Quote from danowat :

any suggestions

Yes - don't buy them from Jessops. Ebay is your friend when it comes to getting cheap filters, there are plenty of reputable Hong Kong dealers doing all the major filter brands. My 55mm Hoya Pro1D Circ Pol filter would've cost me £60+ even from a web shop in this country - straight from HK I got it for ~£25.

In terms of recommendations, what kind of shots do you want to achieve? For square filters (such as ND grads) you need a holder which clips onto an adapter that screws into your lens filter thread. So, you can use the same filters on different size lenses just by having a suitably threaded adapter for each lens size you have. Cokin is the usual starters kit for these things, they're cheap and cheerful - although apparently their ND grads aren't entirely neutral, which is why they call them "grey graduated" instead. As for soft edge vs hard edge gradation, the longer your focal length and the smaller your aperture, the harder the gradation needs to be.
Personally, my graduated filter kit consists of a 55mm Cokin adapter (both my kit lens and 24mm prime have a 55mm thread, which is handy), wide angle P-size holder, and a Hitech ND soft grad kit (which has three filters at 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 - which block out 1, 2, and 3 stops of light respectively) ground down to 84mm width to fit the Cokin P-holder.

A circular polarizer (Circpol, or CPL) is great for city shots, or anywhere that there's glass, water etc so you can either eliminate or enhance the reflections just by turning the filter (only really works on clear days with direct sunlight, although there is still some effect on cloudy days where the light is very diffused). But they do cut out a stop or two of light, so it's not a good idea to keep them on indoors. Most brands will be fine for entry level photogs like us using budget DSLR kit and lenses. You can spend silly money on filters (Lee filters spring to mind) but there's little point unless you've got a £2k lens to stick it on the front of.

So first thing you need to do is check the filter size on your lenses, and what filters you want to use on what lenses. Generally, imho, there's more opportunity to use filters on a wide angle or kit lens than a telezoom, so I'd err towards that.

Quote :

And yeah, they are from Snowdonia

I should know, I was there a few weeks ago. Sadly the weather was so atrocious that I didn't get a single shot of Snowdonia itself.

Quote from danowat :

This is where I need help, filters, which ones, what for, why etc etc etc.

Yep, ND grad filters are cool...

[size]Sony A100, 18-70mm @ 18mm, 1/80s, f/16, ISO 100, Hitech 0.9 ND grad[/size]

Basically when shooting digital you don't need the huge array of filters that film photographers needed. Colour effects can be done in PP, for example.

Graduated filters are good for landscapes, but get square ones, not the screw-in type.

Circular polarisers are useful for controlling reflections off water and glass, and sometimes enriching colours.

Some people like to use UV or Haze filters as a protector on their lenses. I choose not to, although the filters can cut some of the haze very slightly in landscapes and give you a clearer horizon.

There's all sorts of other filters available - soft focus, star effects, and so on. But the ones above are the starting points imho.

PS. Your pictures look like North Wales / Snowdonia to me.

Last edited by STROBE, Sat 6 Oct 2007, 10:55. Reason : added image info

Quote from CNSZU :

Is there a hidden option, or a crack, which prevents the tyre temperature from changing throughout an entire race?

No, but the next major patch is widely expected to feature improved AI, which presumably will mean they can cope with tyre temperatures, fuel loads, pits, etc.

nice car, and great drawing - wish I could draw like that. But I wouldn't want this to replace any of the cars we currently have either.

However it would be nice to have to genuinely more modern cars in LFS - ones that look like current designs rather than 80s/90s style. I suspect it's a helluva lot more difficult to realistically design and model a car with as many contours and pressings and curves as modern designs have (and requires a helluva lot more polygons too), but that's what is needed if the devs want something that looks more up to date. Obviously it would be heavier than the current TBOs, but also more stable. Good for beginners who would be able to drive it better, and probably be attracted to it more since it looks newer. Then those who are good with the current TBOs can thrash them with their vintage XRTs and so on.

I'd sooner choose to have some closed cockpit prototypes though.

Quote from TiJay :

The only advantage DSLRs have over this seems to be faster shots and even better picture quality, but they're hugely expensive, require different lenses...

Somehow, I think you're missing the point. The biggest advantage of SLRs is the interchangeable lenses, which gives you options that are unimaginable with a compact camera, no matter whether it's a super-slim Casio Exilim or a chunkier superzoom. From the huge long lenses (almost telescopes sometimes!) used by pro sports photogs, to the dramatic fisheye, primes for absolute image quality, and so on.

@ SamH: Sigma make some cracking lenses. The 17-50/2.8 is especially well received, even more so on the Sony/Minolta mount that I use. I haven't got one, but I do have the 70-300 APO DG. This lens is better than "kit" telezoom offerings, and frankly is unbeatable for the price class it occupies. Obviously it gets caned by lenses that cost >£500, but it gives you great image quality for the money. Whether it'll still be working in five years time is a different issue, however...

