I think Molegrips is right though – pictures are more important than kit, but getting the wrong kit if you are on a budget can become a disappointment.

And dont just buy ‘what’s on offer’ as it may not suit what you want to take photos of or may force you to soon buy a 2nd lens you did not want to cough up for yet. Even cheaper SLRs are fairly expensive to many people so do your research in case you decide to go further with your pictures than the odd snap of grandad by the duck pond.

Yes forums can be tedious, but if there is nothing of value on forums why read the Singletrack one even? Take what’s useful and assess it. Ignore the rubbish. Its usually fairly easy to tell which is which.

Well, I just upgraded my camera body as with the previous one:

– mirror system failed due to high use and was not worth repairing.
– was over 5 years old, so noise control, low light photography was not as good as a modern camera, ISO levels were low (I like low light images without tripods)
– offered a slow frames per second shutter speed and I want series pictures of moving animals
– offered an out of date rather slow autofocus system and relatively poor viewfinder if I needed to focus manually
– had a view finder that was less than 100% view (I admit, that’s a nicety)
– my new camera has an electronic spirit level which is dead handy as my eyesight is deteriorating, so I can now take buildings (without a tripod with its own spirit level) that don’t list to one side!

On the whole, digital cameras are still at a stage where updating them has value. Most of the film cameras had got pretty much to the top of the game, so had longer lifespans.

I think these are good enough reasons for me. Maybe not for others.
I had my Olympus film SLRs for years and only moving to digital phased them out.

It would help you to know/decide what sort of subjects you might want to take most pictures of to start with as it will effect your choice of kit
– general ‘snapshots’or portraits (a standard zoom with macro or close focusing will do to start with)
– fast moving subjects (racing cycles, cars, running kids or pets – get a wide aperture lens and a camera than can take plenty of images per second)
– very small things like insects, close ups of flowers (a lens that will take macro or close focus)
– things that are far off (a long lens with image stabilisation)

If you have some idea it will help you choose a lens and a camera body wisely and will help others to advise you.

The lens you select will actually be THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT in a lot of ways and will effect what subjects you can take and how good the image is. It will travel with you from camera to camera as you upgrade over the years, camera bodies are temporary to some degree. You can get a nice camera with a good sensor in it, but a rubbish lens will degrade your images. Lenses can be horribly expensive but are a long term investment. A lot of very keen photographers use Nikon or Canon becasue they both have a huge range of lenses to choose from and lots of 3rd party manufacturers also make lenses to fit them. On the whole, Canon who do a 2 tier range of lenses (pro and enthusiast) tend to offer more affordable lenses than Nikon at a good quality. Try also Tamron lenses.

You may find to get what really suits the images you want to take, it is better to buy just a camera body and get a lens separately.

I would also find a friend or collegue who is into photography or ask for advice at a camera club. Also try camera forums.

http://dpreview.com/
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/index.php
http://photo.net/community/

There are loads of forums about and also lots of the same sites give product reviews. DP review is very respected for their very in depth equipment tests.

Shops mean well, but its impossible to tell which brand they ‘need’ to push that week or if the assistant actually knows what they are on about (Jessops staff are not always the most aware!).

http://www.whichstockagency.com/

They tried this clock change when I was a young child, infant school, a 2 hour time change I think. I mostly remember the misery of getting up in the middle of the night (or so it seemed to me as it was pitch dark) to walk to school in the dark, it took a while as it was about 3 miles away.

Worse was being sent to bed at “night” when it was the middle of the day and being confused with the absurdity/sense of my being punished when my parents drew my bedroom curtains to try and keep out the daylight, which continued until really late at “night”. It was difficult to sleep with all that daylight outside but too dark in my room to do anything but be bored and feel punished as everyone else did not go to bed in the middle of the daylight. I did not understand the unpleasantness of the sudden light changes. It felt silly even then and at that age. It does not fit with natural human clocks.

I would support keeping what we have but making summer time bit longer into the autumn or spring. I big change all year round is not good.

Dirtybike, thats very encoraging information, thanks. I fancy a challenge but a bit of minor cash would be good too!

Thanks to everyone who is posting stuff on this thread, its very helpful giving me lots of web sites and info to check out further.

In case its of any use to anyone, quite a few of the stock agencies seem to have discussion forums, for example

http://www.alamy.com/forums/

Well, I was thinking of it as much as a challenge, to learn to fit their criteria, make more effort with my photo quality and maybe fund a bit of my kit, as I take photos anyway.

I have started looking at some of the sites people have kindly mentioned on here (and thanks to everyone who has posted) and several of them list specifications for images and cameras – have found the pages for this but not had time to read them properly yet. They look a bit intimidating, but then I guess that’s the challenge 🙂

So what cameras are people using to get photos accepted?

