Black Pearl

No way I could have gone to London which is a shame - but - just to be able to rock this on the way to work almost makes up for it:

Out of idol curiosity, what waterproof 35mm cameras do you have?

Very but they're bulky, expensive and functionality isn't always very good.

Generally they're pretty reliable - image quality is ok but nowt to shout home about - AF is decent, the menu layout is excellent and they're fairly quick. None of the underwater compacts produce excellent results - small folded lenses see to that - but you can't take a good quality compact underwater so you makes your choice.

The Blad had several issues. 1. It's quite expensive 2. It's a Sony NEX 7 in drag 3. It's quite expensive 4. I'm not convinced the 'drag' is that appealing 5. It's quite expensive 6. Luxury buyers are a fickle bunch and Blad ain't what it used to be 7. It's quite expensive

I can't decide between a Mondaine or a Tissot automatic watch.

Oops - Blackwolf jas been out with HER long lens.

Not been around much of late as I seem to spend all my time at work so I've just had the chance to hunt through a weeks worth of posting - a rather enjoyable way to spend a Sunday teatime if I'm honest. Plenty of good stuff but Blackwolf has been out with that long lens of his and the results are superb - picked the tit one as I prefer them to jays. Excellent photography - excellent technique - excellent end result. Original thread

Welcome back - nice site.

Checked on the iPad and the colours are identical - ill have a gander later on the Mac to double check.

When in the Commander mode setting turn the in-built flash to 'Off' Don't worry it will still fire but only at the start and end as a trigger for your SB600

And in the none-DSLR world..... Sony NEX-5R Wi-Fi - http://www.sony.co.uk/product/nex-5/nex-5rk Get more from your camera With Wi-Fi built-in to the NEX-5R you can connect to devices like a smartphone, tablet and more. You can upload photos to Facebook right from your camera. Plus, you can download apps like a remote control app that lets you shoot from your smartphone and see the picture. Nikon Coolpix S800c - http://www.dpreview.com/articles/3638044195/nikon-coolpix-s800c-android-camera-first-look The power of Android OS: download any application from Google Play straight to your camera. Take advantage of photo apps, social media apps, games and much more. Share your world: easily connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Upload photos and movies to social media and photo sites, or transfer images directly to your smartphone or tablet. Samsung Smart Cameras - http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/camera-camcorder/smart-cameras/viewall One-touch wireless sharing Wi-Fi Connectivity Built-in Wi-Fi lets you instantly share special moments with friends and family, even when you’re on the move. A dedicated SMART LINK makes it easy to save photos you just took to any compatible smartphone, opening up even more sharing possibilities. You couldn't be further from what is happening in the camera market. More and more DSLR users are buying in the Mirrorless Camera Systems as either a day-to-day lighter option or even as a complete replacement. They can have the exact same sensor performance but are significantly lighter and very often offer better specifications for a given outlay. Compact camera are still a million miles away from being a dead market. At the lower end the camera phone is taking over but at the higher end there are more and more quite simply amazing products coming out that again your 'real photographers' are buying into them. Sensor size actually only matters for those who either need very high ISO performance or want the ability to control depth of field - printing actually removes many of the problems that can been seen in small sensors when you pixel peep them on a screen.

Yeah - send me the original, Dropbox it if its a big file and ill sort it in CS5 for you.

Agree or disagree - its kind of irrelevant. I grew up in a world where we took pictures on film, couldn't see them on the camera, sent them to TruePrint and in a week or so's time we got a set of 36 prints back that went into little plastic pockets and were forced upon anyone who came near the house. Auto focus came along and was confronted as the Devils work, auto wind was for people who couldn't get a shot in one and auto load......Hell.....auto load was for amateurs. Digital - Good God Almighty - rubbish - poor quality - not for real photographers - a dead end that only a few would play with..........how many of us still use film? I do for the novelty but I wouldn't use it for anything serious. Things change but amateur photographers as a whole are very reluctant to embrace the latest advances. I have never understood why but it has been a constant in the 24 years I've been involved in selling cameras. In the end the vast majority of these 'new fangled' advances have become the norm and we would struggle to cope without them. Consumers tend to buy into what is the most suitable to their needs. Today that doesn't involve a wait of several days, a bit of paper and an album. It is Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram and a host of other social media sites. Consumers want to take a picture, if they're photographically minded add a bit of filtering and processing, then share it instantly with friends. If their phone is good enough then that is what will be used - I do this every day - but for others a camera is still a camera and the advantages are worth the extra weight and hassle........except if that camera could connect to their friends and be a total solution it will replace their gear. I love my pro Nikon kit, I love the feel, the weight, the power and the performance. I love that I can add any accessory I wish and can take a picture in just about any circumstance a camera can take a picture. What I wish it had was a capacitance screen, an app style interface and the ability to seamlessly connect to the rest of my wire free life.

