Quote from IlGuercio :

Well,the 18-200 is an AF-S lens

Ahh! Indeed! It has a "SWM" in it!

Well, I got screwed over on all those cameras, was lied to about stock levels twice etc.

I hate DSGi sometimes...

So seems i'll be scouring eBay some more...

The best offer I got was an a200 with no battery / charger / cable, which *might* work with a lens that *might* be ok for £134.97, but couldn't be arsed for an hours drive.

Quote from Jakg :

The best offer I got was an a200 with no battery / charger / cable, which *might* work with a lens that *might* be ok for £134.97, but couldn't be arsed for an hours drive.

Mmm,look for something else,really.

Yeah - the CF really puts me off the A200 as I already have a nice SDHC card and nothing to read a CF.

Had a look at work but no bargains to be had

Quote from Jakg :

Yeah - the CF really puts me off the A200 as I already have a nice SDHC card and nothing to read a CF.

Had a look at work but no bargains to be had

Ebay isn't good for bargains anymore.
I suggest you to subscribe to a local photography forum and look for a "Buy/Sell" subforum.
I bought all of my equipment on forums like these

Quote from spankmeyer :

Maybe in your fairyland, pal. Prepare to drop 130k euros (nearly 200k U.S. pesos) for a 10-year-old Dodge Viper in Finland. :cry:

This car is NOT a VIPER. It's a Corvette C6 Z06...

BTW: Iam from Germany, and here you can get a very good C6 for about 40.000€ and a C6 Z06 for 60.000€. New they want about 75.000€

In America they are WAY cheaper...

Just received my second hand Sigma 70-200 2.8 APO EX HSM.
Well,it's...pretty much like im the first one unboxing it.
I could have believed it was new if he told me so.
Really,no sign of use,no scratches,no defects,i tested the AF and it is very silent and fast(but not blazing fast).
Im starting to love it,it weighs but the system is now very well balanced.
It's a shame the guy lost the tripod mount,i should look for an aftermarket one.
Ah,just 355€ for a NEW lens,wow.

Jakg, what's the VAT like on imports for used goods?

Quote from Jakg :

I hate DSGi sometimes...

Hmm, having done weekend work at Currys about 10 years ago, it's reassuring to hear that nothing seems to have changed within DSG.

Quote from Jakg :

Yeah - the CF really puts me off the A200 as I already have a nice SDHC card and nothing to read a CF.

Heh, curious how people have such different tastes. I can't stand SD cards in SLRs - SD cards are great for mp3 players and compact cameras. When you've dropped, stood on, or washed your CF cards you'll soon understand why they're far preferable to flimsy little SD cards with their exposed contacts. I would really advise against choosing an SLR based on it using a less ruggedised memory format simply because you haven't got a card or reader, when they can be had so cheaply, and if you upgrade to a higher grade body in years to come, that will use CF anyway.

Regarding the Pentax K-x, I'm curious as to why they would make an SLR with no visible AF points in the viewfinder.

No AF points?
Really?
Why is that?

Is any of you guys using the video feature from his or her dSLR?
Im very interested

Well I just took the time to read through Ken Rockwell's site to teach myself what a crazy lens number actually means - seems the d40x is worse than I thought, and am now looking for a D40, ideally with a basic AF-S VR lens.

I think.

Quote from IlGuercio :

No AF points?
Really?
Why is that?

Given the deep financial shit that Hoya/Pentax are in, maybe they couldn't afford to.

Quote from IlGuercio :

Is any of you guys using the video feature from his or her dSLR?
Im very interested

In a word, no. My SLR doesn't have a video feature, and I'm glad of that. If I want to shoot video, I will use a video camera. My SLR is for taking pictures, and I'll never buy an SLR that has been compromised as a tool for taking pictures by the addition of stuff like video and live view.

Quote from Jakg :

crazy lens number

What is a "crazy lens number"?

AF-S DX 18-55 mm, for example - now I actually know what that means (yeah I didnt know before...)

EDIT - I now want a Nikon D40 with a Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm VR lens.

Aaahhh... well I'd suggest you learn such basics as focal length, aperture, etc, and then turn your attentions to getting a dslr. It's pretty simple stuff to pick up, I'm not sure how easy this is to follow but looked reasonably comprehensive upon first glance:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_lens

Never forget that simply having a dslr doesn't make your pictures better. It's only a tool that you have to know how to use, which helps you take a better picture.