I presume its all SLR’s rather than high end compacts?

Thanks Trimix, most kind. I can’t see an email address in your profile though, unless I am looking in the wrong place.

I have heard that some pro photographers are complaining that amateurs are taking their trade, but then I guess some of the amateurs may end up as professionals eventually. I know of person who earns about £2000 per year from ‘amateur’ submissions. I don’t know how many photos they have lodged to produce this money. I guess its a bit like any competitive field of employment – only so many photographers, either amateur or pro, can survive in a flooded market so you have to be good at both pictures and selling. Must be tough being pro though unless you are established.

The ‘approved list’ of cameras mentioned by Rockhopper is interesting.

Read a newspaper interview with a postman a few weeks back. Felt very sorry for them. There is some kind of computerised route program they have to stick to.
They are allowed 1 MINUTE to enter your property boundaries, knock on the door, wait for you to open the door and sign, if you dont they have to write the card and be back off your property. All of that in 60 seconds.

Its important to remember its in the Royal Mail managements interest and in the governments interest to make people hate the royal mail so that the public don’t protest about selling the service to a foreign company.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353811/Think-post-bad-Heres-soon-worse.html

Personal gain is almost always put first – power, social climbing, long term financial gain. I think it is more so now we have career politicians instead of people who have actually held down real jobs for a decade or so.

Some of this leads to sucking up to other people who can provide the above or who will return favours after the political career (see how many ex politicians seem to instantly walk in to high paid jobs)or who will provide campaign money or other perks now.

They will follow their party as they need that support to get elected and cannot afford to offend the party or party doners.

Very few of them seem to understand they are there to represent the democratic views of the people who actually employ them to present those views. The forest sell off and the unpopularity of the Iraq war are perfect examples of majority feeling of the general public getting no representation whatsoever by those employed by them to do so.

Politicians are not accountable enough to the population they represent, its too easy for them to vote against the majority will of their constituents over large individual issues and pay no penalty for it.

“The Stang, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, has already been sold for £3.25m.”

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8849438.Delay_of_forest_sell_off_is__just_a_PR_exercise_/

Worth checking with your local Trading Standards dept? Might be possible to get some financial compensation for damaging your goods. It would also teach them not to be so cavalier with customers. I think the government also do some kind of phone advice and/or a consumer web page as a friend got some very good advice when messed about with by a garage. All the help was free.

You need to break them up into small manageable pieces. I used to have the same problem and breaking them up solved it. They compress them too hard.

Hope you and everyone else on here has a lovely day.
All the best.

Ah, the same arrogant snobbery that makes politicians think it unreasonable for them to travel anything other than 1st class, or best still in a publicly funded helicopter.

I think the smug superiority of some of these replies is pathetic.

I worked with someone who has told me he was a big fan of ‘self achievement’ and saw people at the bottom of the heap as scum. Until he was made redundant. He said how that made him change his mind about other peoples lives after he had been struggling himself for a few months, never mind struggling on years of low pay. Remember folks, it might be you being spat on next by the ‘socially superior’ you once thought yourself on a par with.

Sweden is looking pretty dark to me right now. What other country in the world has ever chased a rape suspect to this degree? It clearly has ulterior motives.

I think I read that in some of the released papers, it was revealed that some government sector in Sweden had done a deal with the USA, arranged so that they could avoid informing the Swedish Parliament of such co-operation, even though it was a legal requirement that the Parlement be informed.

They side stepped legalities as it was realised Parliament would strongly object to what was going on. This situation, if correct, leaves parts of the Swedish government open to any demands from the USA just to cover up their own illegitimate behaviour.

If they are happy to lie to their own parliament, what chance Assange? If he is extradited to Sweden, they may as well just hand him to the USA.

What bewilders me is why no politicians are being warned or arrested for incitement to murder given the very public calls by them for him to be illegally assassinated.

Whatever Assange has done or not done – to throw aside the neutrality and fairness of any justice system is utterly despicable and must be by default, a much worse crime.

If you only give it very small quantities as ‘treats’ on the odd occasion its hardly going to effect its whole food chain. Watch from the house as you don’t want the fox to get too friendly with humans as humans are a risk to it.

Try dog biscuits as you can dole them out in small amounts and they keep fairly well. If you get smallish size ones you will get hedgehogs and things eating them too. Also it will take the fox longer to eat a small amount. Peanuts are popular. One used to come to our garden every night for some while, just to pick up the peanuts fallen from the bird table. If he was well off for food he would pick up the peanuts a few at a time and carefully bury them for later use.

A decent guy with integrity – to stand up and say he no longer supports the LibDems because of their dishonest 2 faced behaviour.

It makes a change to see an attitude like his among so many morally empty, ethic free public figures. I wish there were more with his integrity.

