The online racing simulator
Quote from mickyc30 :Awwwww... the look cuddly..

I wanted to take them home.

Thanks for the comments guys - off out again doing some wildlife today so will show you what I get when i'm back.
Close call for me. I don't have the world's greatest camera, but it is a camera I couldn't possibly replace at the moment. My new pup (pictures posted earlier) got a hold of the strap and dragged it down off the table. From that moment on, I could get 3 shots out of freshly charged batteries (4 AA NiMH) and they would be dead. I charged them, shot 3-4 photos the next day and they were dead again.

I thought it was from the dog dragging it off the table. Just a coincidence though that they batteries are junked at practically the same moment that happened with the dog. I bought some new ones and it's lasted me all day today.

I was sweating bullets waiting for the new batteries to charge thinking something happened and was shorting and draining out the batteries while it was turned off. The batteries were old, but before it came down off the table, I was able to fill up two 2 gig cards and still have enough juice left in them. They were Rayovac AA NiMH 2500 mah that I've had for 3 years of flawless use and probably recharged thousands and thousands of times. They were used in my micro RC planes and helicopter that charged the small lipo battery through the controller since 2005.

I was caught with surprise of the sharp cut-off of them working perfect like new and suddenly not holding a charge at all. There was no warning of it, they worked flawless then suddenly didn't work at all. Not bad though, for 3 years of very heavy useage (2 with the RC planes and 1 with the camera). I unfortunately could not find the same batteries in the store.
Lucky, Mike! Geez! From 4ft onto a tiled floor, my camera is said to come off better than the tiles.. whether it's true or not is something I'm counting on never finding out!

I just ordered a couple of new replacement batteries for my Nikon, for about £6 each. I'm reliably informed that they're as good as, if not better than, the original Nikon-own batteries. Back when I had a Canon EOS1000, I paid 11 dollars for a non-rechargeable battery for that, and it'd barely last a week. Photography has become so very accessible these days. God bless digital!!
Nope, not 4 feet, maybe 2.5 feet, off an end table next to the couch in the living room.

The real previous damage came when it slipped out of my hand at chest height onto the cement patio out back a while ago (had a handful of stuff I was carrying into the house). Broke the battery cover latch which the latch's tab was still half attached so I was able to fix it with some Loose MOMO Pedal Pot Fixing Solution (aka. superglue )
heres the latest for me

I decided to go all out. A self-portrait -


[edit] I think we should all do self-portraits. It'd be good to see who's behind these cameras! Come on, guys!
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Nice work Sam!

By the way guys: I've been looking for a tripod on the cheap side. Any suggestions? Also any suggestions on any websites (to buy the tripod) that will ship to Europe for cheap as I'm currently and will be for some time in Europe? Thanks.
ty!

On the matter of tripods, I've recently found that you generally get less than you pay for. You should look at spending as much as possible. I bought a budget tripod for £20 (~$35), cuz I figured something cheap would keep me going until I could afford something more solid.. but the piece of crap I finished up with isn't worth the materials it's pressed out of. I've had to resort to using it to prop up my flashgun instead. If I mount my camera on this budget tripod, the autofocus on my camera will send it into an oscillation. Even firing the shutter in anti-shake mode shakes this thing to the point that I may as well be hand-holding the camera. The legs are fine, but the head is some kind of hard plastic and it simply isn't up to the task at all.

If your camera weighs anything at all, look at spending at the very least $90, and preferably a lot more. Anything short of a complete metal assembly, including the head, isn't worth having. I don't have any good advice on picking a good-value solid tripod, but if you were thinking about getting something cheap in the meantime to keep you going, then with utmost urgency I say.. stop, wait, don't.
Quote from OneCrazyDiamond :Nice work Sam!

By the way guys: I've been looking for a tripod on the cheap side. Any suggestions? Also any suggestions on any websites (to buy the tripod) that will ship to Europe for cheap as I'm currently and will be for some time in Europe? Thanks.

DealExtreme.com is great for cheap Chinese tat - delivery takes a while (2 weeks ish), but alot of the stuff there ends up on eBay for a BIG profit (i used to do it!).

