rare occurence, but there certainly has been a push to educate officers with regard to the law around photographers. The Police don't like bad PR, at the end of the day, and dislike needlessly negative contact with the public.

To be fair, I don't think the problem has ever been mainly with warranted Police Officers, but rather over enthusiastic PCSO's and other local government/council 'officials'.

As above though, it's always best to have a positive attitude in these situations, and all should be fine.

Although there a few lenses worth using with a TC, the 55-200 (although a good lens in its own right) isn't one of them in my opinion, nor are the vast majority of 'consumer' zoom lenses whilst we're at it, and I've tried a few!

As above, for the cost of the TC, you can buy a perfectly good 70-300 zoom lens from Tamron or Sigma, which will get you a 'native' 300mm at f5.6.

You may also get better results cropping your picture from the 200mm end of your lens to get the desired result, which would almost certainly be better than 200mm with a TC.

The vast majority of Lancaster's were fitted with Merlin engines, yes, although the Merlin engine did get developed extensively over the course of the war, but still technically a Merlin!

The Lancaster II had a Bristol Hercules VI Radial engines, though only approx 300 or so were made.

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By the way, they should use your picture on the home page of the 2nd link!

I should just add in light of the last comment, that mine was the same as the picture in the link to SRS, ie it was an SHQ version. If SRS are no longer supplying the SHQ version, maybe they should update the pic.

I have no idea if the non SHQ version has the contacts or not, nor do I know if it works with Pentax SDM lenses (ie the DA* 300), although it worked ok on my Pentax 17-70, not that I ever used it in anger with that lens, it was only for testing purposes.

LOL!

The model I had was the Kenko Teleplus DG 1.5X MC Teleconverter, and I got it from SRS;

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I understand that some of the ones sold recently no longer work with HSM lenses?

The thing to check is that the converter has the two additional contacts inside the lens mount, near to the glass itself, that would mate up with the HSM contacts on the lens. I think they are identically placed to the old 'power zoom' contacts that were on some old Pentax lenses, so that's probably why they were added rather than for compatibility with Sigma's HSM lenses, which probably didn't exist in Pentax fit when they designed it.

SRS should be able to check them for you. None of the Kenko 2x MC7 versions had the additonal contacts though, so a 2x is out of the question unless Sigma got around to updating their own 2x converter.

If you can find one of the 1.5x's with the extra contacts though, it should work just fine.

The Pentax brand is probably one of the most valuable in photography, so even if Hoya do offload it and put it down to experience, the Pentax name will be just too enticing for one of the giant electronics companies (and not just your household ones either) to resist.

Despite a global recession, there are still plenty of well managed companies making a lot of cash, and worldwide demand for DSLR's in particular seems to be growing rather than shrinking.

It could actually be a good thing.

Ah, excellent news!

I'm tempted by a day at the Bournemouth show actually, I attended the recent RAF Cottesmore friends and families day, and really enjoyed taking pictures of both statics and the flying.

Your 60-250 sounds just the job for general pics at the show Mike, 300mm for me was almost too long for the bigger stuff , although it depends how far from the display line you'll be? The Cottesmore show was very small in comparison.

I don't wish to be the bearer of bad news, but didn't I read somewhere that the Vulcan isn't scheduled to fly again until August 20th at Bournemouth?

I hope I'm wrong...

GPS Systems?!!

That means 70% of the cars on the road must be under suspicion!

I agree that 'Project Argus' seems like a 'charter for spying', but I suppose doing something is better than nothing.

Afterall, we WERE attacked recently, and a lot of people lost their lives as a result. A few more people on the lookout can only help, although I accept it may mean more photographers being asked what they're up to.

I do think that as a country we've accepted far too many infringements on our civil liberties, and those in power would like even more legislation to 'keep an eye on us'.

The guidance for police around stop and search and photographers is actually quite clear, the problem, as with so many things, is in its implementation. I know work is ongoing to try and fix that.