I remember reading he had a really bad spinal injury in his teens or early 20’s from falling off a roof, that he was told he might be paralysed. If he is overdressed it could be related to results of that?

I dont think I realised prior to this that most credit seems to be tied up in the control of only 2 companies.

I had assumed as there were so many credit card adverts that there were more than 2 actual ‘vendors’.

Considering my options.
I might also get a better deal by changing anyway.

Looks great down a dark alley if you intend to beat people up.

Totally unsexy though, no tactile effect. I find very short hair repulsive in men. Naturally bald is fine, all hacked off is not!

Its not just about paying back fees, its about British society and where we want to go with it.

Many students in the next few years may not be able to study near home to cut down on bills as its expected by the government that several Universities will go bankrupt. The government intends this to happen and is supportive of them going to the wall and shutting down. At least 3 are already on the list of ‘won’t last long’, before the fees competition truly starts.

Universities will probably break into 2 fee charging groups – those who go for £6000 and those who go for £9000. It is very likely that any institution who charges the lower fee will be seen as 2nd rate and so will its graduates. Therefore as many as possible will try to charge £9000, which is in theory ‘exceptional’ but in reality is going to happen in a lot of places unless they want to loose all status and respect.

Some University colleges are already speculating on breaking away from government control (I cant remember if the first one to suggest this was at Oxford or Cambridge). This will essentially make them fully private and as such they will have NO restrictions on fee charges whatsoever. So, the elite, also known as the very rich, could (in theory) have to pay £20,000+ per year (or whatever fee makes the college special enough) to go to somewhere ‘exclusive’. It will also mean there will be no requirement to take any poor people at all, nor will any other critera be set by the govenment for private establishments which once would have aimed for some attempt at equality.

Already 1 private ‘University’ specialising in law (as far as I know, never part of the state system) is expanding into other sites in the UK, probably as a result of the change to fees.

Its not just about paying fees – its about who Britain will become, about class and wealth, probable access only to the very rich at certain institutions, re-starting a system of snobbery and ‘Ivy league’ atmosphere, privatising Universities so that the nation has no control over who attends them or how exclusive they become.

Its the sneaking underhand privatisation of the education system that many people will not realise until its too late and the results of that choice for snobbery, elitism, employment prospects and running the working classes into massive debt. And debt is an excellent way to control people.

“at 36, as a debauched “sinner”, whom for years has felt at odds with the world, who has sought solace in drink, drugs, women & and pretty much everything else available in excess, I actually think I am taking the first tentative steps to heal the scars and become a better man.”

I have no religion. I set (within the context of the society I live in) my own rules and standards. I decide who I wish to be. Some people believe you cannot have standards and decency or be a good or better person unless you have a religion. The expectation is to need to have a god to fear or to please so you ‘have’ to keep to the rules – or go to hell when dead etc.

Its not true. Anyone can be a good person, a better person, without a god. Its a question of choice. Who do you want to be? Set your own rules and be a decent person just for yourself, for your own satisfaction and pride.

Many people seem to turn to a god when leaving additions of drugs, alcohol, abusive situations etc (not implying you are one of these). Maybe it works for them, but its exchanging one addiction/obsession for another and finding another place to hide, rather than dealing with the ‘why’ of why you do things you are not happy with and having the inner personal strength to step away from them without still leaning on a prop.

Whatever, I hope your life goes well.

I find it sad how some men on this forum see women as nothing but ‘sex and image’ with no other value, even as human beings.

Maybe such men are vacuous themselves, an outside visible shell with no inner content at all, so they assume everyone else is as shallow and empty, because depth of personality or skill is so alien to them they cannot conceive of it existing in anyone else.

BBC is in an industrial tribunal at the moment for sacking older women (Country File) in a sexist and ageist manner while retaining old men in their 60’s/70’s. It is why we only see pretty young women on TV, because its a TV culture of ‘old men are good, women over 35 are a waste of space’ that TV execs are too indoctrinated to step free of, as it is counter to their work environment ethic – Even though the public employing them are complaining about this unacceptable attitude.

“Asking for presents is rubbish, if people know exactly what they want they can buy it themselves. I think the point of presents is the thought that goes into them and the (hopefully) pleasant surprise on receiving. “

Totally agree with this. Also its the effort people put in to select the right thing or make it or source it. Its not about cost its about care and interest.

I don’t really understand this ‘list of things I expect to be given’ stuff, I find it horrid and would not dream of giving anyone a list of items they were supposed to fork out for.

Bizarre too is the “I want this exact object, now wrap it for me so I can be ‘surprised’ on the day” but loads of people seem to do this insane pretence. Its just a nuts form of lying. “Oh what a surprise, just what I hoped for!”

Its also worth learning about hyperthermia symptoms and treatment.

Try these forums for information relating to British hillwalking.