Free delivery, too...
I'd say the Manfrotto 055 or 190 tripods. Invest people!
Another vote for Manfrotto here, I use an 055 Pro. One of the few tripods tall enough to look through the viewfinder without bending down or raising the central column.

Not exactly lightweight or particularly portable, though. :-/

That's a great self portrait Sam - brilliant lighting and PP.
Hmm, a Manfrotto 055, anywhere between $200-400 depending on the head....

I would look a little silly with my little $200 superzoom on that thing, hehehe.

I have a $30 cheapie and beings I have just a superzoom (light), it works great. I don't think I would stick a couple of pounds worth of $1000-2000 camera on it though.


Yeah, I agree, fantastic self-portrait Sam. I don't have any light to be creative with, so I'll skip on the self portrait thing. Mmm, maybe I'll think about it for a little bit...


Tripod - Here is the $30 cheapie. It's a little frosty after sitting outside for about 6 hours of lunar eclipse shooting back in February....

ive got a cheapy like mrodgers and ive got another cheapy good one well most things are cheap here in china its metal all over detachable headmount spikes on the end of the feet the extend on the push of a button to dig into the ground extra stablity handle for carrying and a bag to put it in lol

cost of it was about 20 quid 155rmb or somthing. only problem for me is after extending the neck it is a little wobbly. but i shouldnt windge lol
Alright, thanks for the suggestions. I'm still struggling to find web stores that will ship the tripod to me for cheap though. Specifically, I'm in Sweden, so that's where I need it shipped. Any more suggestions on any websites? Thanks again.
#741 - Don
I SO wish I could see the full images of Don's links. Those bike photos look freakin awesome. Much better of a subject coming from where I am located at rather than rally.

I have a laptop to view, but I'm new to laptops and LCD screens and I can't get it to look good at all. If I do happen to get it OK, it's all messed up connecting it back up to the CRT at work (laptop screen is too tiny to use for work).
Hi guys, what is a good DSLR camera to start with? I was looking at a Canon EOS 1000D? Good choice or what do you recommend me? My budget is about 600€
Quote from Scrabby :Hi guys, what is a good DSLR camera to start with? I was looking at a Canon EOS 1000D? Good choice or what do you recommend me? My budget is about 600€

There are no bad DSLRs on the market in the consumer price class - every single one of them will take great pictures.

Most of the differences are in ergonomics (personal preference) and feature sets (also personal preference what you value).

Best advice: Visit your local dealer and fondle the different cameras. The one that fits your hand the best is the one to take home.

Consider a low-end body only and pick a decent lens to go with it. You'll sacrifice some reach and versatility if you go with a fast-ish prime instead of the slow kit zoom but on the other hand big aperture prime let's you shoot in available light with better results.
and what about lenses, what are all the different lenses. Please a bit more info on wich types etc

Here I see a Canon EOS 1000D + EF-S 18-55 IS <---- lens?
I really want to go further into fotography, more specific into motorsports
Quote from Scrabby :and what about lenses, what are all the different lenses. Please a bit more info on wich types etc

Here I see a Canon EOS 1000D + EF-S 18-55 IS <---- lens?
I really want to go further into fotography, more specific into motorsports

Just get what Don's having!

(And quadruple your budget.)
Quote from Scrabby :and what about lenses, what are all the different lenses. Please a bit more info on wich types etc

Here I see a Canon EOS 1000D + EF-S 18-55 IS <---- lens?
I really want to go further into fotography, more specific into motorsports

Go for the 450D if you can, the 1000D's an inbetweener of the 400D and 450D.

if you want to go into motorsports, it depends on how close you can get to it. You need a lens with as low f/stop as you can get.

If you can get as close as Don then I'd guess you wouldn't need that long a lens, if you do photographs from further away then maybe a 300mm lens.

It depends on where you're at in your hobby development, only upgrade when you feel you're being held back. Let your equipment grow with you as you gain skills.

I bascially went up in steps:

point and shoot Sony DSC P32 > bridge camera, Fuji S5600 (crap) > Canon 300D > Canon 400D

ok, i might go for the 450D then

Camera Showoff
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