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The big thing for me is the viewfinder. A mirrorless camera's viewfinder is digital (I'm assuming this is still the case?), and I just can't cope with it - I'm not keen on live view either, unless I'm shooting at an odd angle. For me, I need a real viewfinder and it's quite important.

Re: canon 350d ????????? Any EF Lens will fit a full frame or crop sensor, but an EF-S will only fit a crop. I started out with a 350D in 2006 and it's a great camera :) I'm sure there are bargains around these days

I'd call Canon (my local is Colchester on the Severalls estate) or get your Mirror alignment checked out at a camera repairers. If you take the lens off, does the mirror look flush and square in its "arms"?

Make sure you have a high enough shutter speed to capture images without blurring - say, 1/60th or quicker is best for handholding or moving subjects. You then need to match that with a narrow enough aperture (depends on lens, but I'd prefer F4 or above on my 2.8 lens). Then match the ISO to...

Here's my Trip - if you look through my Flickr there's pics of most of my film cameras. Olympus Trip 35 by tommessenger:photo, on Flickr

The Trip is fun to play with. You can't be too accurate with it, which I suppose is one of the interesting things. I had 2 (sold one, kept one) and have refurb'd both from the common 'red flag' problem where the meter doesn't work properly and won't let you shoot. Good little cameras though if...

when viewing your image in Flickr, there should be a 'share' button above it. Click that, and copy the BB Code into your post.

Sigma 105, or Canon 100 dependant on budget :)

I've never tried mine on locusts, I might give it a go. Since mine is a piscivore I've mainly been giving him strips of Tilapia fillet, along with mussel and prawn.

He's a M. baileyi, Hairy Puffer :) The Takifugu is an unusual choice - a lot of people find them difficult to keep long term. How are you getting on?

He hasn't puffed for a few years now that I've seen. He used to do it to get attention or food, but he's lazy these days.

He's probably about 6-7 years old minimum now, so he won't get much bigger than his current 6". Just fatter! I've had him since October 2006, and the shop (Wildwoods) had him for about 10 months before me. Tom

Got Esau the Puff a new tank yesterday. A Fluval Roma 125. Quite a nice tank really for the price, and the new style cabinets are smart. Anyway, here he is sitting in his cave :thumbup: IMG_5514 by tommessenger:photo, on Flickr Tom

Really? How? Flickr is definitely better.

Some fantastic stuff on there John, thanks - I really need some inspiration for some photography projects. I bought some film a while ago, but have never had anything to use it on.

I have a fern scape. Only mini though...

I bought my 5D on eBay - it had been a pro's backup camera and was in near mint condition. There are some great buys out there.

Also lens-wise, you can get very good quality old lenses (from film cameras) on eBay, along with adapters to fit modern cameras. They will be manual focus only, and you'll have to set your own apertures, but it can teach you how these things work much quicker than an automatic system will. I...

I'd try ISO 800 at F4/5.6. Or if you have a longer lens, stand back, zoom in and keep the aperture open. You should then get a slightly better depth of field, better angle and keep the background blurred. Colour balance doesn't seem too bad. It's focused right at the front of the tank. I...

Yep he's definitely unusual, you don't see too many around. In fact I've only ever seen them in Wildwoods :D He's called Esau, Hebrew for "hairy one" (He's a hairy puffer)

Got the camera out this morning for some snaps :) I've had him nearly 5 years now. Please view in Flickr for better quality...

Some great shots there :)

It was my first camera, and not bad at all. The 450D is far in advance though, and the IS lens is better

Do you ever even slope your gravel? Then you create the illusion of more depth. Pretty much every rule of aquascaping promotes the 'illusion' of depth. You don't have to spend £350 to get the illusion - even the cheapest point and shoot has a pretty wide angle lens.

A photo is the final stage of producing an aquascape, and is a judged category in many aquascaping competitions. It's just part of the art.

You could try photography-on-the.net for Canon gear

How it feels in your hands, how easy it is to navigate (Nikon makes me angry and confused! LOL), quality (and build) of lens, quality of sensor, autofocus speed, frames per second (if you need that), crop or full frame, etc etc...

That be it :P My bad

Oh right, your last post sounded like you'd got one!