Gimmick? Nope - it's the way compact cameras will end up going and so its the first of many - get it or not this sort of product is the future. To be honest I thought someone (Sony/Samsung) would have put a zoom into a phone by now but it seems they still want to keep a fixed lens. Whichever route manufacturers go the end product will be the same.......a camera/phone - phone/camera......is what we will end up with and it is what the majority of people who take picture want. If I want to post an instant picture on the net I might use my iPhone, I may also shove an image through the iPad from any of my other camera types and post it. If I want to get a little more serious I may still use my iPhone, it is a serious camera, or I may use a more traditional camera type and still end up processing the image on a mobile device. I don't think the lines are set in stone anymore. I have Photoshop on the Mac at home but I also have it on the iPad - the vast majority of the major controls are available on both - so I don't see why either is a more serious way to take and deal with images. A camera that has Photoshop built in (well has an app in any case) is the logical next step. That it also has sharing sites like Flickr and Instagram on it as well as Facebook and Twitter just makes it a more rounded device. The two latest top-end DSLR's from Nikon and Canon can be made to be 'net connected' because professionals photographers want them to be. It is the way photography will go.

Colin - think of it not as a phone that doesn't phone but as a camera that is web connected, then it makes sense. I always have my iPhone with me so I don't need a camera to make a phone call but I can't easily get images from my current cameras to my iPhone when I'm out and about so a decent compact that is 'web connected' is a cool idea. Take a picture, edit it with any Droid app you fancy, host it and then post it - here for example - all from your camera. I not only get the whole point I am really looking forward to having that sort of capability from a day-to-day point-n-shooter.

You're welcome - glad she liked it.

Don't have mine yet, it needs to be handed over by an account manager and comes with all sorts of dire warnings that I have to sign in case I try to sell it straight away on eBay. but I have had a play with one and it is completely fascinating. Very weird product - as near as makes no difference its a Galaxy S3 at the back running Jelly Bean. You can't make a normal phone call but you could install Skype or similar and use a headset to use it as a telephone then at the front its a WB series Samsung camera. The lens seems excellent, the controls are amazing with big 'virtual' dials on the screen for shutter speeds, apertures, ISO etc. Samsung have loaded it with their own editing tools but as far as I can see its a full Droid OS so you can install any app you like. The one I tried had Instagram on so watch out for some new images when I get mine. The web browsing and FB integration is standard Android as is the overall user experience - as I say - weird. Not sure I like Android as I'm so used to iOS devices but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I have checked and I can link it to the iPhone and use the data connection so the 'Camera' will be net connected all the time but I could pop the sim out of the iPad into it too and use it as a stand alone product if I'm on a day out. I don't actually own a decent Point n Shoot camera so I'm really looking forward to giving this a good trial and I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a new camera - I have to take my hat off to Samsung and say "Well done"

One thing I've found now I work at the Metro Centre is that 3 have a booster either in-store or very close by because I'm getting mental fast 3G connections. Thats OVER 19Mbps download speeds over 3G not WiFi - I get about 9Mbps on my broadband at home and thats on a good day. I can't describe how fast the iPhone 5 accesses the net, it makes the iMac at home feel sluggish and its anything but.

Had to happen eventually. http://www.samsung.com/uk/promotions/galaxycamera/ Essentially its a galaxy class phone (that can't make calls) with a full blown Samsung camera welded to the front. You get the 21x zoom, decent sensor, great AF and all usually stuff that comes on a super-zoom compact these days.....as well as.....a full Jelly Bean Android OS with Wi-Fi and 3G. You can run the usual mobile apps like Instagram and FaceBook etc but all on a camera. Oh.........and did I mention that samsung are giving me one completely free of charge through work. Think I've found my Christmas gadget Hit.

10 cities at launch - forgive me if I don't rush out and hand my cash over just yet.

Good value is a Jessops Major Carbon Tripod. Comes with an extra short column (as well as the standard one) so it goes flat and a good case. The 3 way head has a standard screw fitting so grab a ball head to go with it - should come to about £110 all in.

Best track ever.... ...and Hells Teeth its 27 years old...I used this as a reference disc when I bought my first proper record deck...and amp...and speakers - I still use the speakers!

Excellent stuff: Well thats about two weeks so.......B

Black