Quote from AndroidXP :

...£12. Come on, that's the average cost of one night out with your friends...

Bloody hell, I should go and live in Austria for nights out as cheap as that!

Quote from DarinSRT :

I swore to myself that i wouldn't reply to posts that are negative but I had to make an exception since there were two in this thread by the same person.

Don't let it distract you; once you've been around here a bit longer you'll soon learn to ignore them.

Quote from Jamesisinthehouse12 :

Solution
I would recomend reinstalling xp with sp2 and don't install any updates or just upgrade to vista

Lol, yeah, sure. Vista isn't going near my computer any time soon, thanks.

Yes but before everyone has a fit of excitement you have to remember that horizons are, quite often, rather far away.

EDIT - ignore me, I should scroll down more.

Last edited by STROBE, Sat 29 Sep 2007, 15:02. Reason : oops

Quote from Jakg :

Well i think Scawen did this new downloading-skins-before-you-connect and the DDS switch for this exact reason, to PREVENT this issue.

If you've got a 7200.7 then that throws me theory out the window.

I would say RAM, but i doubt it's that either

Yep, I thought that too but the stuttering is worse, not better. Pre-X, when jpgs were used in memory to skin the cars, I got a slight delay as a new car left the pits, but nothing significant and it was often imperceptible. Now that it's handling dds files, the stuttering is massively worse for me. There's been times on small grids when the start light sequence is quick, that I've almost missed the green light due to the stuttering on the rare occasions it has to load nearly all the car skins around me (if for whatever reason they weren't loaded the previous race).

I also fail to see how the hard drive brand would be a cause of this. The dds files aren't big, no desktop hard drive in recent history would fail to have enough throughput to load the file into memory and cause this kind of stuttering. In addition, if the skinfile has just been downloaded from LFSW the same session, is it still stored in memory before it gets applied to the car, and does it cause the same amount of stuttering as an older, previously downloaded skin that is sourced from the hard drive? That's something that could be tested to determine (or rule out) where the problem lies in the process of applying a skin.

RAM is surely also not the cause. Not unless the LFS pixies crept into my flat at around the time patch X was released, and switched my pair of 512MB sticks of Corsair PC3200 for something that causes problems.

I get this too. Caused me to have a massive crash a few weeks ago whilst leading a close race.

I was under the impression that the (major) stuttering appeared at the same time LFS switched from using jpgs to texture the cars, and started using dds files. Whatever the problem, it doesn't appear to have anything to do with processor type or hard drives, etc. In my ultra-n00b knowledge of programming, it feels as though the process of loading the dds file as a new car leaves the pits is given such high priority that everything else in LFS just halts.

My rather ageing system:
Win XP Home SP2
Athlon XP 2600
Asus A7N8X Deluxe (nForce2) mobo
1 gig PC3200 RAM
GeForce 5900 128MB
LFS runs from a Seagate 7200.7 SATA drive that is kept reasonably well defragged.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Any and all suggestions that the CTRA 1 server is populated by a higher portion of new and inexperienced drivers is bullshit.

CTRA 1 allows new drivers, unlike our tier 2 servers, but that does nto make them magically appear...

...To call it a newb server is frankly insulting and wholly innacurate.

Quote from Becky Rose a week previous, discussing the Race1 server :

S1 does allow 32 cars to start. We just are not stupid enough to enable 32 car grids on our entry level server. No offence, but you guys still crash on 28% of the laps you try to complete

Hell of an improvement in just a week, I'd say.

Quote from Stang70Fastback :

What about something like a bit of tiny AI that detects when a car is going to careen straight ahead and just momentarily makes the car "transparent" so that it just goes through anyone else he might otherwise hit - if just for a second...

Or maybe just implement radiator damage which we already have the engine temperature gauges for. Won't stop them taking you out, but their race is most definitely over too.

I'm only eligible to compete in leagues via my team - I'm not entered in anything personally as an individual driver. I tried out the STCC as an individual, but soon discovered after the first round why I don't drive in leagues as an individual. I simply don't have the time required to practice, acquire and develop sets, and race at every event. I'd like to do more league stuff, but simply can't due to the amount of time it takes me to do so. :-/

Quote from BlueFlame :

Vauxhall's Styling house is Opel, who are governed by GM overall. So Vauxhall is more tacky than an Opel, in that sense.

lmao! Keep it up.

I dunno about spanking, but I can heartily recommend playing on the puss.

Quote from Aquilifer :

Mmmm...where have I seen that car...oh yeah...

Did you buy it from Imran?
(http://www.vx220.org.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=54660)

Lol, that popped into my head when I first saw these pictures too... "oh no, it's not VXR #16 is it?!"

but it's a 220 anyway. I think. Isn't it? The VXR has more bulgy bits on it I thought.

Quote from BlueFlame :

Vauxhall.... just buying one is bad enough, but spending TIME on it!? and the worst thing is its a VX220, giving it some James Bond type name, aint gonna make it cool.

