Haven’t read all the thread, but having dealt with this very problem many times through work i can tell you that no contractor should break the ground without a valid signed wayleave.

Ask to see the wayleave and if none exists request they remove it forthwith and provide repairs/reinstatement to the standard that it was before their trespass

Not going to do all the links thing, but try those below for a start

MPB Photographic
Ffordes
Mifsuds
London Camera Exchange

Talkphotography website has a 100 post/30 day qualification before you can see the classifieds, but is a good resource anyway so worth a look

I know exactly who that company are spooky, should be interesting next year because the 3% was negotiable depending on inflation

Pretty sure that ballot would have been in favour of strike action, amazed me that people would withdraw their labour for a few quid yet signed their terms and conditions away for nothing.

36 years is more than enough and its pension time for me then off to do a degree as a mature student.

Hope it doesn’t get any worse for the rank and file, just remember treat everything they say as a lie and you won’t go far wrong

Even on auto SLRs are better than compacts both in use and in terms of image quality

Afraid I don’t agree with that statement, algorithms in most compacts are geared to getting a good jpeg on auto with no expectation of post processing.
A jpeg from a DSLR will be soft by default and the reason many people are disappointed with their early efforts until the finer points are mastered

Just say NO

Back on topic, just seen a Pentax K10D with 18-55 lens and usual bits for 205 quid delivered.
They are nice cameras and although not new very capable of producing the goods

As of today 31/03/11 its official that Fotopic.net has gone into liquidation, just read it on the AP website.

No idea if anyone will get their pictures back and very hard for anyone who uses it for their business

What’s been done to that Merlin?

Mine might have some modern parts, but at least its reasonably tasteful

Just seen a Canon 300D with 18-55 lens for sale at 130 quid in Northumberland
6mp and comes with charger, two batteries and memory card

Might that be of interest? email in profile if you did want me to enquire further

Duplicate, so please ignore my stutter

Got any mates that could advise you?

I’m no expert, but let me have an idea of your max spend and what sort photography you are interested in and will have a look round to see what might fit the bill
(this doesn’t imply any guarantee of the actual function of the equipment or honesty of the vendor)

Do frequent several sites where decent enough older gear comes up and probably a safer bet than the bay of e or gumtree.

Don’t rush they will probably be dead pretty soon or you could perhaps suggest they try wacky baccy and charge people to come round yours for a quick inhale

Had them all at different times, but just one Ti now and that’s how its staying

Looks more like the lacquer coat to me, but definitely worth a call or email

Had an Orange o2 many years ago and the paint came off in bits about an inch square, if you get a knock back don’t think its anything to worry about.

Happened to me when I bought a lens and started getting messages about leaving feedback so they could get paid

Think they get the money anyway after 30 days, but if you are happy why not do it promptly, but certainly not before you are completely satisfied

My daughter recently bought a Canon 550D with twin kit lenses as her first DSLR and I think its excellent. She has already taken some great shots and its coming down in price now with the launch of the 600D

This was one she took Sunday and sure most of us would be pleased with it, was taken at the far end of the 55-250mm is lens which is an absolute bargain for the money

At one time only place I could get a signal from Orange was up the back of my garden next to the metal shed. Last few months its got considerably better and the advice from rocketdog sounds like its worth a go

Admittedly I only use it to make or receive the odd call none of this internet business, can’t read writing that small

Just liked this one I took last week, made me think spring had actually arrived.

Never used one of those, very popular and look easy to adjust, not sure of the weight limit though

One tripod should do both as long as it goes low enough for macro and has a short centre rod (or none at all)

I do have two tripods, the old Manfrotto and a much smaller/lighter Velbon Ultra Luxi F for when I need to travel light with it attached to my rucksack.

Tend to use the same Ballhead though with q/r plates on camera and tripod ring for ease of attachment. One handy feature to have is friction adjustment, can be set so the lens or camera can still be moved, but doesn’t flop forward when you release the ball lock.

No excuse for blurred shots with a decent tripod combo and remote release although tend to use a beanbag quite a lot these days as well.
Never had any luck with Monopods, tried a couple and both ended up being got rid of, sure they are good but like battery grips just not for me

Sounds like a plan, solid tripod and head does make all the difference and money well spent
I’m still using a donkeys years old Manfrotto 055, bit heavy and had a few replaced parts, but does the business along with a Cullmann ballhead.

Probably best to get a new mounting plate/quick release that’s more stable, what head are you using on your tripod?

It will not be a hen harrier – they are as rare as rocking horse pooh

Not here (Cambridgeshire) there not, quite often see them over fields ten minutes walk from my house

Get plenty of Buzzards too, very distinctive call gives them away and they are bigger than the Hen Harrier too

Not quite sure what you are asking as they are removable?