What did you get?

With SLR's, I wouldn't personally look at anything other than Canon or Nikon. I've used Sony and Pentax SLRs and didn't like them even slightly. Pentax are nothing on what they used to be. Canon and Nikon also have the best lens lineups of consumer SLRs.

Yep, fantastic compact camera. I don't see the point of bridge cameras, it's just unnecessary bulk. You either want something small and compact for the pocket, or you don't mind the extra bit of weight for a DSLR. I'd love a G11 or similar - my walkaround camera at the moment is up to 2kg of...

Have a look at an older model Canon G series. They're compact, but bloomin good and allow manual modes etc :)

Gotta love the old Takumar M42's Mike. Very sharp shots, great focus and exposure :D Were you shooting wide open?

Yep, you can get rid of those nasty midday shadows with some nice fill flash.

Some places don't like you to use flash for weddings. I've never had it happen personally though. I'd rather shoot without anyway. If you can't bounce the flash off the ceiling (difficult in a church!) I don't really like the look of head-on flash. I'd rather use F2.8 @3200 and have some grain...

I agree with most of it too, although his HDR is still waaay way overdone for my tastes, as is the Collusseum. He's right about cloudy days being good though - I shot a wedding on friday, and group shots in the sun are a nightmare!!

Gorgeous camera that, but for near £1000 I'll stick to a film :) I'd like more than F2 as well for the money :P I saw their new bellows version in a magazine a little while ago, but I think it was even more expensive. Thinking about it though, I'm not sure it was even digital.

Some great shots, that Kodachrome looks lovely :) Did you scan it yourself then? It's nice to have that border. That link is fantastic too! It would certainly be a good idea if it is at all possible. I'd love to have a nice quality digital in an old clunky Analogue body. I think Fuji do an...

Is anyone out there into shooting film still? What do you shoot? I've just dusted off these lot, and I thought I'd take some pictures. Trying to rotate which ones I use so they don't just sit there.

Thanks for the replys :thumbup: I was meaning with flash. I had assumed that I would have a different reading if I held the meter a foot underwater, as opposed to at the same level outside the tank? Maybe the box of wet stuff would alter the exposure. And with tank lights alone, if I let my...

I have been thinking recently about having a go shooting tanks on medium format film (or even 35mm). My question is, how would I go about exposing the image without having the benefit of trial and error with lighting? Say I use a light meter, where would I meter from? I can't hold it...

Look great George - what settings were you at for the Jungle shot? The shot looks so clean and crisp, and I can never seem to get enough speed or DOF in my shots.

Going back to this, have you seen the price of "decent" flashgun's recently? More expensive than these cheap studio kits for one Canon gun. The 430EX is Canon's second best offering and comes in at £199 or thereabouts. You get far far less for your money.

I have a Canon flashgun, and I really don't like the effect it gives as an over tank flash. It seems much harsher and more 'directed'. You have much more control over a studio flash, and can achieve much much more. Unless you power it right up and fire through a brolly or something to diffuse...

That looks pretty nice Dan :)

Well of course more expensive lights may be more reliable/better built etc, but if you're looking for a budget set then I don't think it's worth the price. I'd much rather have the stability personally. It's no good having a flimsy, unstable stand for something heavy like a flash head. Most...

I'm borrowing a Bowens Kit with Manfrotto stands, but it might be out of budget! It's lovely though. The only other lights I've used are Elinchrom. Jessops' kits should be fine. It seems to be the build quality and power that determine price, and not necessarily actual performance. You might...

This was my dilemma when I got my 24-70 2.8. That's a good price you're getting though. I'm actually finding my autofocus to be less than 100% when shooting closeups, and this is important when shooting F2.8! I haven't had the chance to shoot high quality outdoors or general shots yet, but at...

Blimey, must have been a bright day to get 1/2500 on a 500mm! Good shot!

Nice little fish Nannacaras. I bred a pair of anomalas a couple of years back. I'd love another pair :)

Cheers :) Work is sooo slow at the moment though, done nothing in ages!

Olympus trip if you don't mind filling it with film!!

