JamWheel

Great images. Well done, Korky

Air to air in close formation with a flight of MkIX Spitfires

It's a great lens and if you can live without IS which I suspect you can, you could do far worse for the money.

I don't think you would need to word it like that. Telling a person 'that's crap' is as unhelpful as saying 'nice shot'. I always try to point out things I like about the image and things they could try to perhaps improve on the image next time. No matter the quality of the image, you can always offer advice and something they can build upon. I am always learning and even if I don't agree with a comment on one of my photos I take the opinion on board in case I find a scenario where I think it does apply. I've been taking photos for 20 odd years on and off and I am always learning new things and ways to improve - mostly through commentary and other people I find inspiration. I never learn anything from someone who says 'that's crap' and leaves it at that, other than not to bother reading their replies

I have mine serviced periodically as I worry about the weather seals dying. Not necessarily a problem depending on body. Sometimes the manufacturer can pick up on a potential fault before it occurs and will replace many small parts as part of the service cost,you'll probably get a good sensor clean as part of the service too. I always send mine to Canon though. I suppose considering the service cost vs cost of body is worthwhile too.

Anyone going to Shoreham airshow this weekend? I am going on both days - happy to meet up for a quick hello at some point if anyone fancies it

Mechanical failure just happens in some way from time to time I suppose. I had a screw come undone in my 100-400 which Canon had to repair. Might be worth seeing how much it would cost to look at?

Oh dear, has it taken any knocks?

Light metering landscapes... Interesting. Of course the light falling 2 miles away can be different than the light falling on you, especially with our glorious cloudy weather. With histograms and the ability to immediately review an image, light meters seem more or less redundant to me. Shoot in RAW format if you can, Cathy. It will offer you more flexibility in editing afterwards. In terms of remembering your settings, the best way to do this is to force yourself to always use manual for a period. The best way to learn is through using constantly. With digital, there is no cost in shooting and adjusting, take advantage of this :)

Yup, you'll need to know which kind of usage license they are after in order to find a suitable price on the website I posted.

This site has all manner of pricing examples based on different type of licenses they might ask you for: http://www.londonfreelance.org/rates/ They are guide prices only and some are optimistic but it will give you an idea of where to pitch. Congratulations on the approach - it's a lovely image and probably complements their marketing message of it being environmentally friendly very well

Better than them ignoring the issue though I suppose. Bit of a pain to be sent back and possibly suggests it is more than a firmware upgrade...

Amazon, Wiggle and Cycle Surgery all have stock. I won't start panic buying GoPros just yet

To be fair JR - the only question you ask in your original post (which has a missing question mark) is highlighted above and that is what the answer was aimed at, I think. You didn't ask whether they were a mix of cameras, you made a statement about it and posted a link.

I don't want to put you off this but my advice would be to use the time available to you wisely to prepare. You'll need lights (not just on camera flash) and backdrops with the equipment to hold them, you'll need to practice setting that kit up and understanding how it works by taking shots of family etc. Practice giving posing advice as well. You'll probably need a spare camera in case yours fails or at least a spare battery for yours. Spare cards will be needed and a means to take info from people (a simple form for them to complete) in case your printer fails. By all means go for it with this, but go in prepared for the job at hand so you can r do a job both you and the attendees will be happy with.

I think Chris is just letting the new chap know that he can if he wants but it isn't a requirement.

HDR photos are almost always over baked as far as I can tell from the evidence on Flickr or similar. If used subtly it can work very nicely but is easy to push it too far and people often do with (in my opinion) horrendous results that seem wrapped in plastic or look unreal. As a result (bad) HDR is a bit of a pet peeve of mine and good HDR is a rare treat

Looking at the chart that is irrelevant. It is trying to convey a high level consumer perception of each brand, presumably based on people rating their own equipment. Without a login you can't see the survey sample size or any other pertinent info though which makes it difficult to draw any conclusions other than there is little material difference between them. Didn't even know Kodak still made cameras, or existed in the US.

If the answer was yes, that would have been my response

Is this just as a market research exercise or to help you decide on a brand?

Welcome to the forum!

So... firstly, I blame anyone but me. Mostly Pauln (sorry, you recently bought a nice lens...) I might have accidentally bought myself a 1Dx... It arrived today. The high ISO performance is bonkers... I am looking forward to getting to use it in anger. A sample shot, of Boggle, my black lab - in the shade (default LR sharpening of 25, no NR applied out of the camera - haven't established whether the in camera NR works on RAW files or not yet, so that may have been involved. I stopped down almost 2 stops in LR having buggered the exposure a bit. It isn't nicely framed - he rarely sits still when I sit down so I just fired off a couple of shots to catch him in situ: The focus was slightly forward of his eye I think, which is a shame - but this is a 100% crop of his eye and OOF ear: And the OOF background to the top right of the image: ISO 10,000.... f/3.2 - 1/1600 Incredible.

I often find myself being critical of one of my images and happy with another only to discover, when presented to a non-tog, that they have the opposite opinion. I think forums and club judges have taught us all over the years to obsess over technicalities rather than consider the image as a whole and whether or not it is pleasing to the eye. That makes us more critical of other's work I suppose because we can't see that ' nice image' any more because we aren't ignorant of the horrific mistakes :)

Paul, Glover & Howe are excellent for photo specific insurance. A nice little firm where you often speak to the same person. Their cover is good and a friend has claimed through them without bother. Mention my name if you go with them and you might save me a few quid Looking forward to seeing some of the photos!

Have you tried the lens on your other body? It does sound more like something on the sensor if it is a sharp black mark