The fact that it's actually a Lotus underneath in pretty much all but name kinda suggests you haven't got a clue what you're talking about, or are just making a fairly feeble attempt at trolling.

@ Chris: nice looking car, not my style personally but it looks good in red with the black wheels. Decent photos too - how high up were you for the first one?

Quote from wheel4hummer :

army in Iraq

To which army are you referring?

I've got the Sigma 70-300 DG APO too. It's a cracking lens, simply unbeatable for the price imo. I haven't noticed much in the way of softness when wide open, my only complaints are the speed of focussing, and how much it can hunt for focus in low light. But then you look at the cost of the big white 'L' or 'G' telezooms, and you forgive it.

Quote from TypeRCivic :

I'm getting a Nikon D40 and it comes with a lense, it's 18-55mm, anyone know if that good for range and starting out??

It's just a standard typical kit lens, nothing great but fine for getting started. I hear it's better than the Canon kit lens, which some people regard as junk. But the most important thing is the photographer, not the equipment.

However if you're wondering what kind of range it has then I'm guessing you don't understand what 18-55mm means, so I'd query whether a DSLR is right for you at all.

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

The trouble is they are being patched up on a basic design, after all the armour add-ons they have received the weight has seriously increased and it is putting too much stress on moving parts and the life expectancy is greatly reduced. Not great for long tours as vehicles constantly run into the ground. However with the bigger and better weapons in the conflict zones the small arms armour they do have is inefficient. They are being redesigned all the time by GM so they leave the factory with better armour and less weight so not to slaughter parts, but they have a lot of old models to finish off before the new ones are rolled out all over.

They are not quite the work horse as a Land Rover, don't look as nice, but there has only ever been one reported case (Note: I was told this a while ago, not sure how accurate it is now) of a H1 being flipped in the military (Landys get flipped all the time, but you can just roll it back onto it's wheels and keep on going), and that is because the driver was cocking about. It is just a shame the vehicle sucks so much.

You don't know much (anything?) about the HMMWV, it seems. Especially compared to the utterly shite outdated Land Rovers the British Army has to use.

Quote from JTbo :

edit: If you feel that current tires are slippery at rain, perhpas put new tires on back and old rear tires to front so you don't get surprising tail out situations on wet if you need to dodge some chavs in their Novas

Hmm, hadn't really considered that. However it has to be said that it seems my car is set up very safely. All it does is understeer. The brake bias seems heavily front weighted - the ABS kicks in too readily when the front wheels hit a manhole cover under braking and slide, but never even a hint of ABS or locking from the rears. The back end doesn't even hint of twitching if you come clean off the throttle half way round a quick bend.

Wheel alignment should be okay thanks, it was checked at the same time the car was M.O.T.ed earlier this year (MOT = mechanical inspection for cars in the uk, done once it's three years old then every year after that). Besides, these Bridgestones haven't worn out in two weeks, they've worn out in three years.

Quote from wheel4hummer :

Bridgestone Turdanza tires are horrible. I was driving in my moms Honda that comes with them stock, and I understeered slightly making a right hand turn at 20mph. The tires began to skid, and the steering wheel started feeling a little more loose. I obviously did not hit the brakes. I just straightened the wheel a little, and took the rest of the corner really wide. When we got home, I waited for the tires to cool, and then checked the tire pressure. The left front tire was at 17psi, and it's supposed to be at 32psi. So, I pumped it up to 30psi, and figured it was good enough. My mom drove it the next day, and the tire was down to 25 psi! I keep adding air to it, but the air just leaks right out. Same thing happens to the right front tire, except at a slower rate.

EDIT: The road was dry as a bone BTW.

Erm, thanks for that, somehow I doubt that's a fault of the Turanzas though. My fronts are supposed to be 33psi and I've had to top up the air in them about three times in as many years.

Quote from tristancliffe :

Save your pennies for nice things, like furry dice

Piss off, it's not that kind of Seat Ibiza.



Thanks for the comments everyone. I certainly don't loon about on the roads, I hate people that drive as if they were on a racetrack (I've often thought about being a traffic cop, were it not for the fact that after a dangerous pursuit, when the pikeys bail out, I'd just run the f***ers over instead of stopping and chasing them on foot).

However my car understeers and wheelspins sooo easily in the wet (no doubt due to the poor wet performance of the Turanzas - and a sudden dollop of turbo torque at 2200 rpm), but the front left tyre is pretty shot from tipping it into roundabouts on a clear road in the dry. Completely bare on the outer shoulder, with 2.0-2.5mm of tread across the width.

I can't imagine the Yoko S306 being a nightmare, if anything I suspect it will be softer than the Bridgestones, I was just wondering if anyone knew where to find any tests or user reports (car forums, owner clubs, etc?) before I make the decision. The S306 is also £20 cheaper per tyre than a replacement Bridgestone.