Try also some of the Canadian and American outdoors forums as it gets very cold over there in winters so they have a lot of helpful advice on camping, including using wood stoves in your tents and using dogs to pull your kit – its very interesting stuff. Also USA and Canadian Amazon sites do some excellent winter camping and hiking books that you just dont see here. In this country ‘Cotswold Outdoors’ chain usually has a very good book section on outdoor activities.

Outdoors Magic sometimes seems to have informal meet ups. Maybe if you posted on there as a beginner making a request, someone would let you tag along for a couple of ‘learner’ trips at no cost.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/forum.asp?sp=&v=8
http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/Community-Landing/Forum-Landing/
http://forum.tgomagazine.co.uk/forum/

“Our Bike Vault I don’t think would pose a problem or indeed your bin store! “

Its still not legal though, even if most people wont care, so troublesome neighbours can still technically object. I am going to put one up anyway. We do have a difficult neighbour ourselves but as he has built a large shed in his back garden that is ‘illegal’ as it were, on many counts, I don’t think he can comment on this one which is a relief. He threatened in the past to object to an extension being built on to the house I live in despite him having just built his own much bigger one. Some people just like being a pain in the ass because they are control freaks. I hope your neighbours are better 🙂

Make sure you are all clear with your neighbours. I need to put a small bin store in front of where I live so I checked the planning permissions and apparently its standard practise for putting a shed in the back garden to be fine (subject to some small conditions, like distance from the house and boundaries) but its not ok to put sheds of any kind in the front garden if any part of it is nearer to the road than the front wall of the house. The government has a planning site where these and other details are stated and more info here
http://www.diydata.com/planning/planregperm/planning_rules.php#shed
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/outbuildings/

I am sure you can get away with stuff if your neighbours are laid back, but if they don’t like you pulling out your hedge or just want to keep the neighbourhood image, they could cause you inconvenience if they make a complaint to the council.

I am wondering if Howies as a brand will bite the dust before long. Otherwise, you would put Timberland in the back or a shared frontage. I saw somewhere that both the original founders had now left Howies, so I guess there is no one to fight for its preservation with Timberland other than as just a name on a range tag, like Marks and Spencers ran mini brands which they are now phasing out.

I am not surprised Bristol branch is being reviewed as sales space. The shop in Bristol seemed to devote more space to ‘image’ than it did to actual stock. To me a sign they were selling at a silly high price, to be able to waste so much space on non selling image based objects. It was more like walking around a pretentious art gallery, with lots of ‘stand back and admire’ space. I dont think I have ever seen a shop (even expensive ones) waste quite so much sales footage.

Timed to distract the masses from the poverty to come and the potential protests and riots.

Timed to get the cash from the masses for the wedding payment and new houses, while there is still a bit of cash left to be taken.

Timed to beat the Olympics so maximum publicity is obtained before eclipse by the sports coverage.

Good distracting publicity for the Con/Libs

Good publicly for the royal family, which they must be pretty desperate for by now.

I prefer ‘realist’ to ‘cynic’.

Now we have months of newspaper hell over ‘what dress’, ‘they (we the public) are buying a new house for the happy couple’ and ‘how long before the first kid’.

I cant wait… 🙁

Do a forum seach for 1 year ago – loads of threads on this issue of snow and ice tyres. 🙂

Was this posted by Stephen Fry?

I have to say the tone of the question or at least the way it is worded does not bode well. If this question is actually about the poster, I would say from your tone it is a doomed relationship. If its about someone else, you seem a bit resentful or hostile in some way. I could be misreading it though.

How does the person in the relationship personally define ‘love’. How do they define ‘happiness’ in thier own eyes, not in other peoples judgements?

If they have a great life other than sex they are luckier than many people. How would they judge things if they were reversed and they had great sex, but no home life/kids/suchlike? Life is a balancing game – you win some things but at the expense of loosing other things. There is rarely a win win. Only the people in the relationship can truly know what aspects of life they rate as the most valuable.

The person who is not interested in sex (We are supposed to assume it is a woman, though from the wording I guess it could be 2 males in a gay relationship?) – we do not know their reasons for being disinterested – physical difficulties, a horrible past experience, the present partner is not nice to have sex with for some reason, someone cheated so they dont trust them? Could be almost any reason. I would suggest the couple ask to go to either relationship or sex counselling to find out if anything can be of assistance mentally or physically to either of them and to help them find out what (if anything) is wrong, and what they both really want from life. Sex and relationship counsellors are very non judgemental and have probably heard every bizarre behaviour around, so they can have a lot of constructive suggestions.

Love is more than sex. It is complex and often bizarre to outsiders, but of huge value to those involved, even if no one else understands their association.

You can hunt the internet for folding bike specialist shops. One for starters
http://www.foldingbikes.co.uk/
Based at Bath.