Have used my 400mm prime without one, but often put it on as it makes for a suitable balancing point/grip when hand holding

Could be a Hen Harrier, get a few round here and looks fairly similar

If you do want to use a tripod or monopod you should consider buying a suitable tripod ring for the lens. Pretty sure they don’t come as standard because I use one from another lens which luckily happens to be the correct size (pricy little devils they are too)

Not a great idea to use the camera tripod mount otherwise it will be very unbalanced and put undue strain on the mount especially with a small camera like the 500D. Also I find a tripod ring is a useful aid when hand holding a larger lens and for picking it up with when mounted to the body

Don’t like either thanks, but what im suggesting at least you get to choose a setting and compensate accordingly rather than think its all hunky dory especially when reviewing the shot on a tiny lcd

Probably the reason I have the IS version of this lens and quite often use the manual setting plus if conditions allow a tripod or beanbag

All about compromise and think its very important to understand reciprocity with regard to aperture, shutter speed and iso

You will need a fast shutter speed to avoid shake with the 70-200 f/4, not really heavy like the f/2.8, but still needs to be kept steady to avoid blurring. Think something along the lines of at least equal to the focal length used and then include the crop factor of 1.6

Would suggest you take it off auto iso (unless you can set a maximum, know the 550D can) as well otherwise the camera will bump that right up to get the desired speed which will introduce noise
If you are pointing and shooting which I assume to mean you use the camera on auto rather than one of the other settings the ability to cancel auto iso is probably removed along with some other functions

My daughter has a Canon 50-250mm IS which produces great results at a bargain price,the new Tamron 70-300 VC gets good reviews too.

The 70-200 f/4 IS has two stage stabilisation, one setting for normal and the other for panning, makes a difference and although costlier can mean many more keepers

Suppose all this is rather academic now though if you have made your mind up and bought it

Yes I agree the best camera is the one you have with you

Think I must be one of those small minority who doesn’t mind carrying a DSLR with lenses around. Admittedly a lot of my photography is nature based or landscapes so equipped to carry what I want plus tripod.

As I mentioned above, work out what you want from a camera and decide from there, no correct answer to your question other than the one you come up with

I’m actually looking for a small non-camera-looking shoulder bag so I can bring along another lens too

Have a look at the Crumpler range, I use one when I want to be more discreet, the model I have is the Pretty Boy XXXL. Can fit a Canon 40D with 17-55mm attached and room for another small’ish lens too along with bits in the front pocket
The Muffin Top is its modern version and they are well made, tough, unobtrusive and have velcro plus a catch for security.

One caveat according to my daughter they look a bit gay 🙄

Being serious now depends what you want from a camera, but for the most versatile system it has to be a DSLR. All makes are very good, but for the best range of lenses especially secondhand the choice would have to be Canon or Nikon

My daughter just bought a Canon 550D, small’ish, light and its really good even with the basic kit lens, does HD video as well if that’s your cup of tea

Can see the appeal of a smaller camera, I also have an old Canon compact, but do prefer the larger system for anything a bit more serious

Canon DSLR, nothing beats those lovely big white lenses, why spend all that cash on a pissy little camera you can put in your pocket

I find it quite ironic that a good many of the coppers there today probably feel exactly the same as the protesters about the cuts.

The private sector in general are so bloody selfish and don’t demonstrate as long as they are alright jack. Dismiss unions as only for lefties and have been happy to reap the benefit whilst others have struggled

Many public sector workers are traditionally badly paid and only stayed where they were because they hoped to get a decent pension and some job security.
Everyone automatically thinks of highly paid civil servants, not the road sweepers, hospital porters and dinner ladies of this world.

Add that to the 45 quid tax saving for a year and the worlds yer lobster

Not even a quid a week, might just buy 45 lottery tickets and see what happens, not exactly life changing is it?

Looks like ex local authority to me, always a bit cheaper and factor that into your offer

Also many older Sigma lenses need rechipping to work with modern DSLR’s, I know at least they do with Canon otherwise they give an error message.

Sounds like fungus which is a non-runner, best bin it and stop the spread to any other lenses

Its possible on some lenses to take the front element off for cleaning, remove the rubber seal then three screws.
Blow out the dust with a rocket blower then make sure the glass goes back in exactly the same place

Wouldn’t suggest going any further than that though

Talking of 1979, went to that one and few of the bands listed below, wouldn’t pay a quid to watch this years lot.
Should have been Thin Lizzy on the Sat night, but replaced by The Scorpions who were superb

The Cure
Wilko Johnson
Motorhead
The Police
Gillan
Steve Hackett
Cheap Trick
The Scorpions
Molly Hatchett
Climax Blues Band
Whitesnake
Peter Gabriel

Just an awful lot of fatties everywhere these days, mostly due to laziness and greed

Bunters where I work just stagger from home into the car then rock into work (I say rock because they sort of amble along rocking from side to side gaining some forward momentum) think its because their grossly fat thighs rub together so they can’t walk in a normal manner

Never walk upstairs if they can use the lift and its blind panic after a fire drill when they switch the lifts off

Hate the sight of the gluttenous bastards, sickening watching them always stuffing cakes and crisps in their ever open mouths and swilling on big bottles of coke

Swear some have a chipsmade to wake them up before they rock to their ensuite chiproom, probably have frying oil delivered by tanker. Most of these are ex telephone operators so have spent their entire working life sat on their arse

Strange how companies alwyas quote the max fps and then you find out its only when gripped that speed is obtainable.

Tried more than once, but just don’t like them and would rather carry a couple of spare batteries.

Also seen a couple of cases where the grip has got stuck on the camera, seems the internal thumbwheel gears on the Canon are plastic and strip all too easily.