It's there for me, but it's pixelated. Other than that, looks a lovely place!! Nice blue sea Tom

Haven't tried it on the 5D yet course (only through viewfinder, which looks very nice!), but on the 450D the wider aperture on the 24-70 is very noticable. Would be nice to have IS, but I don't think I'll need it. I'll get round to some proper tests when the 5D's back from Canon. I can only do a...

Thats what I was worried about. They argue they have to strip it right down to get to the circuits, so might as well service it. Just hope it's not all corroded up in there or something. Worryingly they did say that whatever was loose in there was "normal"! Sounds like a screw has come out to me!!

That's more than I paid for my 5D!! Just took it into Canon and left it with them. £130+vat here we go. At least it will come back serviced too... :?

I got my 70-200 from Hong Kong for £400 inc taxes :D Bangin' ;) Yeah it's the while L. It's some of the best glass, just not a wide aperture and no IS. As a studio or bright day lens I have no complaints. Very very sharp.

The fashion photographer I work with on occasion uses the 135L, as well as the 200L. I've never tried it, but I know it's pretty much glued to his camera. I daren't try it or I'll never rest till I've got one! The 70-200L does that length for me for now, but it's only an F4. As sharp as they get...

Yeah they will.... Their advice was give it to them for a service (£120+VAT) and they'll find out what's wrong. Then of course there's parts and repair labour on top. Told em to get stuffed. It's only just been into them to fix the mirror that fell off.

Rather happy with this :D Shame the 5D doesn't work still... Have tried it on the 450D and it is lovely, but when you compare just looking through the viewfinders, it's unbelievably lovely on the 5D and fairly average looking on the 450! Aperture is very nice, and it all feels very solid...

Very very nice :D What gear? ND filters? Tom

Oh I can just imagine! Reckon they bounce? Don't give me ideas...

Fantastic sharpness in most of these, particularly the first one! Can't be easy to catch such a fast moving and tiny bird, and with this level of detail. I'd never have the patience for bird photography. Tom

Yes I thought that, it does a good job balancing the dark areas while keeping detail in the snow

Very nice

Ahh, Ok. I've got a couple of those Paterson developing tanks and darkbag, spiral etc that I use to do black and white. Just never attempted colour before. I'll have to look into that. In the darkroom set I got at auction, there was also a light-tight paper tank about 8"x10" size, with bits on...

I can do Black and White processing at the moment, and I have equipment for a colour darkroom - just no chemicals and nowhere to set it up. I'm working on it though!! One day I'll have my own mini-darkroom :) I am seriously looking into a decent neg scanner for 35mm and 120mm which would...

Thanks :) A lot of people have said how bad the light meter on the Yashica Mat 124G is, but I can't fault it. It's so much more rewarding too, shooting on film. I might not bother fixing the 5D!! Shame film costs so much to process and scan/print these days.

Yeah they come as epic huge TIFFs - I just converted in Photoshop and uploaded. EDIT: IMAGES FIXED Cheers :)

[EDIT: IMAGES FIXED - NOW WITH FLICKR, NOT PHOTOBUCKET!!) Please see here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommessengerphoto if they still don't show properly!!] This was the day my 5D gave up. -7degC and at 9am and it was having none of it!! Still won't turn on :roll: Anyway, I had my Yashica...

That grass one is awesome :)

Have it on 'M'. How big is the tank? If it's anything over 16"-18" or so, one of those flashes might not cut it - it would be too directional, like a spot light. Also, you'd want to mount it over the top of the tank pointing down either wirelessly or with a flash sync cable, rather than at the...

Have you got any additional lighting for the shots, or would you use the tank lighting only? If just normal lights, on a 20D I'd stick it on ISO 400 or so (don't want it too high because of the grain, and too low will need a long shutter speed). Keep the aperture fairly wide (maybe F8) so you...

Hi, I don't know if anyone can help with this, but I thought I'd post up anyway :( I took my 5D out to take some snowy shots for the mother yesterday morning, and after firing off around 5 shots it died. I haven't been able to turn it on since. The temperature was -7 or so, but my Yashica...

Yeah you could get a similar picture, if not much closer in with the 105mm macro. It's purpose-built for the job - a dedicated macro lens rather than the 70-300. You'd have to ask Dan how he did that! He's a graphic designer, so he's probably the best one to explain it to you!

