bugmeister

Hi Cathy and welcome to the madhouse

Well done the two of you. Enjoy your celebrations

Hi Caz, welcome

I think that is a rather offensive blanket statement, if a twit with a camera can take good pictures that people are wiling to pay for then why should they not do so?. I get paid for some of my work which, since I don't make my living from photography, makes me perhaps a semi-pro, and the people who pay me do so because they like what I do, and most of that business is from word of mouth recommendation, the rest by viewing what I've done in the past or from test shots. I DO use a flash gun outside and even WITH a diffuser simply because I use whatever it takes to get the pictures that I and the customer want. In many cases I could, and do, reduce the flash intensity and/or move it off camera, but even then a diffuser can soften the fill-in effect which is much more pleasing than any harder light fill. I think it boils down to using whatever gives the right result. My 105mm macro lens makes a stunning portrait lens but it wasn't intended for that purpose so maybe I shouldn't use it for that purpose since that's not what it was designed for? [rant over] Back to the original subject, there are cowboy photographers out there, just as in every walk of life, and anyone looking for a photographer for any occasion needs to look at previous work and listen to recommendations from friends or previous customers, never just go with the cheapest unless they are also very good. Also use contracts which specify what the customer will get, when, and for how much. That way there is legal recourse if either party messes up or changes things and there isn't agreement. (for example, cancellation on either side could incur costs)

Greetings from silly Suffolk

Great news

I meant a good way to spend a few hours, it's never a waste to listen to what you enjoy

That's a good way to waste a few hours

Interesting question and it does come down to a number of factors. On a personal basis, I use a 21Mp camera that lets me print at A0 if I really want to (I've used that for posters) without any problem. The other main thing is that it allows me to crop-zoom if I can't get close enough to a subject and still have enough left to get a decent print. I occasionally break this but generally if it wouldn't print at A4 I don't keep it. More generally, I would agree that the megapixel race is all about headline grabbing, few people will ever use the capability or capacity of a monster, but it sounds good. My first DSLR was 6Mp which gave good A3-A4 prints, my current phone has a 13Mp camera, but i've never even thought about printing from it. Conversely, the larger the count, there tends to be a lower frame rate/buffer size which a number of people have said to me is of more consequence when they were choosing.

No arguments here, that's a very good picture for the wall, and a very good choice as well. Well done Leon

Hiya and welcome.

Go for it, there's lots of good pictures in the sunset thread that might not have had their own posting and it's good fun as well. It'll be interesting to see who comes up with what.

Well done Paul. Good observation and excellent photography

OOh pretty bugs

Glad to hear you're on the road to recovery.

Well done PaulN, a great capture and a very good choice, Kate

Greetings and welcome p.s..... what is 'growing up'?

Well done, BP The whole set was very professionally done and is well worth a look

Hello Heidi and welcome

I don't know about official lens failure rates but my experience is quite the opposite to yours. I would say, though, that a sample of two is not really statistically relevant in either your case or mine. You may have just been unlucky, and I may have been lucky with mine. It would be interesting to see if any official data is available anywhere. I have a Sigma 105 that I bought over 6 years ago and it's still my portrait lens of choice and my walk-around macro lens (I use a specialised macro lens when the opportunity arises). I also have a Tamron 28-300 superzoom that I bought in 2004 and it's still sitting on one of my spare camera bodies as a 'grab' kit. That one went to tropical Australia with me and performed extremely well in the humidity and ever since.. Neither are as fast focussing as the Canon originals but I wouldn't expect them to be. They are a lot cheaper after all.

Hi, Ash, Welcome to one of the friendliest places around

Hi Jeff, and welcome from the relatively sane part of the country

Well done Annie (and Sophie), great choice Chris

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with each week as the seasons turn

Very odd. Here's hoping they get it sorted