Black Pearl

Sticking with Lowepro I've had a Trekker AW for years. Its waterproof, solidly built, holds loads of gear without getting too enormous and you can fit a small to medium tripod to it. The newer version is called the Pro Runner 300. Plus side of a backpack is you get a lot of gear in for your money, you can lay it down and once opened everything is sitting there ready to use and they're comfortable even when very full - down sides are you have to keep taking it on and off which isn't quick and when you lay it on wet grass and put it back on you get wet. You can get Flip-Side style bags that swing round your front but personally I find them a pain to use and you get much less gear in them. If your just using it for weddings think about a hard case. Very solid, very secure, excellent access and if you need a little extra height to shoot a crowd from a different angle you can stand on them. I used one for years (still have it somewhere) and the standing-on-it bit was brilliant.

Your 'model' needs to be four or so feet from the background so you can separate the light sources. Flood the background with as much light as possible - two lights at full power. Light the 'model' with less light and set your exposure meter for these lights only. You want about two stops of difference (drop the front lights to quarter power) so the backdrop over exposures and turns pure white. No Photoshop just lit as above:

I bought used equipment when we sold it at work but not lately. I'd hang on and get a Fujifilm HS20 - properly brilliant camera.

It would need a truck battery to keep it running but how cool would that be!

What is photography? For some it is an expression of self, for others its an expression of the craft and for some it is simply a means to an end - a job. For me it is partially the craft of building an image but mostly I want photography to capture either a place, an object, a person, creature, a feeling or moment of time and let others enjoy it. The image counts. This week I have looked through the forum and experienced plenty of the above. I have seen places I'd like to go, people I'd like to meet, I have felt emotions towards an image but in the shot I've picked I've seen a glimpse into a world that is beyond the day-to-day. I'm not a spiritual person, I don't believe but I do see that beauty in creation has a power to inspire. Phil I feel captured this in his Crane Fly post. Quite apart from the technical expertise that went into this shot, the focussing that had to be perfect, the exposure, timing and lighting it is the beauty in the Crane fly itself that inspires. It's not pretty but it is pretty amazing.

Just been doing a bit of web research and it turn out that older Pre Ai Nikon lenses will fit onto Pentax K bodies (like my K30 for instance) if mounted upside down. I've posted images taken using my D300s with my ancient NIKKOR-H 1:3.5 f=2.8mm lens attached before, something I use from time to time for a challenge. On the D300s it (obviously) fits the right way and as its a Pro body you get full metering and auto exposure whereas on the K30 I'm only going to get stop down metering but the fact that it fits at all is pretty amazing. It only works with the old Pre Ai lenses as the newer ones have a flange on the mount that snags. My lens was converted to work with Ai metering by my dad by gluing a bit of brass on and it turn out it is 'just' flush enough to fit. Can't wait to get out and try it. The lens on my Nikon:

Brilliant aren't they. My eldest has them on his iPod, he's probably the only kid in his school to have such an eclectic taste in music.

Last week I'm July, first in August - off to France. Other than that I'm free.

Count me in. As to a place I don't mind a few hours in the car so lets work out a central point and name the day. The actual photographic merits don't matter so much as the meeting of people who I personally class as friends. Fuji - you want to host us in your local castle?

I cart around just what I need. If all I need is a camera/lens combo I will carry it without a bag as both my systems are waterproof. Hadley Pro for the K30 with two lenses and a bit of spare room if needed. Nikon DSLR Bag for the D300s and two lenses plus a flash. Classified for the D300s with upto three (bigger) lenses and a Speedlight plus bits. Trekker for the D300s plus five or six lenses (regardless of size) plus two Speedlights with plenty of bits. All four bags have space for the iPad if I want to edit on the go.

I've never been bothered by having a camera bag over my shoulder, it is what it is and I'm a photographer so why not carry the tools. That said I use a Hadley Pro when I'm out which doesn't really scream CAMERA BAG so that might be part of it.... .....but if I need more kit I also use a Lowe Pro Classified which is much larger and looks a bit more serious: Given the choice and the cash I'd swap the Classified for a bigger Billingham.....because they are gorgeous! Told you I was a camera bag nerd.

Crackin'

Ah - in those circumstances I'll agree entirely. I've a Lowe Pro Trekker AW that I use when out on the fells. A shoulder bag is a street/day trip solution.

Lengthen the strap and wear it over your head. Most normal sized bags sit at the back of your hip but can be accessed really quickly.

Nope! I love camera bags and have way, way too many. I particularly like canvas ones as I'm a traditional kind of guy.

He's awesome - follow his channel on YouTube there's some excellent videos.

Always been a sucker for a camera bag and I've had all sorts of Billingham's over the years - I use a Hadley Pro these days but I will admit they're a bit on the expensive side. Found these on eBay though and I might be tempted: BBK Canvas Bags

Sorry I didn't jump in earlier but I've had a hectic time of late - not to worry though as the advice here as ever was excellent. The D3200 is a great camera: The extra pixels over the D3100/5100 will let you crop an image and still get an acceptable result if you find you can't get close enough with your motor sport shots. It ticks along at 4fps (frames per second) which is better than the D3100 and the same as the D5100 which will help again with motor sport. The 'Guide Mode' is an amazing way to learn and hone your skills - use it - you're not cheating just getting technology to help. It was definitely worth getting the camera with a 'kit' lens. There is a lot of twaddle wrote on some sites about kit lenses not being any good - cobblers - you will get fantastic images from it. As to magnification and the difference between 200mm and 300mm think of it this way: A 50mm lens is about 1x magnification (the same as your eye in other words) so a 200mm will magnify things four times and a 300mm will magnify thing six times. Thats not gospel but its a darn good rule-of-thumb. One other quick note: You will hear talk that you should always shoot RAW and that Jpegs are pointless......if you do just nod sage like and wander away. Unless you are shooting for a very specific end result where you know you are going to have to manipulate the image heavily you will get just as good a result from a Jpeg file - plus - it is smaller so you can shoot more and more importantly you will get a longer burst (the number of shots a camera will take in one go before it runs out of steam) with Jpegs so you might just get the shot you need when shooting motor sport. If you're just wandering about get the camera to shoot both. Use the Jpeg when the camera gets it right (99.9999999 times out of 100) then use the RAW when it doesn't or if you need to muck about with the image. It will slow the camera down a little so be prepared to switch when speed is of the essence. BP

Bit random I know but came across this on YouTube this morning - brilliant!

Missed that one - well done.

I still prefer the Top Gear Bugatti Veyron vs the Eurofighter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NZ9X9A2efA

Sorry. I use Outlook at work and Apples mail client at home and on the move. Try YouTube to see if theres a tutorial.

Make your own Pin Hole Camera: http://jaroslavjurica.com/files/Rubikon2_EN_2_3.pdf

They don't have a conventional bayer pattern filter on their sensor though so get over the problem of moire by having an almost random colour filter: Bayer: X-Trans:

The D800e which doesn't have an AA filter is a very niche model and should only be bought be photographers who understand why it is/isn't there and need the images that can be produced without it. If you use the supplied Nikon Capture NX software the moire is very easy to deal with so it is not an issue. I've used a number of high MP Blad's that don't have AA filters but their supplied software is fantastic at dealing with it - you don't hear of people moaning about it because they are only used by photographers who know what they are doing.