I can't really help there as I haven't used the other two. The Sigma is often seen as the slightly cheaper alternative to the Canon 100mm macro (non-L), with the cons being slightly slow/loud focusing as far as I know.

Although if anyone else has used the others, chime in now ;)

Sigma 105mm by reputation ;)

Have a look at the Sigma 105mm Macro if it's in budget :)

From a composition point of view, I would try to get more of the ground in the shot, and a little bit less open space at the top. Or you could always chop some off the top. Then if you can, clean your sensor or remove the dust marks (black spots) in photoshop or GIMP or something with a healing...

super wide angle ;)

Looks like a good price, I know nothing about the lens though :) With the macro, if it can get 1:1 @ 35mm, I'd imagine you'd have to get very very close to your subject. But if it's decent glass, it's a good price again :) I've never looked into Tokina before

If you have a look on my flickr I did some lens tests with the Helios on the 5D. Lovely at wide apertures, and super sharp closed down http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommessengerphoto/

Make sure there's no (or very little) dust, moving parts are nice and smooth, the aperture blades close up properly and they're not covered in oil. If they don't say on the listing, might be an idea to send them a message. Car boot sales are fantastic too, that's where I get almost all of my...

It's for lenses that use Autofocus. It communicates with the camera as to when the image is in focus. As the lenses you are looking at won't have autofocus, it's unnecessary. Here's the Takumar on my 5D, and the Helios on the Zenit

Yeah but you don't need the AF confirm. Get one from ebay, they're so much cheaper. Something like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/M42-Lens-Canon-EO ... 336351711e

Yeah, the build quality is fantastic - can't go wrong, strength-wise with Russian gear like Zenits. They're built like tanks, quite literally. Just search for Helios 44m 4 or Super Takumar 55 F2 - or any M42 lens come to that but those are two I really like, with the Super Takumar coming top...

I've been playing around with old lenses recently (like 30-40 years old) which is always fun. You can get M42 to EOS adapters on eBay that let you use old screw-fit lenses. Just a thought, if you feel like experimenting!! Good ones I've found are Helios 44m-4 (55mm F2) that come with Zenit...

No, go with the Canon 50 1.8. Your standard lens is probably better than that Sigma anyway. The 1.8 is still very good for the money.

They are both the same lens. An EOS camera will take any EF lens, and a crop sensored EOS like the 500D will also take any EF-S lens. That lens has shot up in price by the look of it... I got mine for about £50 3 or 4 years ago. Tom

OK, apart from the 50mm 1.8, anything else in budget is unlikely to beat the standard lens at that focal range. You could probably look at a cheap longer zoom lens, but if I were you on this budget I'd stick to the standard lens + 50 1.8 and save for a 70-200 F4 L or a reasonable 70-300 in the...

Yeah, get a Canon 50 1.8 (best value for money lens on the planet!) or 1.4 if budget goes that far (Build quality and autofocus far better) Do you want to stick to primes, or zoom lenses? Canon 85 1.8 is another cracking budget lens. Tom

Nice choice by the look of George's pics!! Can it go on full frame George?

17-55 in that case

Much much sharper than standard lens from 2.8 upwards, much much better low light performance (although no Image Stabilization). Focusing and build quality isn't good, but for the price, don't complain. EDIT: by the way, I sold mine to Dan Crawford and I wish I never had!! LOL! :roll:

For £330 it's probably not bad. Have a good play with one first though, alongside a Canon 1000D and see which you prefer. Personally I don't like the Nikon controls, but that's up to you.

Re: Opinions wanted on sharpness Great shot. I'd go with saying either heavily cropped from the original and/or over sharpened - focus is spot on, but the clarity maybe isn't what it might be. I am looking at the grain in particular, and also the fine feathers seem to be a bit jagged, but could...

One is the highest end professional equipment you can buy, and the other one takes snaps - quite good snaps. I was only pointing out that using the hasselblad for the type of shots and reviews in that link is not even beginning to test it's capabilities.

Yes I agree with everything you just said - my reply was simply to point out the irrelevance of that article, as the two are not comparable.