Got BG-E5 as a christmas present

Quote from STROBE :

In a word, no. My SLR doesn't have a video feature, and I'm glad of that. If I want to shoot video, I will use a video camera. My SLR is for taking pictures, and I'll never buy an SLR that has been compromised as a tool for taking pictures by the addition of stuff like video and live view.

Ah but it's not that simple, you'll have trouble finding an affordable video camera with exchangable lenses, let alone a comparable selection of lenses. Video-capable DSLRs are pretty much the only way to achieve great DOF (average camcorder = tiny lens = no DOF) without having to spend a lot on professional camera equipment.

Ok well it turns out trying to get a sub-£250 D40 with a Nikkor 18-55m VR lens is proving a little hard - whereas with the 18-55mm II kit lens is doable.

Anyone have any words of wisdom re VR lenses?

dpreview finally got around to the K-x and gave it a stellar review:

Quote :

The K-x is a very capable little camera indeed. Pentax has managed to squeeze what is, for this class of camera, an impressive feature set into the camera's miniscule, rather inconspicuous, body and the image quality, especially in low light, is the best we have seen so far in the entry-level bracket of the DSLR market. To put some icing on the cake, all of this comes at a currently, compared to the closest rivals, very attractive price point. To us the lack of visible AF points is the camera's only real drawback but if you can live with this omission you can't go wrong with the Pentax K-x.

re: the focus points... leaving them out is definitely a bit goofy, but you can still select them on the rear LCD screen, and you still get focus confirmation via the green hex at the bottom of the viewfinder... you just have to remember which AF point is selected if you're in center point or selectable mode. In full auto AF mode you just have to trust your eyes. The red AF points aren't confirmation of focus, anyway, they're just confirmation of what focus point the camera is choosing to use--completely unnecessary for me anyway since I shoot center point 99% of the time.

and re: video... I've been using it more and more on my K-7 and K-x... it's a lot of fun and actually teaches you a lot about manually focusing quickly with good accuracy (unless you like lots of OOF shots). The quality is generally excellent and if you're careful with your movements you can avoid the nasty rolling shutter jello effect, mostly.

Guys,im looking for a good lens to use as a normal zoom on the 20D.
The 17-50(the old one)looks pretty good optically but i dont like the fact that it is made of plastic.
So,i am considering buying a Tokina 16-50 2.8.The 2.8 is a must,now that i have my Zigma i can't use a dim lens anymore and i want the new lens to have a comparable build quality(i like the weight and the tank feel).
Would you recommend buying one?

The Tokina is optically identical to the Pentax DA* 16-50/2.8, which is a very revered lens over on our side.

I really like my Tamron, though, and the plastic construction doesn't bother me one bit in day-to-day use. It's still got quite a weight to it in-hand.

Quote from DeadWolfBones :

The Tokina is optically identical to the Pentax DA* 16-50/2.8, which is a very revered lens over on our side.

I really like my Tamron, though, and the plastic construction doesn't bother me one bit in day-to-day use. It's still got quite a weight to it in-hand.

Yes,i know that the Tokina and the Pentax share the same optical design but,as far as i know,they are built in different factories(am i right?) and the pentax has the SDM motor.
So,i considered buying the tammy but...i really fell in love with that sigma in my hands.The weight,the zoom ring that feels tough,the focus ring that has a clutch,the big glass.
Does the Tokina show a lot of flare?Are there any normal zoom lenses that do not protrude while zooming?As far as i know there aren't
Is a fast motor(USM,HSM or similar) a must on a zoom like this?

Have any of you sold any of your photos? To who?

What about through internet? (Those websites that allow you to post images and people can buy them)

Any luck?

Thanks.

Quote from DevilDare :

Have any of you sold any of your photos? To who?

What about through internet? (Those websites that allow you to post images and people can buy them)

Any luck?

Thanks.

I know a couple of guys who sell their photos to stock sites but other than that...no,not many.
I also know a couple of freelancer photographers but i have no clue how they get to access some events.

I see.

I was wondering how hard is it to sell your photos to your local newspaper for example.

Do they even buy them?/Consider them? Or does it depend on the agency?